ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso installer throws "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt."

[Rooster2000]

I am trying to install Lubuntu 16.04 to my old Asus A6B00L laptop, but keep getting "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt" error when booting from the USB installer.
This same USB installer starts fluently in my ASRock B150M desktop, and I have also wrote it with this computer, under Linux Mint 18.
I have tried to write it with a tool called USB Image Writer, as well as with dd:


sudo dd if=ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso of=/dev/sdb

The USB stick has following partitions written to it:


~ $ sudo fdisk -l
...
Disk /dev/sdb: 249,4 MiB, 261488640 bytes, 510720 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x69bab23c

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 0 86015 86016 42M 17 Hidden HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 86016 98303 12288 6M 1 FAT12

Based on other posts considering this error message, and the fact that it works on my desktop, I would assume that this is some kind of incompability between laptop BIOS and something on USB installer. I installed Lubuntu 14.04 to this laptop from the same USB stick by using ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso. I think I wrote it with UNetBootin or dd under Lubuntu 14.04. I might still try this installer from Linux Mint 18 too.

Other than that, any ideas how I could get Lubuntu into that laptop of mine? The reason I am using mini installer in the first place is that the only USB stick this laptop recognizes on bootup is my old 256MB Swissmemory, and that cannot have any other installers but mini. CD/DVD drive of the laptop doesn't work.

[Bucky Ball]

Presuming it's a 32bit machine. A 64bit machine should swallow either, but if 64bit, perhaps try the 64bit installer.

As your machine will not recognise anything but an old 256Gb USB stick, though, one would have to ponder whether there may be something else amiss with that machine's USB.

[Rooster2000]

I tried ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso with dd from Linux Mint 18, but still no luck.
I also tried both ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso and ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso with dd from Lubuntu 14.04, but no luck either.

I installed UNetBootin to my Lubuntu 14.04, but to use it, I should have erased the USB stick, and interestingly, that couldn't be done with Disks (or something):


Error deleting partition /dev/sdb1: Command-line `parted --script "/dev/sdb" "rm 1"' exited with non-zero exit status 1: Error: Invalid partition table - recursive partition on /dev/sdb.
(udisks-error-quark, 0)

Edit 2017-02-26: This was because I tried to remove each partition one by one, instead of just selecting Format disk, which erased all the partitions succesfully.


Presuming it's a 32bit machine. A 64bit machine should swallow either, but if 64bit, perhaps try the 64bit installer.

It is a 64bit machine. Yeah, why not give it a try too.
Edit: Tried it, wrote ubuntu-16.04-mini-x64.iso with dd from Linux Mint 18. At least it gives another kind of error message on laptop: "Operating system load error."


As your machine will not recognise anything but an old 256Gb USB stick, though, one would have to ponder whether there may be something else amiss with that machine's USB.

It does recognize these larger USB sticks correctly if they are inserted after boot, it is just that for some reason, it doesn't accept them as bootable ones.

[oldfred]

There was an old bug on isolinux and similar issue on some newer versions.

in the directory from "isolinux.cfg" to "syslinux.cfg"
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2078599
Try replacing the file vesamenu.c32 on the USB disk drive with that one "/usr/lib/syslinux/vesamenu.c32" of Ubuntu Maverick system or use UNetbootin than works fine.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-mint-84/trying-to-boot-linux-mint-9-from-usb-flash-drive-vesamenu-c32-not-a-com32r-image-829397/

Another suggestion:

just rename folder on flash drive: isolinux -> syslinux,
rename the isolinux.bin and isolinux.cfg files in the syslinux folder to syslinux.bin and syslinux.cfg

[Rooster2000]

rename the isolinux.bin and isolinux.cfg files in the syslinux folder to syslinux.bin and syslinux.cfg

If the USB installer is written with dd, I am not able to modify anything in the partition where these files are, as it is write-protected.


$ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /home/user/mount/
mount: /dev/sdb1 is write-protected, mounting read-only

$ sudo mount -o remount,rw /home/user/mount/
mount: cannot remount /dev/sdb1 read-write, is write-protected

Is there a way to turn the partition write-protection off? Based on a quick search I didn't find a way to do that.

