Ubuntu
ubiquity package

Contradiction in documentation, Virtual CloneDrive not working as described, USB install procedure unnecessarily complicated

Asked by Henrik R.

I am trying to install Ubuntu on a Netbook with a USB-memory. I am preparing it on a WinXP machine.

1. First it took me a long time to discover that the "UNR" version is now supposed to be integrated into the main install-iso-file.
Beside that the download page is confusing - splitting something which is actually one option into 2 options.

2. Contradictions in documentation:
In some places it says that I need a 1GB USB-memory to install on a Netbook in other places it sems that I need 2GB?!

3. In the documentation here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick - it's written that I need the Virtual CloneDrive (or some MS utility?) to get a program called usb-creator out of the iso-file, but that doesn't work as described. When I open the iso-file with Virtual CloneDrive I do not get the option of copying usb-creator out of it.

4. Why can't I just download the usb-creator from your website? That would be 10 times easier.

All in all everything seems like a mess.

- Henrik

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Henrik R. (henrik-roseno) said : 		#1

OK... I managed to extract the usb-creator with the 7-zip program, so I have copied the 11.04-desktop-iso to 2 different USB-memories:

1. RecoNdata (1GB) (old)
2. Kingston 4GB dataTraveler 101 (brand new)

But when I try booting with them on my Acer Aspire One NAV50 532h-2Db I only get one line:
"SYSLINUX 3.82 ... etc. ..."
And a cursor blinking on the next line.
What is wrong?

- Henrik

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Henrik R. (henrik-roseno) said : 		#2

OK... Now I tried downloading ubuntu-10.04.2-desktop-i386.iso (LTS) and I put it on the Kingston 4GB USB-memory. That works a LITTLE better. I have passed the 2 tests: The USB-"Harddrive" test and the RAM test (or 25% of it).

But when I try "Try Ubuntu without installing" (on my Acer Aspire One NAV50 532h-2Db) it stops with the following message:

"Can not mount /dev/loop1 on /cow"
And a cursor blinking on the next line.

When I press Enter, I get a prompt: (initramfs)
If I type "exit" (Enter) the booting continues until the following message:
"[ 213.540466] Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!"

What can I do now?

- Henrik

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#3

Could you MD5 ISO image : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM

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Henrik R. (henrik-roseno) said : 		#4

Yes!
It checks out OK with winMd5Sum. So that's not the problem.

Revision history for this message
Henrik R. (henrik-roseno) said : 		#5

Well... now I tried searching for "Can not mount /dev/loop1 on /cow" on Google, and that led me indirectly to this http://www.pcmech.com/article/ubuntu-netbook-remix-9-10-usb-install-workaround/ solution - or workaround. So now I can boot 10.04.2 and run it from the USB.