david421
August 11th, 2015, 05:41 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, I've tried everything. I'm a relative noob with Linux, so please bear with me.
I'm attempting to set up a dual boot with Windows 7 on a relatively new system. Windows loads fine, which confirms that the hardware is in order and assembled correctly. My working hypothesis right now is that my UEFI-based motherboard is causing issues.
System:
Mobo: Gigabyte Z97-HD3 rev2.0 (recently flashed to latest firmware vF8)
CPU: i7-4790k 4.0GHz
RAM: 16GB
Gfx: NVidia GTX 980
SATA0: 500GB ssd (currently unpartitioned / departitioned)
SATA1: 240GB ssd (currently disconnected for troubleshooting purposes)
SATA2: 4TB hdd (currently disconnected for troubleshooting purposes)
SATA3: 4TB hdd (currently disconnected for troubleshooting purposes)
SATA4: {empty / unoccupied}
SATA5: Optical drive
History: (I have no idea what is useful info and what is not, but this is my best attempt to provide synopsis)
First: System self-built with all new components approx. early April 2015. Only recycled component was optical drive and 240GB ssd (SATA1 above). System worked fine with Windows 7 prior to purchase of 500GB ssd (SATA0 above). Main drive was 240GB ssd (SATA1 above) alongside 500gGB hdd (removed) and both 4TB drives (SATA2/3, above) were in use, independently partitioned (E:\ and F:\, respectively) for synching with various cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, and others).
Second: Purchased SATA0 late July 2015, moved SATA1 to current position, removing other hdd not listed above. Left both 4TB drives alone, NTFS clean-formatted x2. Successfully upgraded to Windows 10, experimented for ~2 hours, didn't like it. Formatted and installed Windows 7 instead to occupy entire SATA0. Intention was to install Ubuntu v15.04 Vivid Vervet on entire SATA1 with WUBI installer on USB. (Note -- later steps involve switching to a different USB creator.)
Error at this stage: Ubuntu installer could not identify any active partitions on any drive. I chose to halt my progress.
HANDHELD CELL PHONE VIDEO SERIES OF THIS ERROR IS AVAILABLE!!! Link to dropbox folder is: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/308uti0843fp7da/AADErdVl3to1rJXxiHfqCuzUa?dl=0 Note several video segments (I attempted to break the video sequence every 30-40 seconds to keep individual segment sizes small.) Files are numbered in order. Text file contains annotations. Note that some 30-second segments are omitted for being uneventful, and these breaks are annotated within the .txt file. Unnumbered video segment at the end relates to later step and is not annotated.
Third: I switched to Windows 7 to verify function, and discovered that somehow, the Windows bootloader partition (~100MB, silently created by Windows setup) was placed on SATA1. I anticipated that this would cause issues with GRUB. Perhaps too hastily, I departitioned all four drives. When attempting to reinstall Windows 7 (after removing Windows 10) in anticipation of dual boot with Ubuntu, successfully placed Windows boot partition on SATA0.
Error at this stage: SATA2 was somehow "bifurcated". I have no other idea how to describe condition; total drive space available added to 4TB (to the last MB when compared to space assessment of twin SATA3) but was forcibly restricted to first partition of ~2.3GB, second partition of ~1.6GB. I could sub-partition and then delete-and-re-partition within those bifurcated halves, but could not extend any one partition segment across whatever boundary had been placed between the two segments, and repeatedly attempted to do so from each direction (first extending from the 2.3GB side, then from the 1.6GB side). Various boot experiments verified that the both drives performed comparably to each other in circuit testing, and were purchased as twins, so as to ascertain possible media failure. Read-write / partition-format (FAT32, NTFS and ext4) / connect-disconnect tests all suggested that the drives were working fine, and always registered on BIOS when properly connected and powered. Purchased an external USB enclosure for isolation tests (and to verify that I'd identified the correct drive of the two, and obtain serial number info, for possible RMA.) Issue spontaneously resolved during or subsequent to the relocation of these drives to an external enclosure. I repeated all abovementioned troubleshooting steps, hoping to reveal hardware failure. Drives are both working fine, each with a unified space allocation.
Fourth: Abovementioned troubleshooting resulted in all drives departitioned again. Partitioned SATA0 to accommodate 350GB for Windows 7, ~140GB for Ubuntu, ~10GB for Ubuntu swap. SATA1-4 remained connected and departitioned. Intent was to prove concept of dual boot, then separately address preference for separate drives (intending to delete and reinstall at least one last time.) Verified Windows 7 install and proceeded to attempt Ubuntu install.
Error at this stage: Ubuntu installer hung during boot, never reaching drive select stage. This was replicable. Error message suggested that the installer hung when attempting to load a generic graphics driver.
