[Discuss] Post issue with bootable linux

[gaf.linux at gmail.com (Jerry Feldman)]

Since it is not my system, but I don't think that the system is UEFI. I
probably won't be going to that person's home in the near future since his
system is up and running.

I have an older atom-bssed netbook without UEFI, I'll try to reproduce.

What is really strange is that it does not recognize the F2 or F12.

I'm going to do some additional analysis because it may show up at an
installfest.


Sent from Galaxy S8 Android

Jerry Feldman <gaf.linux at gmail.com>
Boston Linux and Unix
http://www.blu.org
PGP key id: 6F6BB6E7
PGP Key fingerprint: 0EDC 2FF5 53A6 8EED 84D1  3050 5715 B88D 6F6B B6E7


On Fri, May 4, 2018, 8:35 AM Mike Small <smallm at sdf.org> wrote:

> Jerry Feldman <gaf.linux at gmail.com> writes:
>
> > I have a guy with an older system
> > Core2 duo CPU
> > 4GB ddr2 scramble
> >
> > Dell motherboard
> > The problem is when I boot with a known good bootable Linux usb
>
> Known good bootable on BIOS only systems too, or would you have always
> UEFI booted this stick before?
>
> > Ubuntu, Fedora the system fails to post.
>
> Fails to post as in doesn't get past the POST? Any beeps? If it's really
> failing during or before POST that would rule out anything software
> related, from boot loader on down.
>
> > 1. Dell logo comes up
> > 2. Press F12 (boot) or F2 (setup) the light flashes on the usb and the
> > system is otherwise frozen.
> > 3. Neither the setup nor boot menu come up
> >
> > However, when I use a bootable gparted USB it comes up fine. When I go to
> > the boot menu and select the usb, it boots.
>
> This would contradict it being a POST or pre-POST failure unless it was
> by chance.
>
> I dunno, I've had an old laptop whose keyboard would fail unpredictably
> in ways that seemed to be related to total power draw. It wouldn't get
> far trying to run Windows 2000, but OpenBSD or Slackware with a
> lightweight wm would run for hours at a time with all or almost all the
> keys working. I supposed that some component or circuit had gotten where
> voltages were in some ambiguous area that was somehow a function of
> current or else heat was changing physical distances between parts in
> tricky little ways that started to matter over time.  Maybe your
> friend's machine has some kind of power budget issue that it's getting
> crankier about over time, and one of your USB sticks draws current a bit
> differently than the other.
>
> --
> Mike Small
> smallm at sdf.org
>