I did install UNetBootin and formatted USB stick with FAT partition, and wrote ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso to it, but it doesn't boot at al even on my desktop. There are two options available for the USB sticks (the partition and some UEFI -alternative) but neither of them work, they are loading a bit something from the stick, screen being blank, but then Linux Mint starts normally from the hard disk. I think this is a problem that I had with UNetBootin under Lubuntu 16.04 already, it couldn't create bootable USB sticks from latest (16.04) installer files.

Edit: I also tried to write ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso with UNetBootin under Lubuntu 14.04, but even that didn't make an USB installer that would boot on this laptop. For this installer I tried those renaming things too:
syslinux.cfg -> x-syslinux.cfg-x
isolinux.cfg -> syslinux.cfg
isolinux.bin -> syslinux.bin
/usr/lib/syslinux/vesamenu.c32 (of Lubuntu 16.04) -> vesamenu.c32

But still it doesn't boot.

[Rooster2000]

Another aspect to this could be updating the laptop BIOS, but unfortunately it seems that it wouldn't help either.

According to AsusTek BIOS ROM Easy Flash Utility v1.03, The BIOS version of the laptop is


Platform: A6L
Ver: 0207
Date: 11/07/05

On boot, BIOS is defined as:


American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS ID: 63-0100-000002-00101111-110705-MONTARA-0ABBD001-Y2KC

By following these (https://www.asus.com/US/support/FAQ/1008859) BIOS update instructions from Asus website, I found only two BIOS updates for A6L (https://www.asus.com/support/Download/3/41/0/7/8/):


2005/12/13
BIOS Ver.0207AS
Solve the bug of can not set 1280x1024 resolution for external display (NEC FE770, ViewSonic 770) on A6Ne/A6L

2005/11/08
BIOS Ver.0207AS
Solve can not set 1280x1024 resolution for external display (NEC FE770, ViewSonic 770) on A6Ne/A6L.


Based on the descriptions I guess it wouldn't solve anything considering USB bootup.

[oldfred]

The 2005/2006 time frame was where they started to change BIOS to allow USB booting.
So you may not be able to boot from USB? Or has it worked before.

The work around then for those old systems was to use plop.
Boot USB or PCMCIA (new)
http://www.plop.at/en/home.html
https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanagers.html

[Rooster2000]

So you may not be able to boot from USB? Or has it worked before.


I installed Lubuntu 14.04 to this laptop from the same USB stick by using ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso. I think I wrote it with UNetBootin or dd under Lubuntu 14.04.


I also tried both ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso and ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso with dd from Lubuntu 14.04, but no luck either.


I also tried to write ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso with UNetBootin under Lubuntu 14.04, but even that didn't make an USB installer that would boot on this laptop.

It has booted from USB before, I just don't remember how did I create that USB installer exactly, and cannot replicate it. At the moment I would be happy to create a working installer with ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso too.

[Bucky Ball]

Try UNetbootin (https://unetbootin.github.io/).

[Rooster2000]

Try UNetbootin (https://unetbootin.github.io/).


I did install UNetBootin and formatted USB stick with FAT partition, and wrote ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso to it, but it doesn't boot at al even on my desktop.
...
I also tried to write ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso with UNetBootin under Lubuntu 14.04, but even that didn't make an USB installer that would boot on this laptop.

Today I also tried to write ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso with UNetBootin and dd under Lubuntu 16.04. When written with dd, it gives this "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt." error. With UNetBootin it just gets stuck with blank screen. I don't know which one gets closer of working.

Here is a collection of all the alternatives I have tried so far. Something might be missing, and I don't remember exactly how did it not work for each of them.



Host OS

Write method

Installer

Tested on

Result



Linux Mint 18
dd
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Desktop
Works ok


Linux Mint 18
USB Image Writer
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Desktop
Works ok


Linux Mint 18
dd
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
"isolinux.bin missing or corrupt"


Linux Mint 18
USB Image Writer
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
"isolinux.bin missing or corrupt"


Linux Mint 18
dd
ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
Doesn't work


Lubuntu 14.04
dd
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
Doesn't work


Lubuntu 14.04
dd
ubuntu-14.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
Doesn't work


Linux Mint 18
dd
ubuntu-16.04-mini-x64.iso
Laptop
"Operating system load error."


