Bootl fails from USB stick

[Joe Areeda]

I hope this isn't a duplicate I tried once before, if so sorry.

I have a desktop system that refuses to boot from USB. It has no CD/DVD drive, (yet) so I know I've booted from USB before. I had loaded 10.04(no dots after that) generated from a 10.04 but have upgraded both to Maverick. I want to test Natty on that system.

The gory details of everything I've tried with OldFred's help is in this thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1712675

    * I've tried creating the stick different ways:
          - Under Maverick with UNetbootin
          - Under Maverick with startup disk creator
          - Under Windows with Universal USB installer
    * All these methods boot on my laptop but give "loading operating system\n Boot Error" on my Gigabyte MB/Phenom II x6 desktop
    * I've tried 4 different USB sticks all work on laptop none on desktop
    * I've tried putting natty daily CD and released Maverick on the USB
    * I use the Smart Boot Manager (for a floppy boot to install from CD) and got a different error "SBMK error" which leads me to believe that the Bootloader is getting loaded but doesn't support the USB drives in that machine.
    * I've twiddled every BIOS setting I can think of including "Set to Fail Safe defaults" and "Set to optimized defaults" with no change (except turning off USB support).
    * The frustrating thing is that I have loaded 2 Ubuntu partitions on that system from USB in the past.

The motherboard:

        Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
        Product Name: GA-890GPA-UD3H

The processor:

vendor_id : AuthenticAMD
cpu family : 16
model : 10
model name : AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1090T Processor
stepping : 0
cpu MHz : 3200.000
cache size : 512 KB

BIOS:

        Vendor: Award Software International, Inc.
        Version: FD
        Release Date: 07/23/2010
        Address: 0xE0000
        Runtime Size: 128 kB
        ROM Size: 1024 kB

Memory:
16GB DDR3 1033MHz unganged 4 dimms

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Hello
Have you tried to download another image, alternate for example.
Sometimes iso aren't working
You can also try to install maverick then upgrade -d

[Joe Areeda (areeda)]

Yes I have had this problem for weeks with multiple natty iso's that do work with VirtualBox.

I have also used these same USB sticks in my laptop and brought up LiveCD.

I also have the same problem with a Maverick and a Lucid install.

I am pretty much convinced that the bootloader that is written to the USB stick is incompatible with the USB controller on that motherboard.

I have 2 other systems with that motherboard that I built for other people that have the same issue. It's just that this system doesn't have a CD/DVD drive yet. I just received one yesterday.

The 2 other systems are going away next week so if there's anything I can test let me know.

Joe

[Jim Patterson (jimp-launchpad-rs9z)]

I'm seeing the same issue. I have a Gigabyte MB as well, a Gigabyte 880GMA-USB3.

I set up a USB to boot from using Startup Disk Creator from Ubuntu 10.10 and a Natty Narwhal Beta2 Desktop ISO (64-bit). When I try and boot, I get the "Loading operating system" line (seems to be standard with the Gigabyte BIOS), then "Boot error".

I tested the USB on a different system with an Asus motherboard (also an AMD 64 system), and it worked fine.

[Joe Areeda (areeda)]

I broke down and put a DVD drive into that system and it worked.

I am still convinced the bootloader that is written to the USB is incompatible with our motherboards.

Like I said in the original post the forum thread covers all the things I've tried (thanks to OldFred for many of the ideas). The USB works fine once ubuntu boots in both Natty and Maverick.

[arkaitzswagman (arkaitzswagman)]

Hi, same here, I cannot boot from usb on the Gigagbyte GA-890GPA UD3H

[Inspiral (insprial)]

I have the same problem with a Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3.

I've tried:

         - Multiple bios settings
         - Four different flash devices
         - Serveral different versions of Ubuntu both 32 and 64bit

The same motherboard boot FreeDOS no problems.

[Inspiral (insprial)]

I've also seen quite a few post from others saying the same thing

[Víctor (vasmat)]

I have the same problem too, however some days ago it boot and install with an alternate daily (a day of January) but after install there was no desktop, with Fedora does boot from live CD, then I tried with older ubuntus, with Lucid I was finally able to boot and install, then updated and now I'm using Precise, but once in a while I continue trying with daily builds (live and alternate)with no luck.

[Víctor (vasmat)]

So it's not from usb creator but something else

[Inspiral (insprial)]

>> The same motherboard boot FreeDOS no problems.

I've also booted from MSDOS and a WIndows 7 iso on USB with no issues.

To get the attention of Gigabyte we should all raise a ticket here:

http://uk.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/support-downloads.aspx

See technical support at the bottom of the page.

Victor, are you saying there's a specific version of Ubuntu that boots reliably on your motherboard ? I haven't managed to boot from any version of Linux.

[Víctor (vasmat)]

yes with Ubuntu 10.04.3 boots and installs without problems

[Víctor (vasmat)]

An with Fedora 16 Beta too

[Víctor (vasmat)]

Both 64 bits

[Inspiral (insprial)]

Thanks for the update Victor.

I've just tried the now fully released Fedora 16 and my motherboard boots and runs it quite happily.

So we need someone who knows how the usb boot process works and how to find out what's different between the working and non working versions of Linux.

Any experts listening ?

[Víctor (vasmat)]

I've tried the following: create two usb live from a Precise working and updated laptopand others two from a laptop with ubuntu 10.04, the ones with ubuntu 10.04.3 work without problems, the others with precise (2/20) daily build do not work at all, then I burnt a dvd with that Precise daily build and to my surprise does not boot either. It is a little different error from the one with the usb live (a cursor blinks indefinitely) but the thing is that it does not boot. So like a workaround I put my HD in another motherboard and installed Precise, then I take it back to the Gigabyte motherboard and boots and works without problems.
Concluiding it is not the usb creator but something else the cause of this bug.

[Joe Areeda (areeda)]

Victor's symptoms are very different from mine but I haven't tried a USB install of Ubuntu for months.

I tried multiple USB sticks and they all had the same behavior. I could boot to live CD on my laptop and one desktop but could not boot on the Gigabyte Motherboard. I bought a DVD reader for that system and used the same ISO to boot an load.

Once the system was booted it verified md5 sums on all the files on the stick.

I believe a pertinent piece of information is that Startup Disk Creator and UNetbootin produce slightly different messages before the failure. This suggests to me that the bootloader is being read by BIOS but its disk driver is failing.

I have been working with Scientific Linux (a Fedora derivative) for work but I installed that from DVD. I'll make a USB and see if they can boot a live CD.

Joe

[Víctor (vasmat)]

Precise final release is out, however it is still not posible to boot from live usb.

[Darius (darius-onrails)]

Some problem with with a Gygabyte 970A-DS3

[Víctor (vasmat)]

It boots with OpenSUSE live usb, still no luck with daily builds of Quantal