What's with the cd thing?

[artisan]

I tried to install ubuntu on my partners Acer netbook.
(not for the faint hearted)

The install did not take.
I am left with a black screen all that it says is...
error: no such partition.
grub rescue>

Please do not start posting how to's

My question is this:

In this day and age when there are more and more devices WITHOUT a CD drive, why do all the pages say.
To reinstall MBR us cd such and such.
Or use backup DVD.

Why?

Modern netbooks do NOT have CD drives.

Considering the MULTI BILLION dollar business this is, how come some one has not realized that the machines do NOT have cd drives.
I am somewhat computer literate. I can use google.

But seriously. How come EVERY how to page on Windows Acer and Ubuntu (how much is Shuttleworth spending?) starts with: Insert CD.
Burn the MBR recovery.exe to CD/DVD.

Why?

This is not a rant.
I honestly am interested. How many Billion is this market worth and no one has realized that these devices do NOT have a CD drive?


:p

[Austin25]

One word: unetbootin.

[artisan]

FIVE words!
Please do not start posting how to's

[NightwishFan]

Ubuntu supports installing from USB.

[Austin25]

With unetbootin, (practically) every time they say CD, you can substitute a USB drive.

[inobe]

the netbook addition is a cd ?

[artisan]

What part of
Please do not start posting how to's

is difficult to understand?


Ubuntu supports installing from USB.
Yep but screws up the MBR and leaves you with NOTHING.

With unetbootin, (practically) every time they say CD, you can substitute a USB drive.
Thats what got be a bricked netbook.

I honestly am interested. How many Billion is this market worth and no one has realized that these devices do NOT have a CD drive?

Go try google.
Spend a day looking for some thread or pots or anything that helps recovery of MBR from a USB drive.

This is a multi billion dollar business and no one has noticed.

And the CD vs USB thing.
every time they say CD, you can substitute a USB drive.
Really?
So every time it says down load repairmbr.exe to CD I can just drop that onto a USB drive?
Oh silly me.
There is NO grub or MBR. There is nothing how should I run something like repairmbr.exe from a USB drive on a bricked netbook?

[NightwishFan]

Grow up. I will post what I want without you telling me what to do. I did not come here to listen to you rant. You likely broke it due to your own foolish mistakes.

[artisan]

I did not come here to listen to you rant.

Er then go away?

[NightwishFan]

No. I want to post a few more tutorials, which you will not follow because doing it right means you will not be able to complain about it.

[artisan]

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=548648

http://www.mail-archive.com/debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.org/msg688329.html

[NightwishFan]

Thanks. Now go. Do.

[matthew.ball]

This is an elaborate scheme... You really just wanted to show off your superior marketing skills, which obviously no one else has thought of, right?

I mean, you even identify the problem yourself: "This is a multi billion dollar business and no one has noticed." ... Perhaps you've found yourself a workable market, provided you can come up with a workable solution of course, but hey, just having the idea is obviously worth more than being able to implement it.

[artisan]

Like I posted.

How many Billion is this market worth and no one has realized that these devices do NOT have a CD drive?

All the windows sites say insert cd.
All the linux sites say.

Use gparted.


I did not post here for a how to.
Am just interested in how come there are is nothing for live USBs?
Less and less machine have CD drives.

Whats got your panties all bunched?

[matthew.ball]

UNetbootin (Universal Netboot Installer) is a cross-platform utility that can create Live USB systems and can load a variety of system utilities or install various Linux distributions and other operating systems without a CD.
Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNetbootin).

Apparently, as there is nothing for booting from a USB Live (re: "Am just interested in how come there are is nothing for live USBs?"), I guess wikipedia is lying to us again.

[artisan]

This is an elaborate scheme... You really just wanted to show off your superior marketing skills, which obviously no one else has thought of, right?

I mean, you even identify the problem yourself: "This is a multi billion dollar business and no one has noticed." ... Perhaps you've found yourself a workable market, provided you can come up with a workable solution of course, but hey, just having the idea is obviously worth more than being able to implement it.

Huh?

[artisan]

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNetbootin).

Apparently, as there is nothing for booting from a USB Live (re: "Am just interested in how come there are is nothing for live USBs?"), I guess wikipedia is lying to us again.

Yes thank you.
And?


I can get linux on a usb drive I can get it to boot.
Gparted does not recognize anything.

I have live usb drive that goes nowhere.

[pbpersson]

How many Billion is this market worth and no one has realized that these devices do NOT have a CD drive?
All the windows sites say insert cd.
All the linux sites say.
Use gparted.

You are looking at the wrong web sites. Quite a number of people on this forum have successfully installed Ubuntu without ever touching a CD or DVD.




