Xubuntu won't boot

[sirloganthestud]

Hello all! I am new to the forums and linux in general, but not new to computers. I have had no previous experience with linux, so bear with me. I have an old HP pavilion 733n desktop running Windows XP Home Edition with the following specs:

AMD Athlon 2400+ (2.0 GHz)
512MB of Ram
120 GB Western Digital HDD

It runs very slow, so I wanted to install linux so it would run faster. My family uses it mainly for web browsing. I downloaded xubuntu and burned the iso image to a CD-R disc. When the Xubuntu screen came up, i chose "Install Xubuntu". When I did, the next screen came up with this:

[17.116029] ata1.00: revalidation failed (errno=-5)
[27.280027] ata1.00: revalidation failed (errno=-5)

After a short delay, the xubuntu loading screen came up. But soon after this screen popped up:


[17.116029] ata1.00: revalidation failed (errno=-5)
[27.280027] ata1.00: revalidation failed (errno=-5)
Loading, please wait...

BusyBox v1.10.2 (Ubuntu 1:1.10.2-2ubuntu7) built in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of build in commands.

(initramfs)


The system just hangs there. So what should I do to get it to boot? I'm sure there are a million threads like this, and I'm sorry if there are. Thanks in advance

Sincerely,

~Logan Thomas Seeley~

[danns]

I'm seeing bug reports about this:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/206635

[sirloganthestud]

So what should I do?

[sirloganthestud]

I'd assume this is a problem with the hard disk?

[orngjce223]

I'd assume this is a problem with the hard disk?

Nope, it's a problem with the ISO. The dude above says it's a known problem - but sorry, I can't help you :(

[sirloganthestud]

I may just burn a new one. Would that help?

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

Check the iso against the md5, you can use the integrity check on the CD also

[sirloganthestud]

Check the iso against the md5

How?

[Dennis N]

To check the md5sum from Windows XP you need a utility program. There are a number of these you can google to find and there is a list of some here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Md5sum#External_links

You compare the result you get from running the utility to the published md5 sum from the download site (see the file MD5SUMS) for the exact same .iso that you downloaded. Assuming it was the U.S. download site for Xubuntu 9.04 the MD5SUMS file is among the downloadable files here:

http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso/CDs-Xubuntu/9.04/release/

[sirloganthestud]

The md5sum of the .iso that I downloaded (9.04 desktop i386) matched the one on the xubuntu site. So what should I do now?

[Jose Catre-Vandis]

Can you run it as live cd, or do you get the same problem?

[LaneLester]

Can you run it as live cd, or do you get the same problem?
I'm having the same problem, and before I found this thread, I tried two different downloads of the i386 and one of the amd64. None of them would boot.

I've had no trouble installing Ubuntu Karmics, so this is quite irritating.

Oh, and yes, these were all supposed to be just booting the live CD, not installing. I at least have sense enough to wait and see if the live CD will work before I install. :)

Lane

[CannibalAngel]

I am getting a very similar problem. If you find anything out could you post it here or in my thread? Thanks in advance!

[LaneLester]

Well, it seems to be a Xubuntu problem. I just successfully booted an Ubuntu amd64 beta live CD.

I don't understand why there is so much hard drive activity during a live CD boot.

I sure would like to try Xubuntu, but I guess I'll have to wait for the release or some notice that this problem has been fixed.

Lane

[sirloganthestud]

I can't install it or run it as a live cd. I might try a different version of ubuntu.

[LaneLester]

After my successful boot of the Ubuntu live CD, I decided to try Xubuntu again. And yes, indeed, this time it booted... and installed!

My joy was short-lived, however. When I tried to boot the new Xubuntu hard drive partition, it didn't make it. The screen started flashing rapidly, and the process stopped at the terminal login, instead of starting X. The flashing was part of some kind of activity that prevented logging in even in the terminal.

So I'm still Xubuntu-less.

Lane

[LaneLester]

I'm very pleased to report that I'm typing this from Xubuntu Karmic Beta 64-bit!

A new release (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/daily-live/current/) was available today, and this time it worked. It took quite a few hours, but it's done.

The choice to install, rather than boot the live CD, didn't work. A bunch of things failed, including the partitioner (ubiquity?). Fortunately, I bailed out before anything bad happened.

So I booted the live CD session and installed from there. It went OK for a while, but then it got hung installing the language packs (why language packs after one has chosen their language at the very beginning?). Anyway, I let it sit on 86% for an hour or so, and then I hit the Skip button.

That was OK, and the install proceeded to completion.

Lane

[sirloganthestud]

So would you suggest I install Karmic Koala? Or would you suggest I try Hardy Heron?

[LaneLester]

Go with Karmic Koala! The problems I had were fixed a day or two later, and I now have a fully functional KK system.

However, I'm using Fluxbox for my window manager, because I think the current Xfce menu system is ridiculously user-unfriendly and complex.

Lane

[sirloganthestud]

*Sigh!*

Karmic Koala didn't work either! It stops before booting saying "Unable to find live disc image" or something similar. So should I try Hardy Heron, do you think it's a problem with my cd drive, or what?

[sirloganthestud]

Well, I couldn't run the disk check on the computer I am trying to install xubuntu on, so I ran the disk check on another computer. I tested the Jaunty and the disk came up with 1 error. Then I tested Karmic, which also came up with 1 error. What the heck?

[LaneLester]

I'm out of ideas. Maybe someone else will chime in.

Lane

[sirloganthestud]

Hopefully!

[sirloganthestud]

It may be a problem with the CD drive because when I generated the md5 hash of the .iso I downloaded, it matched the hash xubuntu had posted; but when I ran the disk check on the cd it posted one error. Could it be the drive?

[sirloganthestud]

I'm convinced it's the cd drive. I was able to install Karmic succesfully on another computer using a cd I burned from a different computer than the original one. I then tried it on the original computer and it didn't work.