Linux Mint 18
UNetBootin
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Desktop
Doesn't work


Lubuntu 14.04
UNetBootin
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
Doesn't work


Lubuntu 16.04
dd
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
"isolinux.bin missing or corrupt"


Lubuntu 16.04
UNetBootin
ubuntu-16.04-mini-i386.iso
Laptop
Blank screen

[oldfred]

Have you tried this? I think it is a wrapper around dd.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb

I have not used dd. But usually just use grub to directly boot ISO.
The hybrid ISO for direct dd write have been a standard for quite a while, but I vaguely remember some differences with the mini version.
Have you tried the server version? It only has a few more defaults than the mini, if you do not install any server packages with tasksel.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Tasksel

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1783752&highlight=Hybrid

We find many users have issues with one installer or one flash drive. And then a different installer or different flash drive then works.
Installation/FromUSBStick - with lots of details on various USB drive issues by sudodus
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2196858
Post #14 some flash drives that did not work
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2120196
More tests Flash drives post #5 - C.S.Cameron
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2130234
Brand of flash does seem to make a difference. One user's experience liked 32G Sandisk
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2120196&p=12577208#post12577208

[Bucky Ball]

Well, 'blank screen' suggests a video issue. Have you tried booting and/or installing with the 'nomodeset' option?

Have a look here (https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132) and add 'nomodeset'. Proceed.

Have you done any research on any of these issues, like fixing the black screen? A black screen does not necessarily signify there is anything wrong with the install and you are certainly not the first to get to here. It may signify there is some conflict or problem with video, though.

On the blank screen install, does it boot to a list of option for you to select at boot? If so, choose the first option there, hit the 'e' key, look for the line that ends in 'quiet splash' or one or a combo of those words, add a space after the last word then 'nomodeset'. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the screen to save changes and continues. (Think you hit 'b'.)

It may have nothing to do with this, but unsure that the possibility of a simple video issue has been fully explored ...

[Rooster2000]

For some reason, I have lost my motivation to solve this problem for now on. We'll see if it comes back at some point.

[efflandt]

The only laptop I have from 2005 is a low end Compaq (32-bit Sempron) that I got from someone when I replaced that with a 2009 Dell laptop. It cannot boot USB flash, but Toshiba laptop from 2006 can, and can also run 64-bit (core-2 duo Intel). I don't know how big the network installer is from https://www.ubuntu.com/download/alternative-downloads , but maybe you could burn that to a CD and boot that. Of course you will need some sort of networking with Internet access during the install, either Ethernet or WiFi if that works.

I have a little Netgear WNCE2001 wireless bridge that I use when I do not want to or cannot configure WiFi settings when installing Linux, but I don't think Netgear still makes that or WNCE3001 dual-band because I do not even find it on Netgear's website. It uses 5V 1A including its own power brick or alternate USB cable to power it (if your USB provides more than 500 mA USB 1.0 or 2.0 default). Examples: https://www.ebay.com/p/NetGear-WNCE2001-Wireless-Adapter/141345289

[sudodus]

There are good and bad mini.iso files. Even if they boot, they must match the current packages in the repositories in order to create a working operating system. I suggest that you try the mini.iso files from http://cdimages.ubuntu.com/netboot/.

See this link for more details, mini.iso, minimal install, netboot iso (https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2230389&p=13211730#post13211730)

Today, May16 2017, I downloaded and tried the current 32-bit and 64-bit 16.04 LTS 'xenial' mini-iso files after cloning to a USB pendrive with mkusb-dus, which uses dd under the hood, and they work for me. (I created minimal ubuntu systems in a real computer, a Toshiba laptop.)

After booting into the installed systems, I had to press for example ctrl + alt + F1 to arrive at a login prompt. This will be fixed, after a window manager, a desktop environment or the Ubuntu Server meta package is installed.

Start from a 64-bit Ubuntu Server iso file, if you want to boot in UEFI mode.