Help needed with lenovo s10e

ok i tryed a different usb stick and got linux to load now what.

 

after installing linux on boot up it gives me the option of chossing which os i want to start...i choose xp and alls good now....

 

WAS GOOD reboot and just get a blinking curor again?i rebooted 3 times whie doing stuff and the 3 time i got just blinking cursor.also with linux wireless does not seem to work?

 

I'm glad you got things going!

Sorry, I couldn't be of more help. I tried a half dozen Windows based tools on USB and all had problems booting up. They worked fine from CD but when migrated to USB gave trouble. I guess booting from USB is not an exact science or at least not for my USB stick.

It sounds like it was a problem with either the boot.ini file or the MBR on that HD. Probably the MBR which Linux would have rewritten.

I would suggest in XP looking for Lenovo software to create recovery disks or if they have already been burned checking out the possibility of backing up data to the hidden recovery partition.

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Edit: I was just writing my congratulations post and now this! So it is restarting by itself when running Windows or you restarted manually and can't get back into Windows?

 

yes after i restarted it i just get blinking cursor again...after i installed linux mint when i rebooted it gave me the options on which os to start but then all of a sudden after the last reboot i did not get that screen just black with blinking cursor again?the only way to get on the web or anything is to put usb back in but i cant re download linux no more room?and wiress will not work.why the black screen on boot up.?

 

Boot into Linux go to the menu select Terminal and paste this command gksu gedit /boot/grub/grub.cfg Copy and paste the contents of that file in a post here. And I'll take a look at it. It has been quite a while since I worked with a Linux boot loader but I may be able to help. (Id the contents of the file are empty that gives information as well)

 

it wont load it now...no space left on devise mount failed?


im thinking trash this thing.

 

You can't boot from the linux USB?

I can't concentrate on this now but maybe trying to get Super Grub Disk onto a USB might help fix the bootloader. I haven't read the documentaion but it seems to be the go to solution for rebuilding the boot loader.

 

I guess you would need the recatux version that can fix Grub2 since that is what Linux Mint installs.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub-2.html#mozTocId842078

 

im guessing this is the download http://download.berlios.de/rescatux/rescatux_cdrom_usb_hybrid_i386_486-amd64_2010_12_06.iso

what do i do just send iso to the usb then reboot.

 

ok got it to load up again..now what should i do to free up space?

i typed gksu gedit /boot/grub/grub.cfg in terminal then hit enter then what?

 

Are you working in Linux or in Windows?

 

Did you use the recatux utility to get it to boot or did you boot from the old USB?

 

im working in Linux now i used recatux utility ...when i go to Gparted i see 2 particans that say

unallocated 15.07gib

unallocated 26.28gib


when i tryed to do linux updates it said o space left so does this have something to do with it?



im not sure if i see the xp partican it looks like i got 8 particans but only 3 that are used.

 

Let's find out what your HD partitions look like.

Click Menu and type in gparted and there will be an icon for gparted at the top left. Click it. Let it search your HD and list the partitions. Give the sda# part and the size and used portions here in a post. Tell which one is NTFS. Also the total size of the HD should be at the top of the window, post that here as well.

Then we can figure out where the space is on your HD and whether the Linux problem is because it only has tiny partitions.

Edit: I see you found gparted. I would think you should have 5 partitions 1 large NTFS. 1 for the hidden lenovo backup at least 5gb. 3 for linux (1 very small, 1 swap space and the last the largest of the three would be the linux files partition--say how big that third one is).

My guess is that XP was taking up most of the drive so there was very little room for linux to install. That however doesn't sound right if you have two unallocated spaces. Do the unallocated spaces have sda#'s?

I have to go out for three hours.

 

You might want to see what start up manager will offer you as far as fixing the boot. Just type boot in the start menu search box and it will bring up the correct name for the program at the top left of the box.

 

ok at the top i got 3 boxs

/dev/sda1 unallocated unallocated

26.91gib 15.07gib 26.28gib







partican filesystem label size used unused flags


unallocated unallocated 1.00mib

/dev/sda1 ntfs preload 26.91gib 14.34 12.57gib boot


unallocated unallocated 15.07gib


/dev/sda3 extended 30.15gib


/dev/sda5 ext4 2.58gib 2.58gib 441.64mib



unallocated unoallocated 26.28gib

/dev/sda6 linux-swap 1.29gib


/dev/sda2 fat32 service002 1.97gib 440.16mib

 

ya start up manager does nothing when i click on it.

 

ok in the cornor og gparted there a arrow i hit it now i got



in the top of the screen ( /dev/sdb1) ( 961.97mib)



partition

/dev/sdbl1



filesystem

fat32


mountpoint
/cdrom


label
my linuxlive


size
961.97mib

used
814.81mib


unused
147.16mib

flags
boot

 

Just read back and saw you already gave that information.

 

Try going to computer and go to C: and open boot.ini (maybe right click and select edit). Which partition is set for default?