Fifth: Hypothesis from previous error was poor access to a useful graphics driver. My video card is rather high-end, and the FOSS driver might not be up to snuff quite yet. Switched from WUBI to LiLi USB Creator (run in Windows 7 on unaffected laptop). Switched to Lubuntu for troubleshooting purposes with its lighter weight (with every intention to return to Ubuntu for final install.) Used three different USB sticks to assess possibility of USB media failure.
Error at this stage: "Lubuntu fail" (unnumbered video at the end of the series in the link above). Installed to the error in that video, then ran live from USB without uninstalling. From USB live desktop, attempted to download and install proprietary graphics drivers. Did ultimately manage to get to a working Lubuntu desktop and installed proprietary graphics drivers, though I don't exactly recall what steps I took to do so, nor -do I understand why those steps worked. I booted into the Ubuntu installer from the USB, it detected the underlying Lubuntu install, and I thought that solved my problem.
Sixth: At this point, the mistake that I made wasn't perhaps the biggest, but it is the one that is the most frustrating in hindsight. I thought I'd solved the problem -- I could successfully boot into Windows 7 or to Lubuntu through the Grub loader, and all was well. One remaining issue was that Lubuntu was reading as a 32-bit instance, and I specifically and explicitly need 64-bit for my specific project. If I cannot run 64-bit Linux, I have exactly zero incentive to run any secondary OS beyond Windows. The next step was to remove Lubuntu, install Ubuntu with the graphics driver in hand (I anticipated issues getting it to load with the installation boot loader but resolved to work through that) on the same drive and then revert to my preferred distribution of OSes to each drive, assessing 32/64-bit conflicts on the way. Here, I simply deleted the Lubuntu partition, thinking that my Grub loader would remain unaffected. Oye vey, was I wrong.
Error at this stage: Here, I did "successfully" install Ubuntu onto a new partition that replaced the one I deleted, above. However, the first reboot was a fail. Black screen to a "grub rescue" or something, and no joy from this point.
Seventh and current: All drives are departitioned, and SATA1-4 have been disconnected. All attempts to load into the Ubuntu installer fail at a hung splash title screen. No partitions currently exist on SATA0. I'm pretty sure this is a UEFI problem, and I've seen references to Shim v0.1, but I don't entirely understand this info nor do I know how to use it. I intend to call my mobo manufacturer tomorrow when they open (they are on California time) but previous calls in connection with the drive bifurcation issue (above) suggest that they're a Windows-centered crowd, so my hopes are small in that regard.
Please help. :(
I'm attempting to set up a dual boot with Windows 7 on a relatively new system. Windows loads fine, which confirms that the hardware is in order and assembled correctly. My working hypothesis right now is that my UEFI-based motherboard is causing issues.
System:
Mobo: Gigabyte Z97-HD3 rev2.0 (recently flashed to latest firmware vF8)
CPU: i7-4790k 4.0GHz
RAM: 16GB
Gfx: NVidia GTX 980
SATA0: 500GB ssd (currently unpartitioned / departitioned)
SATA1: 240GB ssd (currently disconnected for troubleshooting purposes)
SATA2: 4TB hdd (currently disconnected for troubleshooting purposes)
SATA3: 4TB hdd (currently disconnected for troubleshooting purposes)
SATA4: {empty / unoccupied}
SATA5: Optical drive
History: (I have no idea what is useful info and what is not, but this is my best attempt to provide synopsis)
First: System self-built with all new components approx. early April 2015. Only recycled component was optical drive and 240GB ssd (SATA1 above). System worked fine with Windows 7 prior to purchase of 500GB ssd (SATA0 above). Main drive was 240GB ssd (SATA1 above) alongside 500gGB hdd (removed) and both 4TB drives (SATA2/3, above) were in use, independently partitioned (E:\ and F:\, respectively) for synching with various cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, and others).
Second: Purchased SATA0 late July 2015, moved SATA1 to current position, removing other hdd not listed above. Left both 4TB drives alone, NTFS clean-formatted x2. Successfully upgraded to Windows 10, experimented for ~2 hours, didn't like it. Formatted and installed Windows 7 instead to occupy entire SATA0. Intention was to install Ubuntu v15.04 Vivid Vervet on entire SATA1 with WUBI installer on USB. (Note -- later steps involve switching to a different USB creator.)
Error at this stage: Ubuntu installer could not identify any active partitions on any drive. I chose to halt my progress.
HANDHELD CELL PHONE VIDEO SERIES OF THIS ERROR IS AVAILABLE!!! Link to dropbox folder is: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/308uti0843fp7da/AADErdVl3to1rJXxiHfqCuzUa?dl=0 Note several video segments (I attempted to break the video sequence every 30-40 seconds to keep individual segment sizes small.) Files are numbered in order. Text file contains annotations. Note that some 30-second segments are omitted for being uneventful, and these breaks are annotated within the .txt file. Unnumbered video segment at the end relates to later step and is not annotated.