I did not post here for a how to.
Am just interested in how come there are is nothing for live USBs?
Less and less machine have CD drives.

Of course there is something for USB installation. It sounds as though you do not want to learn more about it. You also do not want help to fix your situation.

[Kalimol]

artisan ... what are you seeing that I'm not?

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r256/Kalimol/flashy.png

Where are you seeing this "CD" bullpucky again?

[matthew.ball]

Apparently it's not about the CD any more. *shrugs*

[artisan]

I have been using unbuntu for a couple of years. Have installed it many which ways.


It is not the installation that is at issue.
It is the recovery from a borked installation that is the issue.

"Insert the XP or Windows 2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and reboot the computer."
"1. First, restart your computer with the Windows XP setup disk in the CD drive."
"To create a backup of MBR

MBRWiz /save=C:\savedMBR"
Well that one is too late.

"Insert Win 7 installation DVD and boot from DVD drive. While in some older systems"


etc etc etc etc etc

[artisan]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=622828

Re: HOW TO: Recover Windows MBR using Ubuntu LIVE CD
It has taken me a week to find a solution that worked -- and it worked so smoothly! Thank you! Now that the desktop PC is back in working order, my wife and I will not be fighting for the laptop!


Am just saying there is NO simple method of repair once you hit.
grub rescue.

How come?

[juancarlospaco]

Why?

Why?


Because i can.

[Austin25]

Hey artisan, please use quote tags when you quote someone.

Some problems with your arguement:

Gparted should just work with a live usb.
Canonical even sells ubuntu flash drives (http://shop.canonical.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=USB+%2BKey&op=Search) for those who can't use unetbootin.
You can buy an external CD drive.
There are many more methods of installation that aren't even talked about here. (ssh, part-image, etc.)


Are you trolling?

[artisan]

Gparted should just work with a live usb.


How about.
It doesn't

[NightwishFan]

Why not have some respect for people when you respond to them, thanks. Also.. Gparted does work on a live usb. Your issue is probably not related to the system being on a live usb at all.

[artisan]

Why not have some respect for people when you respond to them, thanks.


Thanks. Now go. Do.



Also.. Gparted does work on a live usb. Your issue is probably not related to the system being on a live usb at all.
Why is this you issue?


Are you trolling?

[Austin25]

Why not have some respect for people when you respond to them, thanks. Also.. Gparted does work on a live usb. Your issue is probably not related to the system being on a live usb at all.

You are right.

Artisan, I apologize. Forgive me if I acted out of line, I have seen the darkside of the internet. There are those who wish to cause problems. They make it hard for those who problems to ask for help.

What you are wondering is why companies are ignoring those who don't have CD drives.

The answer I have is that they don't, they only assume that you do or you know what to do without it.

Now I must go: may battery is going dead.

[NightwishFan]

Are you trolling?

Absolutely. I will not give you "wrong" information. However I seriously have no desire to see you succeed, and I just am bothering you. Now then, I am going to unsubscribe to this thread. If you or I have anything else to say it will be through PMs, and we will not. Have a nice life. ):P

[Kalimol]

artisan, I don't think anyone understands what you're talking about, and you're reading as extremely hostile. Nightwish clearly took that as license to respond in, he or she thought, kind.

Gparted does work from the flash drive install - I keep around my original install stick for things like that. The installer wouldn't even work without Gparted! = ) But if you have a specific problem, for a specific reason, that's something else, and it would be a reason to look up a tutorial. I've had difficulty getting drives to unmount before, so I'm not going to say that Gparted always works for everything you might put it to.

[artisan]

I think I did originally want to ask why? Why is there only information on cds and dvd drives.

I have been through this type of thing before. That is why I did write.
Please do not start posting how to's


There has been no intention to upset anyone.

In the install forum there is a thread five pages long on whre this is right now.

I just cannot believe that there is in a multi billion dollar business no real way to restore a system without a cd or dvd drive.
And where I live there are no 24 hour computer stores. I would not be able to even think about buying an external cd drive till tomorrow.

Like I say no offense was meant.
None taken.

[cariboo]

@Artisan, if not including a usb drive in the howto's really bothers you why not do something about it, instead of complaining here. I'm sure the the documentation team (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam) would be more than happy to accept you as a member, you can then go and update all the Ubuntu help wiki pages.

[pbpersson]

I'm sure the the documentation team (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam) would be more than happy to accept you as a member, you can then go and update all the Ubuntu help wiki pages.

The really nice thing about Open Source is.....if you are not happy you can just change it....in some cases. :popcorn:

[Starks]

Why is artisan even complaining about gparted?

