USB booting on an old computer

[VirusWar]

I had no idea where to put this, but its related to WinXP, so here it is

Hello,
I am trying to install ubuntu on my old computer, want to make it a server for a few teamspeak servers, it has WinXP on it right now. As always, I booted my USB with ubuntu and went in computers bios to set the boot device, I saw that it didn't had Removable Disk as an option but it had things like USB-HDD, USB-FDD, etc, or however it was. Anyway, trying to boot with that just made it go strait to the windows. I even tried every option in my bios boot menu and every single one gave the same results, pc just boots to windows.
Then I tried to search a bit about other ways to make it boot from USB, found a program named Plop, boot manager. Downloaded it, got it onto computer, started InstallToBootMenu.bat and I got an error, Unsupported Operating System. But, I thought to myself, I read its working on WinXP, why isnt it working? Tried doing many things to it, placed it all over the pc and ran it from there, ran in safe mode, etc... but always the same.
Is there any other was to force boot from USB, or if someone knows what's making the unsupported OS problem? Any advice would help.

Thank you.

 

[avenseth12]

Since the PC is older, it may not be USB boot compatible. Put the Ubuntu OS on a bootable CD, then try it in the PC. It should work.

 

[SchizTech]

Well, when you say "old" computer, just how old is it? Actually it would be helpful to provide the make and model number. There is the possibility this system was made before the option of booting that way was anticipated.

 

[Chicano]

On any BIOS that doesn't have USB boot cabability, USB does not appear in the boot menu (usually pressing F12)... If your computer's boot menu shows the same list you mentioned as USB-HDD, USB-HDD, etc. then it should be able to boot from the USB drive, BUT you have to first give it boot priority.

The USB flash drive is detected by the BIOS as a hard drive so it should be included in the HDDs list as the second HDD or at the bottom of the list depending on the number of HDDs you have. You have to move it to top of the list to give it boot priority,.. and when the BIOS is posting, press F12 (usually) for the boot menu to pop-up, next see if USB-HDD is included and select it, and press Enter.

Note: I have an old computer with PC133 RAM, AMD Duron from 2002-03 that boots from USB so all depends on the USB-HDD appearing in the BIOS Boot Menu.

 

[VirusWar]

Thanks for all replies,
I put ubunutu on CD and booted it that way, everything worked flawlessly and just when i thought my hell is over, bam, system installer fail, or something like that. Installer for ubuntu crashed around mid way. Tried few times, always crashes. I'm just going to throw it out of the window... -.-
There is still one thing that I could do, the Plop manager that I talked about, from what I understand you can put it on CD and boot it and it gives a menu or something like that, from that menu you can boot USB, which, if works, should get me to install OS through USB.
If that doesn't want to work, well, as I said, its going out of the window.

 

[Chicano]

Your old computer should have a floppy disk drive and Plop can be installed on a floppy disk... the trick is knowing which download and from that which part to install on the disk.

I use EasyBCD which installs Plop Boot Manager from the Add-Remove Entries BIOS Extension, so I have not learned how to install Plop from the zip file to disk.. tried it once and that was it.

You can also install any OS from a HDD partition instead.. the "Universal USB installer" can install the Lubuntu installer on a disk partition, with the HDD connected internally as second drive, or attatching it with external USB adapter or enclosure. Just mark the UUI box saying: "Now showing all drives (Be carefull)" and all drive letters will appear and be elegible to be used as an OS installer... and to boot from it, just make the partition Active. To partition the HDD you can use any Partition Manager or from Windows Vista, 7, 8/8.1, use the Disk Manager shrink drive option and next create a new partition.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Universal-USB-Installer.shtml
https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/download.html
http://www.softpedia.com/hubs/Partition-Manager/

 

[VirusWar]

I don't have a floppy disk, didn't even had cd rom, thought that I won't need it when I built it, cause of usb booting. The computer was made from merging together a lot of malfunctioning computers and old part that my friend had laying around. We wanted to build a computer that's good for hosting few teamspeak servers.
First I'll try the thing I said up there, if that doesn't work we'll see what then.
Thanks for help.

 

[VirusWar]

Got the plop on cd and booted it, it gave me the menu I needed, yaay! Got ubuntu on USB, tried to boot it, all went fine and suddenly, a freaking kernel panic, the heck is it panicking about?! It's all gonna be fine...
[strike]Read somewhere to try to format it in windows and try booting it again, worth a shot.[/strike]
Got a question, are Linux, Xubuntu, Ubuntu and such things more or less the same? Will others install if one doesnt want to? I never used this kinds of OS and have absolutely no idea what they are and need, but I want to learn them, so if my questions are a bit noobish, please forgive me.

Update: Now it gives me 'setup has encountered an unrecoverable error' and thing about running a desktop instance or something like that. Will try to install Linux Debian. Want to see what it says, and what it does.
Edit: What the heck am I supposed to download? xD On linux debian there is a lot of .iso files, each around the same size, but with suffix's as "1,2,3...etc", which to download? All of them?

 

[Chicano]

The kernell error may be caused by faulty hardware or by a USB installer error...

Check CD drive and HDD power and data connections, PSU connections, that AC power cable to PSU is a tight fit, and try a different USB installer program... Errors are common with some of them so using just any is not a good idea. I have used the Universal USB installer (UUI) and Linux USB creator (LiLi) and haven't experienced any errors from either of them.