Third: I switched to Windows 7 to verify function, and discovered that somehow, the Windows bootloader partition (~100MB, silently created by Windows setup) was placed on SATA1. I anticipated that this would cause issues with GRUB. Perhaps too hastily, I departitioned all four drives. When attempting to reinstall Windows 7 (after removing Windows 10) in anticipation of dual boot with Ubuntu, successfully placed Windows boot partition on SATA0.
Error at this stage: SATA2 was somehow "bifurcated". I have no other idea how to describe condition; total drive space available added to 4TB (to the last MB when compared to space assessment of twin SATA3) but was forcibly restricted to first partition of ~2.3GB, second partition of ~1.6GB. I could sub-partition and then delete-and-re-partition within those bifurcated halves, but could not extend any one partition segment across whatever boundary had been placed between the two segments, and repeatedly attempted to do so from each direction (first extending from the 2.3GB side, then from the 1.6GB side). Various boot experiments verified that the both drives performed comparably to each other in circuit testing, and were purchased as twins, so as to ascertain possible media failure. Read-write / partition-format (FAT32, NTFS and ext4) / connect-disconnect tests all suggested that the drives were working fine, and always registered on BIOS when properly connected and powered. Purchased an external USB enclosure for isolation tests (and to verify that I'd identified the correct drive of the two, and obtain serial number info, for possible RMA.) Issue spontaneously resolved during or subsequent to the relocation of these drives to an external enclosure. I repeated all abovementioned troubleshooting steps, hoping to reveal hardware failure. Drives are both working fine, each with a unified space allocation.
Fourth: Abovementioned troubleshooting resulted in all drives departitioned again. Partitioned SATA0 to accommodate 350GB for Windows 7, ~140GB for Ubuntu, ~10GB for Ubuntu swap. SATA1-4 remained connected and departitioned. Intent was to prove concept of dual boot, then separately address preference for separate drives (intending to delete and reinstall at least one last time.) Verified Windows 7 install and proceeded to attempt Ubuntu install.
Error at this stage: Ubuntu installer hung during boot, never reaching drive select stage. This was replicable. Error message suggested that the installer hung when attempting to load a generic graphics driver.
Fifth: Hypothesis from previous error was poor access to a useful graphics driver. My video card is rather high-end, and the FOSS driver might not be up to snuff quite yet. Switched from WUBI to LiLi USB Creator (run in Windows 7 on unaffected laptop). Switched to Lubuntu for troubleshooting purposes with its lighter weight (with every intention to return to Ubuntu for final install.) Used three different USB sticks to assess possibility of USB media failure.
Error at this stage: "Lubuntu fail" (unnumbered video at the end of the series in the link above). Installed to the error in that video, then ran live from USB without uninstalling. From USB live desktop, attempted to download and install proprietary graphics drivers. Did ultimately manage to get to a working Lubuntu desktop and installed proprietary graphics drivers, though I don't exactly recall what steps I took to do so, nor -do I understand why those steps worked. I booted into the Ubuntu installer from the USB, it detected the underlying Lubuntu install, and I thought that solved my problem.
Sixth: At this point, the mistake that I made wasn't perhaps the biggest, but it is the one that is the most frustrating in hindsight. I thought I'd solved the problem -- I could successfully boot into Windows 7 or to Lubuntu through the Grub loader, and all was well. One remaining issue was that Lubuntu was reading as a 32-bit instance, and I specifically and explicitly need 64-bit for my specific project. If I cannot run 64-bit Linux, I have exactly zero incentive to run any secondary OS beyond Windows. The next step was to remove Lubuntu, install Ubuntu with the graphics driver in hand (I anticipated issues getting it to load with the installation boot loader but resolved to work through that) on the same drive and then revert to my preferred distribution of OSes to each drive, assessing 32/64-bit conflicts on the way. Here, I simply deleted the Lubuntu partition, thinking that my Grub loader would remain unaffected. Oye vey, was I wrong.
Error at this stage: Here, I did "successfully" install Ubuntu onto a new partition that replaced the one I deleted, above. However, the first reboot was a fail. Black screen to a "grub rescue" or something, and no joy from this point.
Seventh and current: All drives are departitioned, and SATA1-4 have been disconnected. All attempts to load into the Ubuntu installer fail at a hung splash title screen. No partitions currently exist on SATA0. I'm pretty sure this is a UEFI problem, and I've seen references to Shim v0.1, but I don't entirely understand this info nor do I know how to use it. I intend to call my mobo manufacturer tomorrow when they open (they are on California time) but previous calls in connection with the drive bifurcation issue (above) suggest that they're a Windows-centered crowd, so my hopes are small in that regard.
Please help. :(