Yes, gparted is a pain to put on USB, but the point is moot since you can use the gparted from a LiveUSB of Ubuntu, netbook edition or regular edition.

Does artisan even know that he has to press F12 (or similar key) or set his BIOS to boot from USB?

[bug67]

Does artisan even know that he has to press F12 (or similar key) or set his BIOS to boot from USB?

Easy there. That question is creeping dangerously close to a "How to."

:lolflag:

[wirepuller134]

Actually we run into this a lot. We build automation equipment for the food industry. The panels reside in hot water high pressure wash down areas. Sometimes an employ of our client will leave the panel door open so fourth, or just weld on it while it is running. We run into all kinds of issues in the field. Our systems do not use CD or DVD drives at all, and are all installed and restored from USB sticks or depending on their age compact flash cards....so it can be done, and done easily, as we have talked maintenance personal through restoring a system over the phone several times. As requested by the OP I'm not posting links to the software we use.

[earthpigg]

to answer the questions in the OP...

1) only novices need these guides.
2) "insert the CD..." is more accessible to novices than "insert the install medium..."
3) not all computers support booting from USB.
4) nearly all computers support booting from CD.
5) Ubuntu CD's are dirt cheap and given away for free. I'll burn and give an Ubuntu CD to anyone that asks, but I won't give away any of my thumb drives.
6) Not all USB thumb drives are even capable of being booted from. Google it. Particularly guilty are SanDisk thumb drives.
7) X% of computers come with CD as a higher boot priority than hard drive. Y% of computers come with USB as a higher boot priority than hard drive. I don't know what the X and Y values are, but I believe X > Y.

If you want to write a simple single how-to that will work for the highest percentage of novices with a minimum of fuss, then you do so with CD as your chosen medium. Netbook users are still the small minority. Furthermore, I suspect that a higher percentage of users have SanDisk thumb drives than have computers lacking a CD drive.

If I were writing a how-to guide, I'd do it using a CD. Towards the top, I'd have a link titled "Click here if you don't have a CD drive, or would prefer to use a USB thumb drive."


EDIT: and I say all of the above as someone that, in general, feels optical media is pretty much obsolete. the saving grace of the CD-R format and CD drives is that they are absolutely standard, and the standard is adhered to. Not at all the case with USB drives.

[artisan]

As the OP.
I will say that I have been here before.

Post a question in somewhere like the cafe and people start giving how tos.
Post something in the actual forums and people start chatting about how they weld doors.

Lets start with.
Cds and dvd dvd are basically obsolete.
Manufacturers are already aware of this but programmers seem not to be.


Gparted did NOT work from a live usb. Most probably because the grub was screwed in the first place.
Gparted did not work.
So as Starks so kindly pointed out I cannot press F12.
Again. It must be my fault.


I came over as hostile?
Try having your girlfriend sat at your elbow for two days while you try to unbrick her netbook. While every reference refers to and outdated media type.

As some one posted.
I was obviously my fault.
I did something wrong.

As someone else posted I cannot swap BIOS to boot from a USB drive.

This is the third time I have had (largish) problems with Ubuntu.

Try google subjects like
MBR repair
Grub repair
grub/ mbr rescue.
restore windows mbr

All these point in the direction Ubuntu.


Sorry.
You guys are not going to like this.
But from some of the posts in this thread.
This is a snarky club that does nothing but defend itself.
It must be someone elses fault.
It cannot be Ubuntu.

I dropped ubuntu 10.04 after a borked update took out (oh I can't remember now) my printer. Which then led to me installing some bloat wear from HP which took down.... etc
Which ended up me reinstalling Ubuntu 10.04 which led to me losing my monitor Nvidia settings which eventually moved me to Mint.
I moved to Mint after being told in these forums that it was my fault for installing the update in the first place.

Next.
I put Easy peasy on my girlfriends netbook. Dual boot with Windows.
It did not sit so well.
Eventually ending up (while she was away with the computer in another country for Christmas) with the terminal showing in the top left hand corner and doing nothing else.

I suggested ubuntu the netbook version.
She agreed.

That is when the fun really started.
The install went Ok till the comp. was rebooted.
Then the netbbook was bricked.

All there was was grub rescue.

That as the people have said in this thread was my fault.
Obviously.

I have, thanks to the very kind help of Quackers, got the thing unbricked.

Everything apart from the help of Quackers points in one direction.
Ubuntu is not ready for the mainstream.

Not if any of the comments from you guys are anything to go by.
It is not the fault of ubuntu.
It is the fault of the user!

Sounds like MS syndrome to me.

Yep. Go on call me a troll.

):P

[Elfy]

Closed