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Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 9:14 pm
by vincereynard
Thanks Brian.
Created DVD no go.
Tried to create USB and got something with no resemblance to the DVD files.
Tried again with to created bootable USB with - http://www.isotousb.com
Again the PC ignored it.
Changed to Legacy - restart with USB inserted - black screen of death and message "No operating system found".

It may be a problem with this Lenove BIOS firmware. Probably in association with Microsoft!

I've given up at the moment or the laptop will end up at the end of the garden.

Vince

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:07 pm
by UAB807F
vincereynard wrote:I've given up at the moment or the laptop will end up at the end of the garden.

:D

I know how you feel, I was very much the same when my laptop declined to play any more after the recent big update.

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but I'm not really into the hardware. There will be an answer somewhere, it's just eluding us.

Brian

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:24 pm
by vincereynard
Holding down Shift whilst restarting goes to the UEFI Boot menu. From there a user can choose USB or DVD (I hope!) Progress at last.
screenhunter_169-feb.-16-12.10.jpg and


A problem is that, despite specifying burning an ISO, the file layout on the DVD and the USB are not the same. Strange. I suspect the USB is correct, so I've been trying to use a duff DVD right from the start.
Which is right?
screenhunter_168-feb.-16-09.49.jpg and

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:08 pm
by billwill
To create an ISO DVD in Windows 10 is very simple.

Download the ISO file from the Linux Mint site.

Right-Click on the .ISO file and select "Burn Disk Image"

Insert a blank DVD in your DVD drive.

The computer will do the rest.

Be sure to use a DVD pen to write on the blank when done so that you never confuse a used disk with a blank disk in the future.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you did it by 'opening' a blank disk and dragging the .iso file to that window and then selecting "burn files to disk", that was the wrong method. :roll:

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:16 pm
by billwill
I think that the layout on USB and DVD will differ. I seem to recall that it has to create an actual partition on the USB stick and then format that partition like a CD/DVD.

Normally there are no partitions on a USB stick, it is more like a very big floppy disk.

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:20 pm
by Fred Talmadge
billwill wrote:I think that the layout on USB and DVD will differ. I seem to recall that it has to create an actual partition on the USB stick and then format that partition like a CD/DVD.

Normally there are no partitions on a USB stick, it is more like a very big floppy disk.


There is special software required for putting isos on usb. Most distros have instructions for this, example
https://chakralinux.org/wiki/index.php? ... m_Creation

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:23 pm
by billwill
Fred Talmadge wrote:
billwill wrote:I think that the layout on USB and DVD will differ. I seem to recall that it has to create an actual partition on the USB stick and then format that partition like a CD/DVD.

Normally there are no partitions on a USB stick, it is more like a very big floppy disk.


There is special software required for putting isos on usb. Most distros have instructions for this, example
https://chakralinux.org/wiki/index.php? ... m_Creation


Yes, I gave a link to a list of such software on page 1 of this topic.

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:56 pm
by vincereynard
I writing this from inside Mint so progress at last!

The USB still did not work - "system does not have any USB options" ???

The DVD took off fine until I got to the point of installing into a particion I had already created for it
when it came up with - "no root file specified - please correct from file menu."

And @ and " have swapped places!

Still , as I say, its progress of a kind. I'll perhaps try again tomorrow.

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:03 pm
by Fred Talmadge
Yea! It took me a year before I made Linux my default OS. A few years later I completely removed Windows XP So keep plugging along. Also don't forget the Mint community, they are probably more help than us old car guys.

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:37 pm
by vincereynard
I've decided on a Plan B.

Rather than risk a 6 month old Laptop I'll try it first on an old Dell Desktop I have in the loft.

There little to loose there as it's last XP restore left it unable to locate printers and internet.

I just have to get a graphics card that fits and supports HDMI. A son or 2 must have some
stached somewhere. (Probably also in the loft!)

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 5:02 pm
by UAB807F
Despite me saying earlier that I'd tried cinnamon Mint but gone back to W10, to be perfectly fair you ought to try Mint/Linux on the machine you're intending to use with it because only that way will you get a fair comparison.

Your laptop will probably have an OEM distribution of W10, in which case it is already registered and activated with MS. Even though you don't get recovery discs these days, you can download the ISO for the latest W10 version from MS directly.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

This will allow you to create a dvd (I think it also does a USB option) and so you'll have a fall back position in case you need it. This was what I did to revert from Linux to W10.

Then you can go ahead and let the Mint installation wipe the drive and set everything up exactly as it wants to for a linux only system. Try it for a few days and if it's ok, stick with it.

If you decide you don't like it (as for myself) then simply install the W10 from the DVD or USB that you created from MS. It will ask you if you want to install Home/Professional/etc, but if your laptop came with "Home", then that's what will be registered with MS.

During the install you can skip entering a number if you wish because once online the activation process will register that your laptop is registered via the BIOS/etc for a legit version. Once it's installed it's just a case of activating online and you're back where you were.....

Brian

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 10:49 pm
by vincereynard
Brian,
I understand what you are saying - compare like with like - it certainly makes sense.

Plan B is because I realise that Mrs R only uses the machine for EMails, a bit of documents work and browsing. The desktop on Mint should be perfectly adequate for that and I could loose it under the desk and free up space!

It would not be a fair comparison for performace but I should be ably to see if I, (and she), could get along with it.

This is assuming I can find and fit a graphics card with a HDMI output.

Thanks for the MS link, I shall get a backup copy, it does have a Lenovo partition with restore which should return the machine to factory.

Vince

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:15 pm
by vincereynard
I've given up with Linux at the moment. It eventually loaded after many strange messages about "root files" etc. Without the laptop to look them up I would have been stuffed.

It boots up after a fashion although sometimes it simply does nothing and requires a physical power down and reboot. When it does boot it even takes a lot longer than XP. I haven't a foggiest what its doing, there seems no disk access or sign of activity, it does seems to nod off of about 5 minutes.

It does recognise the internet hub, which XP (used) to ignore.

I also made the mistake of loading this - https://neosmart.net/EasyBCD, with is supposed to make the choice of boot easy. Al it has done is change the windows root directory so I no longer have Windows either! (Also it refuses to go to the Dell restore screen so I'm currently bu**ered!).

Back to the loft with it probably. I'm glad I didn't wreck the laptop.

Re: Linux - free yourself from Microsoft tyranny

PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:28 pm
by vincereynard
To be fair to Linux I had another go and it now works fine.

I reinstalled Cinnamon with the option of formatting the drive. Therefore overwriting Windows that was wrecked anyway and everything was much the same. Black screens freezing, error messages etc etc.

I reinstalled new drivers for the Graphics card, at it suggested, and all became OK.

Loads up quite quiclky, sleep / wake up cycle - no problem, it recognised and installed an old laser printer that W10 refused.

The problems were really all down to literally ignorance of what to expect and what to do about it.
Such as - "nouveau 000.001.00 check invalid" ?? actually refers to a graphics problem!

It will come down to if Mrs R accept it as a substitute.