After 22.04 LTS install Restart fails to find the OS

Support and Help
1

Ubuntu Version:

20.04 LTS

Desktop Environment (if applicable):

GNOME

Problem Description:

I tried to install the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS from USB.
The installation was successful. I removed the USB media and clicked restart.
The error message that was returned said there wasn’t an OS available to boot from.
I can’t go any further.
I realize that 20.04 LTS is no longer supported as of this April.
I need to upgrade for this reason.
Is there something I can do to make the restart work after I install 22.04 LTS from the USB drive?
Would it be better if I downloaded Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and installed that version?
I’ve been an Ubuntu user since the early 2000’s and started with version Ubuntu 6.10 after I dumped Windows XT.
I’m 75 yrs old and I need help with this problem.
Relevant System Information:

I’m using an HP Elitebook 8460p laptop with a 250GB HDD
and 8GB of RAM.

Screenshots or Error Messages:

What I’ve Tried:

I have tried this upgrade more than once and I can’t get past the restart
after the install of 22.04 LTS.

I haven’t found this specific issue on Discourse after searching.
I tried searching on the old Ubuntu Forums for this issue but I think I’m too far behind.
Thank you for any help you can give.
Shobuz99

1 Like
2

Welcome to Ubuntu Discourse :slight_smile:

If this is from before about 2012 then you likely have legacy BIOS and not UEFI.

How did you burn the image to the USB? With which tool?

UEFI vs. Legacy Boot: If your USB was set up in UEFI mode during installation, but the BIOS is set to legacy, it can cause this error.

Make sure the BIOS settings match the installation mode (UEFI or Legacy).

Just to clarify: if the laptop has legacy BIOS you need to make sure the USB is set to install in that mode.

I believe Rufus has an option to choose which mode to use.

Not sure about other tools as I have not done a USB install for some time now.

3

Thank you @rubi1200 for your quick reply. :smiling_face:
I do appreciate your help. :slightly_smiling_face:
I don’t recall how I installed the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS iso file to the 16GB USB.
I don’t think it was Rufus, but I don’t remember.
I tried this last year and when it failed, I tried using a “Boot Repair” disk.
Whatever I tried with that, didn’t work.
However, If you could tell me how to check the BIOS age in Terminal, then
I need to know how to change the USB version to boot from BIOS instead of trying to boot from UEFI.
I do understand what you’re saying technically; but I just don’t remember the steps I took a year ago and where I went wrong.
I’m an old and retired IBM computer tech and test Engineer. I’ve been away from things for a while, and I realized recently that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS support (5 years) has completely run out.
I need to start upgrading and I thought I should start with 22.04 again, and if successful, move on to 24.04 LTS.
Thank you for your patience :blush: :smiling_face:
Shobuz99

Update:
I found the udo dmidecode -t bios -q
This is the result:
BIOS Information
Vendor: Hewlett-Packard
Version: 68SCF Ver. F.27
Release Date: 06/14/2012
Address: 0xF0000
Runtime Size: 64 kB
ROM Size: 3072 kB
Characteristics:
PCI is supported
PC Card (PCMCIA) is supported
BIOS is upgradeable
BIOS shadowing is allowed
Boot from CD is supported
Selectable boot is supported
EDD is supported
Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
Serial services are supported (int 14h)
Printer services are supported (int 17h)
ACPI is supported
USB legacy is supported
Smart battery is supported
BIOS boot specification is supported
Function key-initiated network boot is supported
Targeted content distribution is supported
BIOS Revision: 15.39
Firmware Revision: 151.75

BIOS Language Information
Language Description Format: Abbreviated
Installable Languages: 12
enUS
daDK
nlNL
fiFI
frFR
deDE
itIT
jaJP
noNO
ptPT
esES
svSE
Currently Installed Language: enUS
It appears that I DO have a Legacy BIOS.
I don’t see support for UEFI, as you pointed out.
So, I think I need to redo the USB Ubuntu 22.04 LTS iso file and set the flag to both UEFI and Legacy BIOS or set it just Legacy BIOS, correct??

4

This tutorial uses Startup Disk Creator which you can use from within your current Ubuntu install with the new ISO:

Alternatively, use this guide for Rufus on Windows:

Target System should be chosen either as BIOS or BIOS or UEFI.

This should, in theory, work but post back if there are still issues because maybe we missed something.

5

Xubuntu 24.04 or Lubuntu 24.04 would be more suitable for a 2012 device.

