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Thread: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    14

    Unhappy Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    Hello everybody,

    I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong area - I am brand new to Ubuntu, Linux and this forum.

    I have been booting from a USB onto a Dell laptop without any issues - it seems to be rock solid and I have successfully booted into it many times. The problem occurs when I try to boot from USB on my Dell XPS. I am able to get as far as the main menu, where it asks you whether you'd like to boot or install from USB. When I attempt to boot from usb, I get a black screen for about 10 seconds, and then my PC starts its regular boot cycle all over. I don't even have an opportunity to do anything.

    The only thing I could find that might be causing the issue is the the fact that the XPS has dual ATI Radeon HD 4800's. What really confuses me is that I was able to boot Ubuntu 12.10 from a USB on this PC before and battled the wacky video behavior, but at least I was able to get in and attempt to remedy the problem (not that I have any idea what I am doing).

    All that I have tried was so far has been downloading the video drivers to the USB from the Dell laptop, but it always gets hung up when it has to build packages(?). I'm not even sure if that would work, but I really don't know what else to try.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Florida
    Beans
    185
    Distro
    Xubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    What utility did you use to make the Ubuntu 12.10 bootable?
    Did You check the md5 sum of the downloaded .iso before installing to the flash drive (USB device)?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Beans
    27

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    Did you disable Secureboot in your BIOS or UEFI if you have another OS installed on an efi partition? Otherwise try downloading the .iso again and check the md5 sum.

    Quick link to download again:

    http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    3rd Rock from the Sun
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    Hidden!
    Distro
    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    Quote Originally Posted by TheDailyToker View Post
    Hello everybody,

    I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong area - I am brand new to Ubuntu, Linux and this forum.

    I have been booting from a USB onto a Dell laptop without any issues - it seems to be rock solid and I have successfully booted into it many times. The problem occurs when I try to boot from USB on my Dell XPS. I am able to get as far as the main menu, where it asks you whether you'd like to boot or install from USB. When I attempt to boot from usb, I get a black screen for about 10 seconds, and then my PC starts its regular boot cycle all over. I don't even have an opportunity to do anything.

    The only thing I could find that might be causing the issue is the the fact that the XPS has dual ATI Radeon HD 4800's. What really confuses me is that I was able to boot Ubuntu 12.10 from a USB on this PC before and battled the wacky video behavior, but at least I was able to get in and attempt to remedy the problem (not that I have any idea what I am doing).

    All that I have tried was so far has been downloading the video drivers to the USB from the Dell laptop, but it always gets hung up when it has to build packages(?). I'm not even sure if that would work, but I really don't know what else to try.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    Since you are able to boot the USB on "Dell laptop" then I suspect its the graphics ATI RADEON HD 4800. Try the 'nomodeset' option. More info. For ATI RADEON.
    Last edited by fantab; April 10th, 2013 at 01:03 PM.
    "Evolution is Nature's way of issuing upgrades."


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    14

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    Thank you everybody for your responses.

    I used the Universal USB installer from pendrivelinux for the installation of both 12.04 and 12.10. I ran a checksum like you guys suggested and the hash value was not corrupted.

    I also tried to add "nomodeset" but it did not make any difference. A bunch of script rolls then my PC reboots. I wasn't able to add nomodeset through GRUB as most tutorials I found suggested. Instead, I had to hit tab at the Ubuntu menu to edit "Run from USB" on the menu and add it at the end of the value listed there, which was not the same as what it appears to be in GRUB.

    I'm really not sure what to do; it seems like most people who have the graphics issue are at least able to get in one way or another and work from there. The XPS isn't cutting me much slack.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    ozarks, Arkansas, USA
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    14,189
    Distro
    Xubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    TheDailyToker; Hi !

    Let's see if we can get "nomodeset" option set for you in the kernel boot line of grub.
    What results:
    Boot the installUSB, as soon as the purple splash screen appears, depress the shift key -> language screen, escape key to accept the default -> boot options screen:
    At the boot options screen hit the f6 key -> other options; arrow down to the preset option(s); Highlight the "nomodeset" option;
    space or enter to accept and then the escape key to exit;
    Enter key to continue the boot process to the GUI desk top.

    If "nomodeset" option does not work, try the other presets.

    Advise on status, and if successful advise is pending to make to make it permanent.

    just try'n to help
    THE current(cy) in Documentation:
    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PopularPages

    Happy ubuntu'n !

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    SW Forida
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    Distro
    Kubuntu

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    If UEFI, you get a grub menu, like first boot after install and have to use e on grub menu and replace splash quiet with nomodeset or other video setting.

    Installing Ubuntu 12.10 x64 on Dell XPS 13 Alongside Windows from USB New user with Details post 10
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2108450
    Dell Inspiron 17R SE - 12.04.2 but otherwise similar to XPS13 above
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2125701
    Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook what works
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2116597
    Dell 14z used Dell Recovery and Refind
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2125397
    HOWTO Ubuntu 12.10 x64 Dell XPS 14 (UEFI + Intel Rapid Start Technology + Flashcache), bumblebee - Details
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2117166
    Dell XPS13 general info mega-thread
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1932965
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    14

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    Thank you very much for these suggestions! Oldfred, you'll have to forgive my ignorance, I am brand new to all of this. From what I can tell, the menu I am taken to is not GRUB.
    I am given six options - run from USB, install on hard disk, test memory, boot from first hard disk, advanced options (which contains nothing) and help. It gives me the option to hit tab to modify a menu entry. This menu is also a lot more attractive than what I remember GRUB to be.

    Unfortunately, Bashing-om, I am not even able to reach the purple splash screen. As soon as the USB boots, I am taken to a Ubuntu "Installer Boot Menu". When I hit tab, the value ends with "splash --". I have added "quiet" before it, "nomodeset" after it, replaced "splash" with every possible combination of the commands. I have tried running from USB and installing from USB. Each time, I am greeted with a black screen, then something about "/casper..............." comes up, then a ton of script rolls and my PC reboots again... It won't even entertain the idea.

    When I was playing with 12.10, I was able to boot into some form of GRUB on this PC, and I remember hitting 'e' and being able to modify the entries there. What is going on?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    SW Forida
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    Distro
    Kubuntu

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    I do not have UEFI, but that seems a bit more like the syslinux version of boot, which means you are booting in BIOS mode not UEFI?
    From your UEFI/BIOS you should have two choices to boot flash drive. One efi and the other BIOS/Legacy/CSM or something other than UEFI.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    14

    Re: Unable to Boot 12.04 from USB

    I am booting in BIOS. I scoured the options in BIOS and did not see any other way to boot the flash drive - just USB and USB-FDD. I am starting to lose hope . Is Ubuntu simply not compatible with certain PC's? I downloaded the .iso again and am going to re-install 12.04 using UNetBootin. I don't think it will make a difference, but it's worth a shot. I can't seem to find anybody else who is getting the same type of install from USB menu as me, maybe it had something to do with the .iso to USB installer I used originally.

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