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
http://www.linuxliveusb.com/

 

[VirusWar]

My god, nothing works... It always gives me the error in installer, but once it gave me the menu where you chose, would you like to try it or install it, went to install it and it just 'crashed', black screen and no response for ~10 mins, keyboard didnt work either. Didn't try to use LiLi, will do it tomorrow, and if that doesnt work, i guess ill just get it winXP... is there any programs/thingies that work like panels for linux/ubuntu, but for windows? Or some programs for servers controls, for a windows pc server?

 

[Chicano]

Now it sounds like hardware issues... could be HDD or RAM. Scan the HDD with Hard Disk Sentinel. If the computer is not booting, that can be done in another computer connecting the HDD internally or through USB adapter. And to improve chances of the OS installation going through, do a Low Level Format on the HDD followed by a regular format.

You can test the RAM with memtest or a Linux distro CD, they have an option for testing RAM in the boot options to run live or install... they also have an option to test the HDD.

If you have spare RAM sticks see if replacing them makes any difference. Also visually check the motherboard for bulged capacitors... even a slight bulge can cause instability and data reading errors.

Now it sounds like hardware issues... could be HDD or RAM. Scan the HDD with Hard Disk Sentinel. If the computer is not booting, that can be done in another computer connecting the HDD internally or through USB adapter. And to improve chances of the OS installation going through, do a Low Level Format on the HDD followed by a regular format.

You can test the RAM with memtest or a Linux distro CD, they have an option for testing RAM in the boot options to run live or install... they also have an option to test the HDD.

If you have spare RAM sticks see if replacing them makes any difference. Also visually check the motherboard for bulged capacitors... even a slight bulge can cause instability and data reading errors.

 

[VirusWar]

How can i format HDD? Can I use DBAN, or there is some other way? It has 768mb of ram(512mb+256mb), what is the minimum needed for booting Ubuntu or a OS like that? So I can either search for a smaller stick or just pull one out and try like that...

 

[Chicano]

You can use DBAN or any OS Windows or Linux from CD or USB.. from a Windows Recovery Disk, from a Hiren's Boot CD, or Ultimate Boot CD, from a Parted Magic disk (based on Linux), from GParted Live USB, from a Recovery disk burned from a installed Partition Manager, from another computer connected through USB adapter or enclosure, with tools you can boot through floppy disk or CD... etc. (Linux distros can format a HDD in NTFS).

Ubuntu should run ok with 768MB and better with more... Lubuntu should run perfectly with that RAM and so would some other light Linux distro.



http://gparted.sourceforge.net/liveusb.php
http://partedmagic.com/
http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
http://www.bing.com/search?

Light Linux Distros
http://www.bing.com/search?q=Light+Linux+Distros&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=light+linux+distros&sc=1-19&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=43e5129ea55841f4bb2eb8337377ddf3&undefined=undefined

Linux Distros for Old PCs
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Linux+Distros+for+Old+PCs&go=Submit+Query&qs=bs&form=QBLH

 

[VirusWar]

I got my hands on Spire GigaPod III, a thingy that my friend borrowed me. He scrapped it from god knows where and he gave it to me. The problem is that from what it seems it needs a driver, I don't have it. I tried to find it on the net but without results, couldnt find a damn thing. Maybe its not even working, who knows? I'm asking cause I never used HDD to USB, and I don't know if they require some sort of additional software or anything to work, and if yes can someone tell me some possible alternative to the driver I'm missing.
When I plug it with the power and plug the USB in my PC the HDD just starts clicking very silently and that's it...
The pic of the damn thing: http://i.imgur.com/LszjL9i.jpg

 

[Chicano]

The thingy is a USB external HDD enclosure... and should work if the HDD is in good condition, and is being powere normally. And if your friend installed the OS (Ubuntu-or-Windows) in it, it means it works in his computer.. the silent clicking happens when the HDD is not being powered correctly... As example: I have a USB adapter* that works with 2.5" or 3.5" HDD, and it has a brick power converter to power 3.5" HDDs and sometimes to power the 2.5" HDD. If I connect the 2.5" HDD with only the USB cable the computer, it sometime requires a boost from the power adapter and sometime it doesn't... so when I connect it through USB only, most of the times it works normally, and when it doesn't it starts clicking silently... so I connect the power apter for a few seconds to boost it to spin-up, and next remove it and it keeps running normally powered by the USB port.

So your HDD in the USB enclosure seems to be running on the USB only... check if the power converter is supplying it normally.

*USB adapter works the same as a USB enclosure but without the HDD shell.

Also if you are connecting the USB cable to a USB 3.0 port, switch it to a 2.0 port. The CD/DVD disk included with the USB HDD Enclosure must include the USB 3.0 drivers which you can only install from an OS.

Something else to check is: If the USB enclosure is hermetically shut and reasonably thick, the HDD may be clicking louder than whats apparent... check that if necessary, leaving the enclosure open when powering the HDD.

 

[Chicano]

If I jumped to conclusions where I said your friend installed the OS to the USB HDD... and he did not, and you are in the process of doing it, connecting the USB enclosure to a USB 3.0 (blue) port, either install the 3.0 drivers from the CD/DVD if your friend still has it, or use a USB 2.0 port instead. And if still the HDD doesn't run normally, the power adapter may not be working correctly. Not supplying normal voltage.

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=15610