Trying to install antiX on an old Sony VAIO

[Member maybl8]

Sony VAIO VGN-FS740/W
This old laptop cannot boot to USB. The CD-ROM fails to open the boot CD or DVD.
An external DVD drive won’t work either.
So I looked up how to install from an ISO file.
My instructions must be wrong because I am getting errors.
One more thing this laptop when I got somehow had Linux Mint installed on it.
So I downloaded antiX 32 bit iso and it is in the Downloads folder.
I modified the 40_custom file to look like this:

menuentry “antix 21 ISO” {
set isofile=”/home/selina/Downloads/antiX-21_386-full.iso”
loopback (hd0,1)$isofile
linux /antiX/vmlinuz boot=antiX filename=${isofile} quiet splash
initrd /antiX/initrd.gz

I am going to post this and then post the error I am getting when I run the menu entry at boot.

• This topic was modified 1 year ago by maybl8.
• This topic was modified 1 year ago by anticapitalista. Reason: removed 'solved'

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

error I get:
error: filename expected
error: file ‘/antiX/vmlinuz’ not found
error: you need to load the kernel first.

press any key to continue….

inxi from this laptop:

selena@miss:~$ inxi -Fxxx
System:
  Host: miss Kernel: 5.4.0-109-generic i686 bits: 32 compiler: gcc v: 7.5.0 
  Desktop: MATE 1.22.2 info: mate-panel wm: marco 1.22.3 dm: LightDM 1.26.0 
  Distro: Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Sony product: VGN-FS740 v: C300N685 
  serial: <root required> Chassis: Reserved type: 10 v: Reserved 
  serial: <root required> 
  Mobo: N/A model: N/A serial: N/A BIOS: Phoenix v: R0080J1 date: 07/10/2005 
CPU:
  Topology: Single Core model: Intel Pentium M bits: 32 type: MCP 
  arch: M Dothan rev: 8 L2 cache: 2048 KiB 
  flags: nx pae sse sse2 bogomips: 3458 
  Speed: 1067 MHz min/max: 800/1733 MHz Core speed (MHz): 1: 1067 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics vendor: Sony 
  driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:2592 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: intel 
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa compositor: marco v: 1.22.3 
  resolution: 1280x800~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 915GM x86/MMX/SSE2 v: 1.4 Mesa 20.0.8 
  direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW High Definition Audio vendor: Sony 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:2668 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-109-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG [Calexico2] Network driver: ipw2200 
  v: 1.2.2kmprq port: 18a0 bus ID: 06:04.0 chip ID: 8086:4220 
  IF: wlp6s4 state: up mac: 00:13:ce:44:30:89 
  Device-2: Intel 82562ET/EZ/GT/GZ - PRO/100 VE Ethernet Mobile vendor: Sony 
  driver: e100 v: 3.5.24-k2-NAPI port: 2000 bus ID: 06:08.0 
  chip ID: 8086:1068 
  IF: enp6s8 state: down mac: 00:01:4a:c2:37:2c 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 78.30 GiB used: 20.28 GiB (25.9%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Toshiba model: MK8025GAS size: 74.53 GiB 
  speed: <unknown> serial: 954J8737S rev: 3H scheme: MBR 
  ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB model: 090c size: 3.77 GiB serial: B1512561002438 
  rev: 1100 scheme: MBR 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 72.86 GiB used: 18.92 GiB (26.0%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1 
Sensors:
  Message: No sensors data was found. Is sensors configured? 
Info:
  Processes: 163 Uptime: 8m Memory: 1.20 GiB used: 498.7 MiB (40.4%) 
  Init: systemd v: 237 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 7.5.0 alt: 7 Shell: bash 
  v: 4.4.20 running in: mate-terminal inxi: 3.0.32 
selena@miss:~$ 

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

Helpful

Up

0

::

This works for me.

menuentry "antiX-19 32 ISO boot" {
     echo Boot disk address is: $root

     set iso='/antiX-19.2_386-full.iso'
     set bootparms='from=all quiet persist nocheckfs'

     search -f $iso --set=root

     echo ISO root is:          $root
     echo ISO is:               $iso
     echo Boot parms are:       $bootparms
     echo
     loopback loop $iso
     linux (loop)/antiX/vmlinuz fromiso=$iso $bootparms
     initrd (loop)/antiX/initrd.gz
     echo Booting $iso}

The iso is on the root partition.

When installing on the same partition, you need to edit line 13 INSTALL_FROM_ROOT_DEVICE=false (change to true) of /usr/share/gazelle-installer-data/installer.conf before running the installer.
You might also need to boot the iso with the toram option set.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Thanks so much
I am in the booted iso typing this.
Now on to install.

