Can't Install 12.04: "You Need To Load the Kernel First..."

**buzzingrobot** · April 27th, 2012

12.04 64-bit is failing to install here off a CD. I am getting the same "You need to load the kernel first" error that I reported here:http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1964065 about Beta2.

Here's what happens: I insert the CD newly burned on a Mac, and hit reset. It boots into the CD and I see the "Try or Install" menu. Selecting either option, the drive spins up for about 15 seconds, goes quiet, and then I see this:

"error: couldn't read file"
"You need to load the kernel first...Press a key to continue"

If I press a key, it returns to the original "Try or Install" menu. If I don't, it returns by itself. At that point, pressing F-10 to boot, or any other key, has no effect. The machine appears to be locked up.

I have tried editing the Grub options. Nothing has an impact.

I have verified, on multiple CD's, that the iso burned correctly and that the kernels are, in fact, where grub thinks they are.

The install routines on CD's of other distributions work. Only Ubuntu 12.04 does this. Repeatedly.

Has anyone else seen this? Is there a fix? I followed through the beta cycle and now, when I want to do a clean install, it's frustrating to get this error over and over.

**buzzingrobot** · April 27th, 2012

Well, the USB stick seems to be working. I partitioned my drives manually and I noticed the USB showed up in the list. Took me a second to realize what the 8004 mb drive was.

Anyway, thanks for the reminder about the usb.

**fbreve** · May 22nd, 2012

I have the same problem here. So I wonder if you already got a solution.

**buzzingrobot** · May 22nd, 2012

Originally Posted by fbreve

I have the same problem here. So I wonder if you already got a solution.

I used a USB stick. Someone suggested the iso image is too big for a CD. That's true, and I hadn't noticed. While it's just under 700 megs on Ubuntu's server, it's more than 730 megs here once downloaded. Still, I burned it on a DVD and got the same result.