Also, there have been examples where an Ubuntu OS (or Ubuntu family OS) does not boot correctly on older equipment (reason unknown) but there is a work around worth trying.

Years ago, pre UEFI, Ubuntu was installed in one partition, have a glance at Legacy install to one partition

2 Likes
6

@rubi1200 Thank you. I will use the first option “Create a bootable USB stick on Ubuntu”
I haven’t used Windows products since 2006 on my laptop.
The USB stick I currently have Ubuntu 22.04 LTS made bootable, needs to be erased and redone. It’s the only USB I have available at this time.
I will erase the contents and redo the .iso install to that same USB.
I will create a new backup for my “Home” folder and any other software I need to keep.
I’m going to set the Target System to BIOS, to be certain that it will boot, once installed.
I don’t see any reason to set it to “BIOS or UEFI”.
~
@tea-for-one Thanks for the advice.
I’ve used Ubuntu desktop exclusively for over 15 yrs and never had a chance to try Xubuntu or Lubuntu…
However, I would like to go to 24.04 once I get 22.04 booted and working for a while.
If I decide at some point after I’ve got 22.04 working, to download Ubuntu 24.04 on this 2012 device, do you foresee any issues?
If so, then maybe I should try Xubuntu or Lubuntu 24.04.
If I do that, are there app differences on Xubuntu or Lubuntu that don’t match apps on Ubuntu?..For example, SNAP…
I’m not a huge fan of SNAP and Livepatch, but I do need to be able to run my VPN service as long as the basic OpenVPN is available. My VPN service is Proton.
But since the failed install of 22.04 because of the BIOS issue, I tried getting the Proton VPN pkg to install and it doesn’t show up in the 20.04 Synaptic Pkg list anymore…
I presume it’s because 20.04 is out of support and many pkgs are no longer available for that old version… Would that be the reason?
Anyway, I sincerely thank you both for your help! :blush: :slightly_smiling_face:
It’s not an excuse to say that I’m 75 yrs old, but I’ve been retired from IBM for over 20 yrs and I let some of the tech OS stuff go right by me…
I will let you know how things go…
So thank you again for your patience. It’s appreciated.
shobuz99
:peace_symbol::purple_heart::yin_yang::infinity::musical_note::notes::notes::notes::musical_note:

7

Xubuntu will use GTK apps like Ubuntu
QT is the foundation for LXQT, therefore Lubuntu leans towards some KDE apps
Of course, some are identical - Firefox, Libre Office for example
Both Lubuntu and Xubuntu can use snap packages

The best way is to test a live session with each distro and see what you think

Firefox has an add-on for Proton

8

Thank you @tea-for-one.
I’ll take that as good advice; but first, I’m going to try 22.04 Ubuntu using Legacy BIOS only.
In the meantime, I will seriously consider a move to Lubuntu 24.04 when I’m sure that Ubuntu 22.04 is working as expected.
Thanks again.
Shobuz99

9

@rubi1200 @tea-for-one
Update:
I can’t go any further until I get a clean 16GB USB stick to install ubuntu-22.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso and set it to a BIOS instead of a UEFI.
I don’t have any USB’s that are clean/empty.
As soon as I get that, I’ll try downloading Rufus when i can find where to do that.
Thanks for your help and I’ll update this before the month of time runs out.
Shobuz99

1 Like
10

If you can still boot your original Ubuntu 20.04, you can use Disk Image Creator as suggested above or Etcher which is recommended on the Ubuntu sit.

[(Install Ubuntu Desktop | Ubuntu)

If your 20.04 is still bootable, you can use gparted on it to create a new partition table on your 16GB flash drive and write the new 22.04 iso to it.

11

Thank you @yancek. Yes, I think I will be able to get 22.04.5 LTS, to boot after it’s installed.
1st, I booted to the USB Stick, then selected “Try Ubuntu”. It loaded fine and then I ran the “Disks” app and went into Partition #1 and changed the setting to “Legacy BIOS” and saved it that way.
I think that when I’m ready to actually install 22.04.5 LTS from the USB stick, that it will work, once the install is complete and I remove the USB and restart the computer.
If that works, I’ll come back here and close this incident, if it’s required. :slightly_smiling_face:
Meanwhile, I thank you, @rubi1200 and @tea-for-one for your help and support.
Shobuz99

1 Like
12

Ubuntu Mate 24.04 will also run on your machine and might look a little more familiar to you.