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Did you manage to install?
I’m not sure if booting fromiso with the iso on the same drive as where you want to install works or not.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Yeah it didn’t work.
I was able to boot to the iso and start the install.
However it failed and got as far as wiping out the install that was on the drive.
So I took the drive out of the laptop and began to install to it from a different computer.
I have a usb cable that I can connect the drive to and install an os to it.
However the drive is old and has allot of errors on it so I am buying a drive for it.
It is an old ide type drive.
Getting one from ebay for $20. a 100GB drive.
I’ll post back when I get it.

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I got the new ide drive and couldn’t get antix installed on it.
I have this hardward device that I can connect the device via a usb cable.
I made a live usb of antix and booted to it on my main computer.
Attached the ide to the usb device and proceeded to install.
It located the ide drive and I selected it to install to.
I selected / to be installed to the drive.
It got to 12% and crashed. I tried to do this several times.
I thought the drive I has was bad. The new drive and the old drive.
So I tried another os. It didn’t give me this problem and installed just fine.

I don’t know if you want to try to troubleshoot the install or not.

[Member madibi]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Usually when the installation stops at 12% is due to wrong format of the hd.
E.g.: in case you have the one pc bios and the other one pc uefi, if you want to install antiX using the 2nd pc and then re-install the hd on the 1st pc, this try doesn’t work.

What you need is to have or both pc(s) bios or uefi.

I saw that with your system you don’t have the possibility to boot from cd, nor from usb.

What you can do is to try to install plop or in the mbr of your internal hd, or into BIOS as Option Rom.

In both cases at the end you’ll have full functionality of your sony vaio
m

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I now got it installed on the ide drive.
I used the full install option and that worked. Manual didn’t work.
Now when I boot to it I get the grub menu but then I just get a flashing cursor in the upper left corner.

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Since this isn’t solved yet I wanted to edit the title but it won’t let me.

[Member stevesr0]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I don’t know why your install isn’t working correctly.

I have a temporary work around that might allow you to use antiX on your hard drive as in a “regular” install, until you can figure out what isn’t working.

That is called a frugal install and is the subject of a current discussion on this forum (see frugal install of 32-bit antiX linux). It references a YouTube video on frugal installs of antiX (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZGTBUW3bnA).

I haven’t used antiX by a frugal install, but I have done this with Puppy Linux years ago and it worked well (for me). Since the iso is running from the hard drive, it does work fast.

This only requires that your hard drive already has a working operating system installed.

stevesr0

P.S. Several comments pointed to the need to know the setup of the systems you are using (both BIOS or UEFI, both MBR or GPT, etc) if you are installing on a hard drive connected to one computer and then transferred to another computer. I didn’t see an answer from you about those possible issues.

[Member andyprough]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I believe that VAIO uses an old 2005-era Pentium Mobile M 740. You might need a kernel that will work with that era of chips. If you need to try it, I have a small 32-bit non-PAE antiX respin ISO here: https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic/antix-libre-21-respin-less-than-700mb-isos-32-bit-pae-and-non-pae/

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

The computer I am using to make the hard drive install is an HP laptop that has UEFI.
I have tried both from the live usb a UEFI install and a legacy install. Both ended up with the flashing cursor.
I have just tried the frugal install and though it worked on the host laptop with the ide drive attached it did not work when I placed the frugal drive into the vaio. Same flashing cursor.
I am not going to try andy’s non pae iso and see if that works.

[Member maybl8]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Ok booted to the non-pae install.
I did get further this time.
The best way I can describe it is
I get a screen showing different colors flashing with some corrupted graphics showing as a sliver at the top of the screen.
It rotates through several colors over and over again.
It appears this whole problem is video related maybe.
Is there some boot parameters I could try?
I can press e at the grub menu prompt and edit the boot line.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

Helpful

Up

0

::

maybl8 wrote:

Ok booted to the non-pae install.
I did get further this time.
The best way I can describe it is
I get a screen showing different colors flashing with some corrupted graphics showing as a sliver at the top of the screen.
It rotates through several colors over and over again.
It appears this whole problem is video related maybe.
Is there some boot parameters I could try?
I can press e at the grub menu prompt and edit the boot line.

I run into this occasionally. There are some video modes that you can manually select that may help.
Look into the vga= boot parameter and select a resolution that matches your system.

Normally the default settings work fine, but there are exceptions. Since this hadn’t happened much for me until recently (on one of my newer systems), I’d hardly ever experienced this myself, so I’m still researching solutions. Modifying settings in /etc/default/grub may also help:

Example:

GRUB_GFXMODE=1024×768

Another suggestion is to modify the boot parameter:

boot to the GRUB menu, then
find the line that has “quiet splash”; otherwise, look at the options on the kernel boot line.

add nomodeset, so “quiet splash nomodeset”

(or add nomodeset to the kernel boot line).

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by Brian Masinick.

--
Brian Masinick

[Author]

Posts