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I'm trying to install Ubuntu 15.10 32bits on a Samsung NP-N150-JP05FR, with a live usb created with usb-creator-gtk (from ubuntu 15.10, as superuser) on a FAT32 usb flash drive and get this error :

SYSLINUX 6.03 EDD 20150813 Copyright (C) 1994-2012 H. Peter Anvin et al
Boot Error

Any key pressed make that message repeat.

I often install ubuntu with live usb, using either usb-creator-gtk or UNetbootin. I actually already installed ubuntu (14.04) on that computer a few months ago. I can't figure out the issue.

Already tried :

  • different USB flash drives
  • checking .iso integrity
  • renaming isolinux files to syslinux
  • checking for USB Mass Storage Emulation type option in Bios (no such)
  • UNetbootin instead of usb-creator-gtk
  • removing "ui" from syslinux.cfg
mxdsp
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  • see also this [bug report](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/usb-creator/+bug/1499746) – mxdsp Nov 11 '15 at 18:24

7 Answers7

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According to the release notes at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WilyWerewolf/ReleaseNotes you can't use usb-creator from lower version of Ubuntu ( including 15.04) to make live-usb of Ubuntu 15.10

Due to changes in syslinux, it is not currently possible to use usb-creator from 14.04 and earlier releases to write USB images for 15.04 or later; we believe that it is also not possible to use usb-creator from a 15.04 or later system to write USB images for earlier releases. For now the workaround is to use a matching release of Ubuntu to write the images, but we intend to issue updates soon to work around this incompatibility

You may still make it from 15.10 or from Windows(universal-usb-installer for example)

I tested usb-creator-gtk from ubuntu 15.10 in my virtualbox, it crashed at the end of the process! So we have to say NO to usb-creator-gtk! Tested with unetbootin 608-1 installed through USC, writing to usb succeeded but usb is not bootable!

However, I found away that worked perfectly inside ubuntu, even with older ubuntu version.

  1. Right click your ubuntu-15.10-desktop-amd64.iso > Open with Disk Image writer
  2. Choose your usb drive and click Start Restoring... and follow the instruction.

That usb is bootable without any error. After installing ubuntu, you will need to format that usb with gparted if you want to store data on that usb again.

user3655984
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    Thanks this is helpful, but I was creating from 15.10. – mxdsp Nov 12 '15 at 16:25
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    @mxdsp try `Disks`, it worked! – user3655984 Nov 13 '15 at 05:04
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    @mxdsp I had the same problem. I tried unetbootin and it didn't work. I tried this solution, from Ubuntu 15.10 and the usb is bootable! :D – George Kastrinis Nov 14 '15 at 01:26
  • But how can I add persistence? – Aleksandr Dubinsky Nov 16 '15 at 14:37
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    @AleksandrDubinsky There are many other way to do that but not with `Disks`, I'm afraid. – user3655984 Nov 17 '15 at 09:24
  • If you have a way to do it with persistence, please add an answer. I've tried `Universal USB Installer` on Windows and the trick with downgrading syslinux and using `unetbootin` on Ubuntu. Neither worked (with persistence). – Aleksandr Dubinsky Nov 17 '15 at 15:12
  • @AleksandrDubinsky Have you tried https://usbubuntu.wordpress.com/make-it-persistent/ yet? – user3655984 Nov 18 '15 at 12:25
  • Help! I opened with disk image writer, restored, then formatted with gparted. Now my usb drive is not recognized at all including gparted. – zorkerz Nov 20 '15 at 03:18
  • Hi @zorkerz , you should open a new question and include all steps that you made to your usb including error messages so that everyone can easily help you. – user3655984 Nov 20 '15 at 06:21
  • There are [two](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/usb-creator/+bug/1446646) [bugs](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/usb-creator/+bug/1499746) on launchpad which might be related. – lumbric Nov 28 '15 at 22:35
  • I tried "Open with Disk Image writer" in Ubuntu 15.10, but that program crashes right away. apport sais it is called `gnome-disks` from the package `gnome-disk-utility 3.16.2ubuntu2` (german "Schreiber von Laufwerksabbildern"). I also Tried to open first the program [`disks`](https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/gnome-disk-utility/) and from there i selected the partition and from there I selected "Restore Partition image" which created a stick, but now I get the error on boot "isolinux.bin missing" – rubo77 Mar 06 '16 at 08:11
  • This doesn't see my USB and tells me *Please replace the disc with a supported CD or DVD* – gerrit Jun 15 '16 at 23:04
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It looks like the good old dd command works as well.

