Creating a bootable CD with Ubuntu 15.10 results in "Boot error" on all non-UEFI machines

[Larry Hastings]

I attempted to install "Ubuntu 15.10" and "Ubuntu GNOME 15.10" using usb-creator. I tried "Beta 2" and a fresh daily (2015/10/10), both 64-bit. I tried it on five different computers. The resulting USB stick booted correctly on all UEFI-based systems, but on non-UEFI systems SYSLINUX presents the error message "Boot Error".

If I create the stick using usb-creator and an "Ubuntu 15.04" 64-bit ISO, the resulting USB stick boots fine on both UEFI and non-UEFI systems.

I tried two different USB sticks, same results.

I ran usb-creator on two different computers, using three different versions of Ubuntu (Ubuntu 14.10, Ubuntu GNOME 15.04, Ubuntu GNOME 15.10, all 64-bit), same results.

I used "Universal USB Installer" from PenDriveLinux.com on a Windows XP machine to create the Ubuntu GNOME 15.10 daily (2015/10/10) bootable USB stick, and *that* stick boots correctly on both UEFI-based and non-UEFI systems.

So, to summarize: if I use usb-creator, with any Ubuntu 15.10 ISO, and attempt to boot on a non-UEFI system, it fails. If I change any of those variables it works.

[Larry Hastings (larry-hastings)]

One more detail. I have one computer with a sophisticated BIOS; it can boot a USB stick in UEFI-mode or non-UEFI mode. On that computer, the bootable USB stick worked when booted in UEFI-mode and failed in non-UEFI mode with the same "Boot Error" as everything else.

(To be explicit: the bootable USB stick was created by usb-creator, and contained Ubuntu GNOME 15.10 daily from 2015/10/10, 64-bit.)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Michael Flaig (mflaig)]

Same issue with ubuntu 15.10 server installer on a Fujitsu tx1320 m1 server.
Created usb stick with startup disk creator on ubuntugnome 15.10.

[Michael Flaig (mflaig)]

Image looks OK. Works when image is written to usb stick by dd if=<image> of=<usbstick> bs=1024k

[Vivien GUEANT (vivienfr)]

Same issue with iso :
- ubuntu 15.10 32bits
- ubuntu 15.10 64 bits
- lubuntu 15.10 32 bits
- lubuntu 15.10 64 bits
- ubuntu server 15.10 32 bits
- ubuntu server 15.10 64 bits

[Michael Flaig (mflaig)]

Has to do with Fallback to legacy boot somehow.

I can now boot the installer from stick (created with startup disk creator) on the tx1320m1 if I go to the BIOS and say override boot with UEFI: <USBStick Name> - as I understand this enforces UEFI Boot and skips probing. By default the machine seems to detect the usb stick and probes it but legacy boot is tried first which results in the boot error as it seems. HTH.

Fully confirming herewith what has been initially found by Larry.

On legacy BIOS machines, as already in the comments, dd might just be your friend for a workaround.