Working Linux distro for Thinkpad Edge E320?

[strayl1ght]

Hi,

I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E320 today, and it came with no OS on it. So I decided to put a Linux distribution on it and downloaded Ubuntu. I also went in to BIOS and chose Legacy after it failed to boot from "both". It does not load from the USB stick but recognizes it. A window then comes up and says it will reboot in 10s, after that it starts over at 10s, and so on.

Unfortunately I have almost zero experience with linux commands or how to configure it correctly from the BIOS. I "switched" from Mac and now I can't get it to work but really want it to. I read up on some forums and some people have successfully booted from external DVD, but I don't have it and I figure it must be possible to boot some Linux distro from USB. I also searched the forums here but couldn't see any subject on it (or I missed it).

Any ideas of which Linux distro could work best on the E320? I'm now downloading Linux Mint and will give it a try. I'm not sure if I have to prepare the USB first, or simply transfer the ISO to the root level.

Thankful for any advice,
Anders

[Neil]

It's usually easiest to use Unetbootin to transfer the iso to USB. Just copying the iso won't work.

[strayl1ght]

It's usually easiest to use Unetbootin to transfer the iso to USB. Just copying the iso won't work.

thanks for your fast reply! I downloaded the program and transferred first Linux Mint, then Ubuntu, both failed, giving this error message:

"For Atheros PCIE Ethernet Controller v2.0.2.7(11/02/10)
Check cable connection!
PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel PXE Rom"

Then goes back to > "no OS found"

I go back to BIOS and deselect "Ethernet LAN Option ROM"
restart and get not error message of missing Ethernet, then "no OS found".

Any ideas how to proceed from here? Thanks

[Neil]

Not sure about Edge, but with most ThinkPads, pressing F12 at the ThinkPad splash screen will give you a boot menu. Select USB and it should boot. Or change the boot order in the BIOS so that USB is before HDD.

[strayl1ght]

Not sure about Edge, but with most ThinkPads, pressing F12 at the ThinkPad splash screen will give you a boot menu. Select USB and it should boot. Or change the boot order in the BIOS so that USB is before HDD.

Thanks, I tried this as well. Changed the order, set different UEFI/Legacy options, and so on. Is it possible that the BIOS is old and it needs to be updated first? I just can't see how I can do that without having an OS with internet connection available?

[Neil]

It's really hard to tell what's happening from this distance. It could be that the USB flash drive you are using is just one of those that doesn't boot. I've had a few in the past that would not work. Do you have access to a different USB flash drive?

Do you have a USB CD/DVD drive? Might be worth a try if you do.

It's not a matter of the BIOS being too old to boot from USB. No way. I boot ThinkPads from USB that are 7 or 8 years older that the E320. Does the USB drive show up on the F12 boot list?

[strayl1ght]

It's really hard to tell what's happening from this distance. It could be that the USB flash drive you are using is just one of those that doesn't boot. I've had a few in the past that would not work. Do you have access to a different USB flash drive?

Do you have a USB CD/DVD drive? Might be worth a try if you do.

It's not a matter of the BIOS being too old to boot from USB. No way. I boot ThinkPads from USB that are 7 or 8 years older that the E320. Does the USB drive show up on the F12 boot list?

Yes the USB shows up on the list, it's a 16gb stick which was mac formatted before, then the bootloader required FAT formatting, which I did, I can see on the splash screen that it's there, and I could rearrange it in the BIOS menu to top priority. After the splash screen it beeps and says no OS found. Unfortunately I don't have a USB DVD drive, but I could try other sticks or different distros maybe.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try again tomorrow.

[Neil]

OK...so if the USB drive shows up in the boot option menu, then we know the Edge "sees" the drive, and the problem must be USB drive itself or the way it is being prepared.

What are you using to download and make the USB drive? Another computer with what OS? Does the USB drive boot on the computer that made it?

[strayl1ght]

OK...so if the USB drive shows up in the boot option menu, then we know the Edge "sees" the drive, and the problem must be USB drive itself or the way it is being prepared.

What are you using to download and make the USB drive? Another computer with what OS?

I downloaded Unetbootin for Mac OS, then formatted the stick to FAT DOS, the bootloader extracts the file, says all is OK, then over to the Edge.

I have a PC at home too, I could try to format the stick on the PC instead and transfer ISO from the Windows version of the bootloader maybe?

[Neil]

Worth a try...
The Mac version should work. But, I don't have any experience with Mac OS, so can't offer any advise.
Asked about booting on a different computer just to make sure the problem lies with the USB drive and not the Edge.
It's getting late over there, maybe a good nights sleep will make the problem obvious.

[strayl1ght]

Worth a try...
The Mac version should work. But, I don't have any experience with Mac OS, so can't offer any advise.
Asked about booting on a different computer just to make sure the problem lies with the USB drive and not the Edge.
It's getting late over there, maybe a good nights sleep will make the problem obvious.

Good idea, late here too thanks again, I'll try booting on the PC tomorrow. Intel Macs doesn't boot from USB, this I know from before, at least.

[fleamourian]

I have a perfectly good LaCie iamaKey that will just not boot with my E325, I can use it as a data drive, but for some reason cannot boot from it. I have quite a collection of USB sticks lying around so trying another was not a problem. I found Fn + F12 the best way to boot as even after tinkering in BIOS to boot legacy first, then UEFI failed.

As for Linux distro, it's your choice but your laptop is Ubuntu Certified:

http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/har ... 1106-8229/

It looks like you'll need a Ethernet cable to download propriety wireless drivers (see notes.) Also the wireless hardware switch does not work, so will need to use GUI instead.

The only difference to a normal Ubuntu install, for me, was creating a small UEFI boot partition alongside normal / (root) & /home partitions. However I was prompted as to such.

Above all, have fun!

[strayl1ght]

I have a perfectly good LaCie iamaKey that will just not boot with my E325, I can use it as a data drive, but for some reason cannot boot from it. I have quite a collection of USB sticks lying around so trying another was not a problem. I found Fn + F12 the best way to boot as even after tinkering in BIOS to boot legacy first, then UEFI failed.

As for Linux distro, it's your choice but your laptop is Ubuntu Certified:

http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/har ... 1106-8229/

It looks like you'll need a Ethernet cable to download propriety wireless drivers (see notes.) Also the wireless hardware switch does not work, so will need to use GUI instead.

The only difference to a normal Ubuntu install, for me, was creating a small UEFI boot partition alongside normal / (root) & /home partitions. However I was prompted as to such.

Above all, have fun!

Thanks a lot! This worked out perfectly and I'm now replying from the Edge. First, I formatted the stick on a PC, downloaded the bootloader Windows version, transferred to the USB, put it in the Edge, voilá it automatically boots into the Ubuntu installer you recommended. It even found the Wifi by itself. Downloaded all upgrades after the install was finished. After installation, it boots normally, I don't have to go via BIOS anymore.

Can't tell you how happy this makes me And thanks to both of you who helped me along the way!

Best,
Anders