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

 

ok i deleted everything and reinstalled linux mint the only problem im having is i need to be able to run this wireless...at the moment i have to use cable?

 

You deleted all your Windows partitions?

 

i think so ? how can i check

 

I'm having terrible internet drop outs at home.

I'm not sure why you deleted Windows? Or am I misreading and you just reinstalled Linux?

I'm looking for the application to install wireless in Linux. I will take me a few minutes.

 

Maybe an easy way to get wireless would be to go to lenovo site and download the windows driver. Then type wireless and hit the application that comes up at the top right. Then point it to the inf file contained in the windows driver.

 

ideleted windows because it would not work and when i was installing mint it asked me too but that driver would be great....also when using liunx is it possible to use msn messenger ect....because i cant seem to download wiar ect either.

 

Forget the Windows drivers for now. Try Control Center>Under Hardware>Additional Drivers and see if it finds your Wifi card. It should be Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter.

 

i see 802.11 linux sta wireless driver for use with broadcom BMC4311-BCM4312=BCM4321 ANS BCM4322 BASED WARDWARE. is that the one.

 

Yes that is the one. Did you try hit activate?

 

yes it downloaded and installed i restarted the computor but still no wireless.

 

Try Control Center>Network Connections>Wireless tab Does it have anything listed?

Just to make sure are you starting the computer with no USB key now?

 

in windows wireless drivers no....in network tools i see no wireless.if i right click on wired connection in the task bar it has a check beside enable wireless in edit connections i see wireless it says auto linksys then i click add but then i get another pop up it wants SSID AND BSSID AND MAC ADDRESS

 

Check System Tools>System Profiler and Benchmarks>Network Interfaces to make sure that the WAN is installed.

I'm not sure about the filling in those three items. I'm going to look around. Type sudo iwlist scanning into Terminal and see if it gives you the (E)SSID.

Can you get those values from signing in to Comcast's router?

 

Before going to much further setting up Linux I want to make sure you are working off the HD when running Linux. Are you starting the notebook with no USB drive plugged in?

I'd also like to confirm that you deleted all Windows files.
Please open Terminal and type sudo fdisk -l
Just paste the text in your post here.

Also type inxi -n in Terminal and see if it lists your Broadcom 802.11g

 

in network interfaces i dont see wan ,

also yes linux start without usb.

also when i type fdisk -l or inxi -n in Terminal i get command not found.

 

yes it gives me the (E)SSID.

 

Good, I just wanted to be sure that you were always booting off the HD and not sometimes using the USB. If you were doing both then you could be installing the driver on USB and then when booting off the HD it wouldn't be recognised

I'm thinking about trying the Windows drivers for the WAN card but don't want to double install so I would like to try to be sure there is no WAN installed.

Sorry, I'm used to linux using all lowercase letters.

The correct command should be inxi -N to see if it sees the WAN card.

The other is sudo fdisk -l (where l is lowercase L not a number) would be to list partitions.

 

all i get is command not found.

is it possible since i got linux in to reload xp?i dont think wireless is going to work.

 

Let's hold off on Wireless for now.

As far as XP goes let's see what your HD setup is. Go into Gparted and just tell me how many partitions you see and their sizes and if any are NTFS.

 

ok iv been looking i get gparted not installed.

 

ok installed it no NTFS in there

 

Let's just check out the WAN one more time and see if it will install Windows drivers. Here are your drivers http://www.mediafire.com/file/okybf43dgq1lq72/Broadcom Driver.zip Unzip the file (You should be able to tight click and open with Archive manager) and pick a location you can find again like the Desktop.

Then it should be type wireless in search box and application comes up at top right for using windows drivers. Click that and when it asks you for the .inf point it to the folder you unzipped. See if it installs the WAN.

Get that out of the way and then we can figure out XP.

 

wont install

 

only the 1 inf file would install and it said already installed....is there any advantages from lunixmint9 to 10 version

 

Ok, I'm lost on that driver. That must be a way but I don't understand it and can't find any threads with a definitive answer.

On installing XP. You have to make room on the HD. I'm guessing you let Linux take over the whole drive during install so we will have to shrink the large Linux partition to make one for XP.

I'm testing WintoFlash to see if it works to copy XP installation files to USB for install. I'll let you know when it is done.

Unfortunately, installing Windows after Linux is troublesome because it wipes out the boot loader making Linux unbootable until the bootloader is fixed. The easiest way around that is to install XP first and then install Linux. If you don't want to wipe out your Linux then just be aware that after the XP install you will have to work with that Rescatux Cd to fix the boot loader to get back into Linux.

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Can you list your partitions and sizes from Gparted.

 

I don't see much difference between Mint 9 and 10 but I have only used the CDs. I haven't installed Linux in 3 or 4 years.

 

ok my ultimate goal is to get xp back in so maybe we can get that...but it will have to be from usb.

 

WintoFlash didn't work for me just now. My computer was unable to boot to the USB installer. I'll have to try another way.

Do give me list of your partitions.

 

i only have 1 in Gparted i got

unallocated 74.53gib