Just want to start off by saying I have never installed any form of Linux on any of my computers (unless you count Android) so I might be making some really obvious mistake, but I can't seem to find anything I did wrong. Downloaded the 10.10 amd 64-bit desktop version ISO, burned it to a blank DVD+R and trying to boot to it brings up a reddish screen with some rectangular object, an equals sign, and what appears to be a stick person inside a circle. Then it just goes to a blank screen and my monitor goes to its screen saver after a few seconds. Left it like that for a while and still nothing. I think it may have just been a bad burn, but I only have 1 blank disc left (I'm at college and unfortunately decided to leave my stacks of DVD+Rs -Rs and -RWs at home >_>) and I don't want to waste it unless I know it'd fix the problem. Put it on a USB flash drive with the usb-creator software that came with the ISO, but that didn't work so well. Went on the Ubuntu site and used the software that they actually recommend you use (somebody please explain why this wasn't included on the disc instead) and I get 2 different results depending on how I boot to it. If I boot from the USB itself, I get that reddish screen for a little while, then a bunch of code quickly scrolls past the screen, and then it goes to the screen saver again. I left it like this for about an hour, and now when I try to boot from my HDD, Windows Loader lists "Windows 7, Windows 7, Ubuntu" (I just got a new HDD and haven't transferred everything yet, so there should be 2 Windows 7's). Loading Ubuntu from there brings up text saying it will boot to Linux in 5 and to press esc for advanced boot options or something to that effect. Hitting escape does bring up the advanced boot options (safe mode, etc) but letting it actually boot just brings me to another blank screen. Again, I left it like this for a long while. My motherboard is an ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 I did install RemoveWAT when I first installed 7 on this computer, but now I'm using the latest version of Windows Loader and I ran the cleanup software for RemoveWAT. Exactly how RemoveWAT and Windows Loader function is above my head, so I'm not sure why they'd cause an issue with Linux, but I figured I'd put that out there. Any help would be much appreciated
ah i partitioned and formatted it with Windows Disc Management what should I format it as for linux? i know there's more than one format to use with linux
FYI the loader will change the boot code so that Ubuntu may fail to boot and it instead skips directly to Windows. The solution? Uninstall the loader and use EasyBCD to add Ubuntu back (or install Ubuntu fresh again). When you then re-install the loader select the option from the advanced menu to preserve the current boot code. The above is not to say the loader is to blame, it depends when you installed the loader. If you installed the loader first and then installed Ubuntu then it's not the loader.
I used pendrivelinux's universal usb installer, which was actually installing Linux on the flash drive, but I assume you can install linux onto an HDD if you boot to the flash drive. It never actually got installed on my hard drive though. All I've gotten are blank screens. I'm going to try Unetbootin later, since my computer needs to stay on for the moment. Hope that works.
@ gamepoint I think it depends on how you have things setup. For example if you use the GRUB2 boot menu then when installing the loader it changes the boot code which can prevent GRUB2 from loading and instead skips to the Windows boot manager. @ ZaWarudo Odd's are that it won't be the loader then as that doesn't effect USB OS's.
Could it possibly be because this is a new HDD? It only goes to windows boot manager when I load from my original HDD. If I go into the BIOS and set it to boot from the new HDD (which is where Linux is going to be made into a partition) it says "Disc read error. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart" Could my motherboard only want to boot from that HDD and no other drive for some reason?
I would have to say that you're doing it wrong. As gamepoint mentioned; use unetbootin [dot] com, but use it in Windows if at all possible. It will be easier for you since you are still new at this. You should also format the USB drive as fat32 and not NTFS as the image was made to boot using the fat32 file system. The Ubuntu image was made to run as a live CD so no changes are being made to your existing system. Then if you choose to install Ubuntu, you will run the install and go about running it side by side with Windows if you are wanting a dual boot system. If you have any other questions, I am more than willing to help you out as I also run a dual boot with Windows 7 and Ubuntu 10.10. As for Daz's loader, it also works fine with Grub2 so I know for a fact that isn't the issue. Just take some time and work at it slowly and I am sure you will get it running the way you desire in no time. Good luck.
I hope it is not too late for me to share something with of all of you. @Gamepoint knows my situation. Like @ ZaWarudo, I have the same problem. I use Unebootin, Linux Penguin drice for USB boot and Live CD burnt by 3 different computers. I just could not install Ubuntu on my Acer Aspire 9410 OEM Windows Vista Home Premium 32Bit. In My case, when it boot to Ubuntu 10.1o live Cd or USB, the outcome is the same. It read 2 lines of the CD and then went dark but I can hear the CD reading the live CD. After 2-3 munutes, the screen looked weird wavy navy blue with some black and yellow streaks. At the end of the CD reading, I can see Ubtuntu windows dialog frame but no contents showing. The mouse instead of pointing arrow, it turned into a fuzzy square. I can Dual boot Windows 7/Ubuntu 10.10 in all my other computers old or new except the bloody Acer. FYI, I am currently dual booting W7/Ubuntu 10.10 in my 10 year old Dell Inspiron 600M. It was easy and Ubuntu 10.10 and W7 activated by Daz loader (Grub4dos) existed peacefully without Easy BCD. My Acer is 3 years old and I was suprised to see the problem of installing Ubuntu. Another 6 years old Dell Desktop Dimension 8400 has no problem of dual booting Windows 7/Ubuntu 10.04. W7 also activated by Daz loader without any issue of booting. Loader has nothing to do with it. @ ZaWrudo, is your computer by any chance Acer? I gave up on installing Ubuntu on Acer.