Just to be clear:

dd if=ubuntu-15.10-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=1M

where X is your USB drive identifier. Use b, c, d and not b1, so use the drive, not the eventual partition.

At least on my machines, that are Thinkpads T420 and W520, so not super-new it seems to boot using isolinux, so like a CD/DVD.

Some newer machine may have a different BIOS that doesn't allow that. EFI enters then in the discussion, but I'm not an EFI expert so let me close it here.

Verified also with 16.04.

ragazzojp
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  • When to run this command? I am trying to create usb with Puppy (tahr-6.0.5_PAE.iso) from Lubuntu (Ubuntu 15.10). `dd if=tahr-6.0.5_PAE.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=1M` not `/dev/sdc1` ok. – Vladimir Vukanac Jun 09 '16 at 10:10
  • iso is placed on USB with UNetbootin. – Vladimir Vukanac Jun 09 '16 at 10:19
  • This is working! Thnx! **1.** put puppy tahr 6.0.5 iso on usb with unetbootin from lubuntu 15.10, **2.** boot laptop and got "boot error", **3.** on lubuntu terminal with attached usb stick as `/dev/sdc1` run `dd if=/home/w/Downloads/tahr-6.0.5_PAE.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=1M`, **4.** Boot laptop with usb - working! – Vladimir Vukanac Jun 09 '16 at 10:31
  • Just make sure the USB drive is not mounted. It's ok if you see /dev/sdc1, but this should not be mounted before writing to /dev/sdc. Use `mount` to see mounted devices. – ragazzojp Aug 17 '16 at 10:43
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I googled the error and it led me to a page where it mentioned something about a bug in Ubuntu 15.10. I quit trying to create it on my PC then went on to do the following.

Since my only PC with an OS was with Ubuntu 15.10 I had no other choice than to create a live USB from my android device to install Ubuntu on my new PC.

tl;dr There is a bug in 15.10. So I created a live USB using DriveDroid and successfully installed Ubuntu on my new PC.

Byte Commander
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Pepe
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2

After many hours trying to create a live USB of Ubuntu 15.10 from Ubuntu 15.10, I gave up and used a Windows 10 machine to

  1. Format the USB drive
  2. Create the live USB with Live USB Creator from http://linuxliveusb.com
Byte Commander
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Alan Thompson
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1

Have you tried sudo usb-creator-gtk ?

Riky Perdana
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  • yes of course, I'll make that clear in the question. – mxdsp Nov 11 '15 at 17:15
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    This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post - you can always comment on your own posts, and once you have sufficient [reputation](http://askubuntu.com/help/whats-reputation) you will be able to [comment on any post](http://askubuntu.com/help/privileges/comment). - [From Review](/review/low-quality-posts/489683) – TheWanderer Nov 12 '15 at 15:54
  • @Zacharee1 This is an attempt to answer the question. – Seth Nov 13 '15 at 04:28
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Try Rufus from any windows PC . Set up requires latest syslinux file which Rufus download themselves. I have successfully installed 15.10 with bootable USB created by Rufus after failed attempt with Ubuntu startup disk creator and UnetBootin.

cijo thomas
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  • Actually, I just finished yesterday from a 3 hour online session helping 3 new ubuntu users. They used lili and Rufus. Both did not work. What worked (only for 2 of them) was usb-creator-gtk with sudo and not persistent, it also worked typing live when another "no image found" appeared that offered the grub terminal. Just a heads up that this does not work most of the time. – Luis Alvarado Jan 06 '16 at 14:11
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Not actually a fix, but I found a way to achieve a 15.10 installation. I successfully made a 15.04 live-usb (so it's definitely something about 15.10), and I'll make a release upgrade.

mxdsp
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