Can't get PC to boot from USB to instal Linux

psychic_teabag

If you really can't get your pc to boot from usb, another approach is to use an installer that works from within windows. I can't give any particular recommendation on a distribution - I use debian which is the basis for ubuntu but perhaps not as friendly.
http://goodbye-microsoft.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win32-loader_%28Debian%29

IIRC The windows installer just puts an extra entry into the windows bootloader config and then reboots, and then you can choose to boot into windows or linux.

Another option might be to use a different bootloader. "plop" is one I came across. That would again add itself to the windows boot manager, but then it would take control and may be able to boot from usb instead.
eg
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/using-plop-boot-manager-usb-boot

(While since I've done it now : had to do it this way since company locked down the bios and wouldn't let us boot from anything but the supplied windows installation, so we had to be a bit more creative. One colleage used the debian windows installer. I used (and still use) plop to boot linux from the windows bootloader.)

debitcardmayhem

esuhl wrote: »

I always seem to have problems booting from USB images. I gave up trying long ago and always use CD/DVDs now.

Goodness gracious me (with appropriate regional accent) why don't you use unetbootin???

GunJack

one probable problem...

if the OP's pc is running XP, it may well not have the capability to boot from USB, it might just be too old to do so.....

esuhl

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Goodness gracious me (with appropriate regional accent) why don't you use unetbootin???

Ha ha! I'm pretty sure I did (amongst other attempted solutions). I found lots of posts online where other people were having problems too. Oh well, I've got plenty of blank CDs and DVDs.