Getting frustrated here

[bstrawt90]

I have been trying to figure this out for the past 5 hours straight and trying different things from the research I have been doing on google.

what im trying to do: is turn my old desktop into a ubuntu home server

when I plug in the thumb drive with the imagefile on it, i get "There is no bootload partition table." The desktop that I have is a compaq and it has ubuntu 11.04 on it. I have been getting to log in screen and pressing the ctrl+alt +f1+f6 to use command line because when i log in normally i just get a blank screen. spent about couple of hours on that, changing my settings to "nosetmode" actually makes it worst. I tried downloading a couple of other more ubuntu desktops to just overwrite the one i have on now. I tried 11.04 again and it says no boot partition table. I tried 12.04 and just got some nonsense.

I finally broke down and will just ask for some ones help.
How do I create a boot partition via Terminal window?, because i can not use gpart since Im only in terminal window. and also is there anything else i need to do?
PLEASE HELP!

[rccubed]

bstrawt90,
When you say "Old Desktop" how Old are we talking about?
Is the hardware able to boot from a usb port?
I have several that can't.
rccubed

[oscarivera9]

If it's an "old desktop", like rccubed said, the problem may be that the PC might not be able to boot from your thumb drive. Have you tried using a Live CD instead?

Also, depending on how old the desktop is, you may encounter many, many more problems down the road if you somehow manage to install Ubuntu Server 11.04.
It would help us much more if you were to tell us more about the hardware you're using. Give us more than just Compaq so that we know what we're dealing with here.

So, not knowing how old your PC is, what I would recommend instead is that you use Ubuntu Server 10.04 instead. It is older but still supported.

If you'd rather go with something new, Xubuntu 12.04 may be a good alternative. Even though Xubuntu doesn't have a server edition, it may suit your needs with a little tweaking.

[bstrawt90]

bstrawt90,
When you say "Old Desktop" how Old are we talking about?
Is the hardware able to boot from a usb port?
I have several that can't.
rccubed

Its not as old as ya think, I would say 2005/6. And yeahit can boot from usb, thats how I got 11.04on it. When I installes it I think I put use entire disk and did not do anything w partitioning hard drive. So I prolly deleted the boot partition

[bstrawt90]

If it's an "old desktop", like rccubed said, the problem may be that the PC might not be able to boot from your thumb drive. Have you tried using a Live CD instead?

Also, depending on how old the desktop is, you may encounter many, many more problems down the road if you somehow manage to install Ubuntu Server 11.04.
It would help us much more if you were to tell us more about the hardware you're using. Give us more than just Compaq so that we know what we're dealing with here.

So, not knowing how old your PC is, what I would recommend instead is that you use Ubuntu Server 10.04 instead. It is older but still supported.

If you'd rather go with something new, Xubuntu 12.04 may be a good alternative. Even though Xubuntu doesn't have a server edition, it may suit your needs with a little tweaking.

Ok yeah I may go with 10.04 server, and probably check out xbuntu on laptop. But the problem is getting a boot partition. I think I put on desktop, which is like 05/06, use entire disk and did not do any partitioning what so ever so I think I deleted the boot partition to allow other boot methods for. Is there any code people can walk me through that I can plug into terminal?

[Wim Sturkenboom]

when I plug in the thumb drive with the imagefile on it, i get "There is no bootload partition table."

That would point to the thumb drive having a problem.

The desktop that I have is a compaq and it has ubuntu 11.04 on it. I have been getting to log in screen and pressing the ctrl+alt +f1+f6 to use command line because when i log in normally i just get a blank screen. spent about couple of hours on that, changing my settings to "nosetmode" actually makes it worst.

Is that with the version that is currently installed on the HD? Or with the thumb drive (which contradicts above).

I tried downloading a couple of other more ubuntu desktops to just overwrite the one i have on now. I tried 11.04 again and it says no boot partition table. I tried 12.04 and just got some nonsense.

Did you check the md5sum after download? Did you use the same thumb drive? Or another one? Or did you burn CDs? There is no such thing as 'some nonsense'; try to give the error messages that it throws at you.

I basically would think that your thumb drive is broken and hence does not have a proper image on it.

[lisati]

I have been trying to figure this out for the past 5 hours straight and trying different things from the research I have been doing on google.

what im trying to do: is turn my old desktop into a ubuntu home server

when I plug in the thumb drive with the imagefile on it, i get "There is no bootload partition table." The desktop that I have is a compaq and it has ubuntu 11.04 on it. I have been getting to log in screen and pressing the ctrl+alt +f1+f6 to use command line because when i log in normally i just get a blank screen. spent about couple of hours on that, changing my settings to "nosetmode" actually makes it worst. I tried downloading a couple of other more ubuntu desktops to just overwrite the one i have on now. I tried 11.04 again and it says no boot partition table. I tried 12.04 and just got some nonsense.

I finally broke down and will just ask for some ones help.
How do I create a boot partition via Terminal window?, because i can not use gpart since Im only in terminal window. and also is there anything else i need to do?
PLEASE HELP!

How did you copy the image file to the thumbdrive? Just copying the ISO file to the thumbdrive as if it were a regular file doesn't necessarily work too well.

[bstrawt90]

How did you copy the image file to the thumbdrive? Just copying the ISO file to the thumbdrive as if it were a regular file doesn't necessarily work too well.

Ok it has been a while since I booted something with another OS, so yeah I did just basically copy and drag iso file to thumb drive.

[bstrawt90]

That would point to the thumb drive having a problem.


Is that with the version that is currently installed on the HD? Or with the thumb drive (which contradicts above).

Did you check the md5sum after download? Did you use the same thumb drive? Or another one? Or did you burn CDs? There is no such thing as 'some nonsense'; try to give the error messages that it throws at you.

I basically would think that your thumb drive is broken and hence does not have a proper image on it.

It is same version I had on hard drive, keep in mind that I juss clicked and dragged iso file from downloads to thumb drive. It has been awhile since I booted into new OS so I could have forgot the real way. And no I havent used any blank cds and it has been the same thumb drive most of the time. I had tried another, same way copy n drag iso file but with ubuntu12.04, different than what is installed on hdd. I till hold off on the old thu,b drive because the bottom part of it that holds the data may have gotten dust or somthing, it has been months without proper protection. Does this info help?

[bstrawt90]

That would point to the thumb drive having a problem.


Is that with the version that is currently installed on the HD? Or with the thumb drive (which contradicts above).

Did you check the md5sum after download? Did you use the same thumb drive? Or another one? Or did you burn CDs? There is no such thing as 'some nonsense'; try to give the error messages that it throws at you.

I basically would think that your thumb drive is broken and hence does not have a proper image on it.

I also did not check/do not know what the m5s thing is