1 Like
13

Thank you @Norm24. Ubuntu Mate 24.04 sounds appealing. :slightly_smiling_face:
IF I get Ubuntu22.04 LTS to boot from my Legacy BIOS (2012) after installation, I’ll start looking through the multiple recommendations from previous replies and help. :smiling_face:
I DO appreciate the help I’ve received so far and I’m working on it for sure.

Shobuz99

1 Like
14

~ Update:
I have set the partition 1 flag in the USB stick 22.04 LTS to Legacy BIOS.

Partition1-2204USBstick
Partition1-2204USBstick900×648 97.6 KB

Partition1-2204USB-BIOSck
If I’m wrong that this will work and boot to the BIOS after I install 22.04 LTS from this USB stick, Please let me know!!!
This is the method I need to use because I don’t have access to a new, empty USB to redo the image properly.
I’ve had surgery and have been recovering and I am now able to go forward with the install from the USB stick I have.
Thank you all for your replies to this update. I appreciate all your help.

Shobuz99

15

Not quite sure what you mean here?
“boot to the bios” = boot in Legacy mode?
Your PC is not UEFI compatible, therefore any installation USB will boot in Legacy mode.
After booting to a “Try Ubuntu” session, you can double check the boot mode with a terminal command

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI" || echo "Legacy"

The phrase boot to the BIOS generally means that the user wants to access firmware settings i.e. the PC settings (firmware) which act as a bridge between your computer’s operating system and its hardware

16

All I want to know is if what the images I posted here, of partition 1 of the USB stick’s installation of version 22.04 LTS will work? I’ve tried installing this previously, after selecting “Try Ubuntu” and then selecting “Install Ubuntu”, install completes and I remove the USB and “Restart”. Both times I followed those instructions, it failed to find the OS on the HDD after I had installed it. It said No Media available and I needed an operating system!!
So, I decided to change the partition 1 in the USB stick to Legacy BIOS so that it wouldn’t try to boot to UEFI…

shobuz99

17

When you had these two failed installations, can you recall how many partitions were automatically created?

18

Honestly, I don’t recall.
I was very frustrated, the 2nd time it happened and wondered what I did wrong, initially when I made the image of the .iso on the USB …
I just thought I could change the flag in Partition 1 of the USB (demonstrated by the images I posted here) so that when I clicked “restart” after the install, it would boot correctly and not give me an error message…
I just wanted to know if it makes any sense to set the USB partition 1 to “legacy BIOS”?
I suppose I’ll just try it anyway.
BTW…I’ve backed up everything, so if it fails again, I can restore from my 20.04 CD version using the Backup (Deja-Dup)…
Thanks for your help…
shobuz99

19

Creating a Legacy BIOS partition on the USB drive with the Ubuntu iso isn’t going to help. Generally, one will have an option to select either Legacy/CSM or UEFI boot with a bootable USB. From the information you have posted, you don’t seem to have a UEFI option on the computer. Can you post the output of the sudo fdisk -l command and indicate which drive and partitions have your current Ubuntu install. On a legacy install, the default option for device for bootloader installation would be the drive, for example /dev/sda OR /dev/sdb. That would install some Grub code to the MBR which will point to the partition on which the Grub boot files reside.

20

Yes. The output of the fdisk -l command
Disk /dev/loop0: 4 KiB, 4096 bytes, 8 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop1: 10.75 MiB, 11251712 bytes, 21976 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop2: 63.76 MiB, 66842624 bytes, 130552 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop4: 44.46 MiB, 46604288 bytes, 91024 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop5: 91.7 MiB, 96141312 bytes, 187776 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop6: 73.9 MiB, 77471744 bytes, 151312 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop7: 73.91 MiB, 77475840 bytes, 151320 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/sda: 232.91 GiB, 250059350016 bytes, 488397168 sectors
Disk model: TOSHIBA MK2576GS
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x5581cde8

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sda1 * 2048 1050623 1048576 512M b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda2 1052670 488396799 487344130 232.4G 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 1052672 488396799 487344128 232.4G 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 14.42 GiB, 15472047104 bytes, 30218842 sectors
Disk model: DataTraveler 3.0
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x70450556

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 63 30217823 30217761 14.4G b W95 FAT32

Disk /dev/loop8: 349.71 MiB, 366682112 bytes, 716176 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop9: 346.3 MiB, 363118592 bytes, 709216 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop10: 54.24 MiB, 56872960 bytes, 111080 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk /dev/loop11: 63.77 MiB, 66850816 bytes, 130568 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Okay. Thanks.
I thought it would work. I guess not.
Thanks for your help…