You're just starting out and can't install Linux? Let me help you figure it out!
You're just starting out and can't install Linux? Let me help you figure it out!
iron_finder1
01-03-2023, 05:21 PM #1Hey everyone, I recently acquired a Toshiba Satellite C660 and wanted to set up Linux on its old hard drive. Today I attempted this using a new SSD. Once I got the notebook, I created an Ubuntu USB image with Rufus, inserted it, and after it fully booted, I selected the Ubuntu installation. I chose the internal HDD, followed all the settings, and completed the install. Then I powered it off, removed the USB drive, and when prompted, I pulled it out. After restarting, the system failed to boot from any option—including the HDD, which displayed "no bootable device." It either asked for a menu choice or required entering BIOS. I wasn’t too concerned about any issues during installation, so I restarted and tried again. The second attempt also ended in failure. I tried the same process with Mint, but it didn’t work either. While using the Live USB with Ubuntu, the system reported the hard drive was faulty—probably just because it was old, but still functional. After several tries, the installation stopped working entirely. Eventually, I switched to a new SSD and reattempted Ubuntu; Mint also failed. Now I’m suspecting a problem with the UEFI/Bios setup. I’m trying to install UEFI and thought it would work, but since it only has BIOS, it couldn’t detect it. Some people suggest preparing partitions or creating separate bootloaders, while others mention needing to set up bootloaders to point to the OS. I’ve never really cared about those details before, especially when installing Windows. I’m wondering if Linux installation from USB should be straightforward without extra steps like partitioning or bootloader configuration. I’m also curious about whether UEFI and BIOS versions need to be in specific formats (GPT vs MBR) for the install to succeed. Thanks to everyone who took a moment to read my notes, even if they didn’t reply. Those who respond will be greatly appreciated. For those interested, I’ve also experimented with Home Assistant OS and Proxmox—my goal is to start homelab. At least I want to understand how SSH works, since it supports Wake-on-LAN, which might help. If that doesn’t work, using Proxmox for HAOS would be a better option. My top priority right now is getting the best possible setup for Linux at home.
_NinjaSam_
01-03-2023, 05:21 PM #2Your system's BIOS isn't using UEFI – it's an older design with two-color display and keyboard-only navigation (no mouse). Drives will be formatted automatically by GRUB when you install, without needing manual GPT setup. Ubuntu or Mint can handle this on their own. More advanced users often create separate partitions for user data and root, but that's optional.
I assume OS setup should manage formatting and bootloader configuration. I think the role is Bios. There are no extra colors or logos, no mouse support as you noted, no legacy boot options unless enabled, and no secure boot presence. The main issue is that I never formatted the drive into GPT or MBR during any Linux installation—there’s an option to install next to an existing OS (which I installed but can’t boot), delete the drive and start over, or use a third-party method with custom partitions. I always chose the second path. Now it only asks for user name, machine name, and password.
EpicSword55
01-03-2023, 05:21 PM #5I gathered some new details, perhaps even a conclusion that raises more doubts. Just to clarify for readers, I own two HP ProBook 430 machines, both equipped with UEFI (with the option to switch to legacy mode) and an older Toshiba model that I'm struggling to get Linux up and running. After several attempts, I finally had time yesterday to revisit this. First, I removed the drive that came with the newly installed Linux, then switched it into HP's legacy mode, configured it to boot from that drive, and suddenly everything worked. In Linux, I verified that the boot partition listed as EFI. After restarting, I changed the settings to force legacy boot only, but still faced the same issues. I even tried creating a new boot USB using Rufus, focusing on selecting MBR/GPT since some ISO files blocked that option. I updated the target system in Rufus from "UEFI no CSM" to "BIOS or UEFI" and checked for BIOS repairs. When I switched back to legacy mode, the operating system appeared, but when inspecting partitions, it still showed as BIOS. Reading this made me think about Ubuntu 7.10 – it created a USB and booted immediately. However, after some time, it would hang or display graphics in low quality, offering manual settings or forcing a specific mode. I tried the same on my old Toshiba, which also ended with hanging or limited functionality. This morning, I discovered that before this, I had run Mint (around version 16) on an external drive, and it worked perfectly. It seems confusing – if BIOS partitions didn’t load properly, what exactly was happening? Who could explain this?
