Stuck on boot: Syslinux Problem

Hello there, I'm Alecossy.
I've been using linux distros for over 4 years now, going from Fedora to Chakra, passing through ubuntu, knoppix and another couple of minor forks.
Just yesterday I decided to remove my chakra copy to try out Ubuntu Studio 12.04 on an Acer Aspire 5742ZG laptop.
I went straight to making the flash USB just to find that it gets systematically stuck on SYSLINUX.
The exact message says:
"Syslinux 4.03 2010-10-22 EDD Copyright (C) 1994-2010 H. Peter Anvin et al"
Used to this kind of problems from other distros i tried to browse your forum looking for a solution.
Of the few I tried none worked.
I'm sure my computer supports USB boots because all other distros have been installed using this very USB Drive i'm using now (Including a version of Android x86) and I made the flash drive both using LiLi and Unetbootin.
I'm now wondering, what might the problem be?

There are usually three possibilites:

1) The syslinux bootloader was corrupted and needs to be reinstalled.
2) syslinux.cfg is pointing to the wrong kernel
3) syslinux.cfg is pointing to the wrong initrd (root system)

Take a look at the .cfg file and try to eliminate some possibilities.

If you don't know how to read it, post it here.

Here's the content of my syslinux.cfg:
Note that I never used syslinux before so I'm completly new to the whole thing.

Code:

---

default menu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100

label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper quiet splash --

label ubnentry0
menu label ^Help
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit

label ubnentry1
menu label ^Try Ubuntu Studio without installing
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper  quiet splash --

label ubnentry2
menu label ^Install Ubuntu Studio
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity  quiet splash --

label ubnentry3
menu label ^Check disc for defects
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz boot=casper integrity-check  quiet splash --

label ubnentry4
menu label Test ^memory
kernel /install/mt86plus
append initrd=/ubninit

label ubnentry5
menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit

label ubnentry6
menu label Try Ubuntu Studio without installing
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper quiet splash --

label ubnentry7
menu label Install Ubuntu Studio
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity quiet splash --

label ubnentry8
menu label Check disc for defects
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz boot=casper integrity-check quiet splash --

---

Looks like the install is set up for a LiveCD instead of a LiveUSB environment. Perhaps you simply copied it over? If so, that won't work; it needs to be installed properly - the CD and USB environments are a bit different.

How, exactly, did you create the bootable USB?
What program did you use to create it?

For example, take a look at this line from the syslinux.cfg:

Quote:

---

append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper quiet splash --

---

See how the system is looking for a preseed file on the CDROM instead of the USB?

Are you really trying to install Ubuntu Studio? Is the preseed file on your USB stick?
If so, simply fix the string(s) to reflect the correct location.

As I said, I used Unetbootin - 575, Windows version.
I simply downloaded ubuntustudio-12.04-dvd-amd64.iso from the ubuntu studio site and ran a checksum to be sure, then I opened Unetbootin and selected "ubuntu" and the 12.04_live_x64 version.
I then selected the drive and hit the okay button.
The result is what you see before us.
Did I do something wrong?
I also tried to use LiLi (which is a windows application called LinuxLive USB Creator) but the result was the same.

Perhaps you did something wrong. Or perhaps you have discovered a bug with the way unetbootin handles preseed files.

Doesn't seem relevant to your problem right now. We know what the problem seems to be in the syslinux.cfg file.
Do you understand how to fix it?

I'm not quite sure about it...
I'm pretty sure I simply have to redirect the string you highlighter but I'm sure how to call the usb drive.
Do I have to do something like:

Code:

---

append initrd=/ubninit file=/dev/sdb/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper quiet splash --

---

provided that the folder structure is the right one?

Close. For the base path, use the root level of the stick, not the root filesystem. GRUB uses these before the root filesystem is loaded, so the only filesyste it know is the stick. init hasn't created /dev yet.

For example, the initrd (ubninit) isn't at /dev/sdb/ubninit, for GRUB purposes it's at /ubninit (you can see it there at the top level of the stick).

Similarly, the preseed file should be at /preseed/ubuntusutdio.seed

Okay, this is strange...
I accidentally left the stick plugged in my PC and the system started without a problem...
I will try changing it to what you said and test it on the laptop anyway.
Edit:
the newly made syslinux.cfg

Quote:

---

default menu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100

label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/preseed/ubuntustudio.seed boot=casper quiet splash --

---

has no effect. still stuck at the same screen

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alecossy

Okay, this is strange...
I accidentally left the stick plugged in my PC and the system started without a problem...

---

Wait a second! You never mentioned that you used the stick to install, and that it's the installed system that won't boot!

I've been trying to diagnose why your USB stick won't boot...which apparently it does perfectly well. I've been working on the wrong problem entirely.

Question: Did you really install Ubuntu Studio onto the laptop, or did you merely copy over a live environment? Normally, if you really install, you would be using GRUB instead of Syslinux. Syslinux doesn't work on ext2/3/4, which is what Ubuntu prefers; it's meant for ms-dos formatted media. Did you really install, but somehow manually change bootloaders?

If you simply copied over a live environment, then needing the stick to boot makes more sense. Some path in the syslinux.cfg is still pointing to the stick.