[SOLVED] noapic & Toshiba laptop

[Canuck]

I have an older Tosiba Satellite A30, 2.50 GH Celeron with 128 kb memory cache

When I had trouble installing Ubuntu 8.10, I was pointed to the F6 Options on the Live CD install disk. Choosing "noapic" from the Options, allowed me to install Ubuntu 8.10.

Now I would like to install Mint 8 [have it on my main computer] and would like to have it on my laptop. However, there does not appear to be the 'Option' choice presented in the initial stage of start-up with the live CD.

I would appreciate any help as to how to proceed. IS IT even possible to install Mint 8 on this laptop? How do I invoke, "noapic"?

[remoulder]

See if it will boot in Compatibility mode

[Canuck]

Compatibility mode has been tried in the past and again today. No success. After 5+ screens information, finally the rolling screens stop and I am left with a cursor/prompt " _ ". The keyboard at this point is rendered inoperative, dead. The CD-ROM is locked until I shut down the computer and reboot, just enough to activate the CD-ROM tray.

Is there no comparable set of "options" as found in Ubuntu 8.10. Just for added information, I have been able to install PCLinuxOS 2009.2 without incident, as well as Vector 6.0. I would prefer to have Mint installed.

[remoulder]

Compatibility mode has been tried

OK it was worth a shot. To add the noapic option edit the linux line in the grub2 menu and insert acpi=off after the quiet splash. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Editing%20Menus%20During%20Boot for details of how to edit.

[Canuck]

Using the Live CD menu, I inserted the noapic after the quiet splash. Then when the live CD finished, I selected Install Mint. Everything worked fine. HOWEVER, when the install was complete and I RESTARTED, the Grub menu appeared and when I selected the first entry, Mint. The menu disappeared and then the system froze. The _ cursor appeared, not blinking and the keyboard seized.

Have no idea what to do next? Any suggestions?

[remoulder]

the Grub menu appeared and when I selected the first entry, Mint. The menu disappeared and then the system froze

You'll need to edit the linux kernel line again, then hopefully it'll boot ok. Once you've booted, you can edit the file /etc/default/grub and add the option so it's there at every boot.

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Press Alt+F2
enter gksu gedit /etc/default/grub
amend line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash" to read GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi=off"
save file and exit
open a terminal
type sudo update-grub

[Canuck]

The problem is that I cannot boot the system. I can use the live cd, by adding the acpi=off, but then using the Alt+F2 command and gksu gedit /etc/default/grub ......................
I change the "quiet splash" to "quiet splash acpi=off" I save the file and exit the editor.

But when I open a terminal in the live cd, and I type sudo update-grub it is not recognized and causes an error. I must be missing something from your instructions Clearly, I am doing something wrong.

Without the Live CD, I can get to the Grub menu and when I use the edit facility there to add acpi=off and then Cntl-x to boot I get "Linux Mint 8 Helena - Main Edition dale-laptop tty1dale-laptop login:" I can log in and am asked for my password...........but then nothing.

You state, "Once you've botted, you can edit the file /etc/default/grub"........ Problem is, I can't boot the system.

[Leppie]

so if you already installed helena to the hd, you need to know into which partition you installed it.
if helena is the only os installed, it's most probably /dev/sda1
if you're dual booting, it's most probably /dev/sda5
booting off the livecd, open a terminal and issue these commands, remember to amend /dev/sda5 to the correct partition:

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sudo -i
mkdir /mnt/temp
mount /dev/sda5 /mnt/temp/
mount -o bind /proc /mnt/temp/proc
mount -o bind /dev /mnt/temp/dev
mount -o bind /dev/pts /mnt/temp/dev/pts
mount -o bind /sys /mnt/temp/sys
chroot /mnt/temp
gedit /etc/default/grub

now edit the following line like this:

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GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi=off"

save and exit the file, run update-grub and reboot

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update-grub
exit
reboot

[Canuck]

Thank you all, especially Leppie. I am at a loss as to what I have done, conceptually. The advice from Leppie seems to suggest that in the future, when installing Mint 9.0 for example, that I would have to:
1) Using the live CD, edit in the acpi=off at the opening menu and then
2) Install from the live CD
3) Then using the live CD (again using the options during the boot countdown, change the live CD to acpi=off after "quiet splash"
4) Then using a terminal in the Live CD enter the commands as given by Leppie....beginning with sudo -1 ......

Is this essentially what will need to be done for the next fresh install. Is there an easier way

[Leppie]

Thank you all, especially Leppie.

you'e welcome, glad it's working now.

The advice from Leppie seems to suggest that in the future, when installing Mint 9.0 for example, that I would have to:
1) Using the live CD, edit in the acpi=off at the opening menu and then
2) boot the live CD and from the live desktop environment install mint
3) skip this step Then using the live CD (again using the options during the boot countdown, change the live CD to acpi=off after "quiet splash"
4) Then using a terminal enter the commands as given by Leppie....beginning with sudo -i (it's the lowercase letter "i", simulate initial login, not the number 1)

if you boot into the livecd and install mint from within the running desktop environment, there is no need to reboot first in order to modify the kernel options.
once the installer is done, you can chroot into your newly installed system even though you have never ever booted into it normally.

and by the time mint 9 is released, there may even be a graphical frontend for these tasks

hope this helps

[viking777]

Well let us all hope that leppie is right about the future!

If he isn't then the easy way to do this is to ignore the grub 2 lunacy and treat it as grub legacy. To do this you get yourself to the point where you were a few posts back (ie you have Mint installed and you are booting from the live cd). You go to /boot/grub/grub.cfg in a root instance of Nautilus, you right click that file and make it writeable (look under properties/permissions). You then open this file and you append the required boot option to the end of the kernel line. You then save the file and that is all you need to do, it will now boot.

This is a thousand times easier than trying to invoking chroot environments which you may well not understand anyhow.

If you are then anxious to get back into the madhouse, when you have your system booted you can add the required option to /etc/default/grub, run update grub and you will be safely back in the 'Cuckoo's Nest'

[remoulder]

Canock, glad you're finally up and running. From your posts I gather that rebooting for the first time after installing you edited the kernel line at the grub menu then only booted to a command prompt login, is that correct? If so you could still edit the grub options from there without having to reboot to the livecd again and do the chroot. You could simply do

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sudo nano /etc/default/grub
<do the edit and save, nano doesn't have mouse and uses CTRL+O to save and CTRL+X to exit>
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

A little simpler!

[Canuck]

Thank you to all for the help. Yes, Mint is up and running on my old Toshiba laptop.

I especially appreciate the 'follow-up' replies which provided me with explanations and understanding: beyond just getting the problem fixed. I will now study the responses. Solving a problem is one matter, but learning as a result is far more important in my mind.

Thank you. A great community. I am at home here.