Barney_420
01-03-2023, 05:21 PM #7Mint 16 is handling the older Toshiba setup. I attempted mint 21 earlier but didn’t succeed, not even before posting this thread, as mentioned in the initial comment.
RauloMenino
01-03-2023, 05:21 PM #8O.K. so what happens when you boot the new iso on the Toshiba machine? I have been thinking this whole time, you might be able to make it work using Ventoy: And push F4 or whatever it is, and use "text" mode to speed up the screen, as it has been terribly slow for me on older hardware, several seconds (not just a few) between screen updates https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy So instead of flashing the ISO, you actually install the ventoy software directly onto the USB drive. You also have the option to use mbr format for the software. All you do is copy the whole ISO file onto the larger partition, no extraction, and boot ventoy and select the ISO file. I bet that will solve it. It does not work for all iso files, particularly older iso files or niche software, but it should work with most Linux iso files. Since hopefully you still have the Ubuntu 7.10 iso file, try using that with ventoy.
During setup of newer Linux distributions like Ubuntu 23.04 or Mint 21.2 after restart and disconnecting the USB, the system cannot locate the OS and asks for installation. Even when booting from an internal SSD in the boot menu, it reports failure. I’m curious about Ventoy—its name seems familiar but I’m unsure how it functions or how to apply it on Ubuntu 7.10. I need to understand this better. I’m open to testing it with newer versions, but there might be a specific reason for using it on that older release.
. A big thank you to @E-waste for all your help and time. Also grateful to everyone who offered suggestions, shared ideas, or simply took a moment to think. If anyone wants to discuss what happened or share related articles, I’d love to hear. If you’re interested in trying something new or adding more details, just let me know—I’ll keep monitoring this thread. Not related to the subject. Thanks a lot, @E-waste, for suggesting Ventoy—it was exactly what I was hoping for a year ago when I wanted a powerful PC diagnostic/USB repair tool with lots of ISO files, plus apps like HWinfo and advanced IP scanner, so I could use it as a regular USB drive carrying a large memory size or multiple 8GB cards.
xGHOST117x
01-03-2023, 05:21 PM #10Yesterday I experimented with Ventoy and achieved better outcomes than before. Using Ventoy made installing Linux Mint 21.2 smooth. From Ventoy I chose the Linux Mint ISO file I had been using, selected install, and after restarting it booted up without needing to point to a specific drive or anything unusual. It simply worked. Another adjustment I made during installation was opting for OEM installation—just in case it would speed things up a bit when you skip setting the timezone and naming the machine before reboot. Perhaps this small change helped. Still, I’m puzzled about the issue, how it got resolved, or whether these steps actually made a difference. This whole process reinforced my belief that I really don’t grasp computers much, not as well as I thought. My goal was to create a USB bootable drive, insert it, click install, and finish. If someone had told me it would take weeks of effort and community help, I’d have called them crazy. To your advice, before trying Mint I launched the 7.10 Ubuntu installer from Ventoy. I chose whether to install, checked memory... After clicking install, I saw a lot of “init” commands pop up, and the last one always said “Kernel panicked, terminating init command.” That line actually lifted my spirits . A big thank you to @E-waste for all your help and time. Also grateful to everyone who offered suggestions, shared ideas, or simply took a moment to think. If anyone wants to discuss what happened or share related articles, I’d love to hear. If you’re interested in trying something new or adding more details, just let me know—I’ll keep monitoring this thread. Not related to the subject. Thanks a lot, @E-waste, for suggesting Ventoy—it was exactly what I was hoping for a year ago when I wanted a powerful PC diagnostic/USB repair tool with lots of ISO files, plus apps like HWinfo and advanced IP scanner, so I could use it as a regular USB drive carrying a large memory size or multiple 8GB cards.