Help installing Lubuntu

GarIT

I've been trying to install Lubuntu on an old laptop for my brother to use but it just won't let me install. I can boot from both Ubuntu and XP cds but not Lubuntu. The Lubuntu cd im using works in other laptops.

The Laptop has XP on it and I can run the Lubuntu cd in XP and it gives the option to install an alternate bootloader to make it easier to install Lubuntu but that just keeps getting an error once the files are extracted.

Any ideas on what to try next?

shayno90

Either the laptop's spec is incompatible with latest lubuntu distro or it requires modifying the GRUB boot file to add some minor changes as with Archlinux.

Either use an external CD/DVD ROM device or create a bootable usb image of lubuntu.

Eliot Rosewater

I had trouble installing Lubuntu on an old computer, too. My solution was to install Ubuntu proper, and then install LXDE in Ubuntu.

GarIT

shayno90 wrote: »

Either use an external CD/DVD ROM device or create a bootable usb image of lubuntu.

Its from the early 2000s so it can't boot from usb. If I installed Lubuntu 11 could I then update to 12 or would I have to do a new install?

GarIT

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I had trouble installing Lubuntu on an old computer, too. My solution was to install Ubuntu proper, and then install LXDE in Ubuntu.

Will that not make it as slow as Ubuntu? I was going for Lubuntu because its lighter on the system.

Eliot Rosewater

GarIT wrote: »

Will that not make it as slow as Ubuntu? I was going for Lubuntu because its lighter on the system.

That's an interesting question that I don't have an answer too! My reasoning in installing LXDE was that as a desktop manager it uses less resources than Gnome and so must be in some sense faster?

human 19

GarIT wrote: »

Will that not make it as slow as Ubuntu? I was going for Lubuntu because its lighter on the system.

are you sure the file was not corrupted? Have you checked the md5sum?

In any case..I would sguess if you installed Ubuntu and added LXDE, and were give an option to boot into LXDE, then you would only be using the LXDE as opposed to the main install so it would be quicker. You could always test it.

You could also try mint 13 LXDE which is in RC at the mo.

GarIT

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

That's an interesting question that I don't have an answer too! My reasoning in installing LXDE was that as a desktop manager it uses less resources than Gnome and so must be in some sense faster?

It should be quicker than Ubuntu, but I don't think the desktop manager is the only performance improvement.

human 19 wrote: »

are you sure the file was not corrupted? Have you checked the md5sum?

In any case..I would sguess if you installed Ubuntu and added LXDE, and were give an option to boot into LXDE, then you would only be using the LXDE as opposed to the main install so it would be quicker. You could always test it.

You could also try mint 13 LXDE which is in RC at the mo.

I used the test disc for errors option (the one under try or install Lubuntu) on my laptop and it seemed to be fine.

The laptop doesn't even recgonise the disc, it just skips Lubuntu and boots from the HDD but the laptop boots every other OS cd, and my Lubuntu cd works in every other computer I have.

I'm going to try 11.10 now.

LiamOSullivan

Installing a full Ubuntu setup and then installing LXDE will still bog it down a little.
Do you have the laptop's specs on hand?

You could try the Ubuntu Minimal CD, and see if you can get your network detected with it(Should be very easy with an ethernet connection). With that, you could do a command line install and then
# apt-get install lubuntu-desktop (maybe with --no-install-recommends, if you'd prefer that)

Alternatively, my recommendation would be the following(If you're reasonably handy with Linux):
[Note that I've not actually done this, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work.]
Download the Ubuntu minimal install CD, and then do the most basic command line install possible; don't bother to install any packages in the APT part, but make sure you have apt and dpkg. Next, use a normal Ubuntu live CD to boot into it. Get yourself connected to a network, and set yourself up as root in a terminal by doing
$ sudo passwd root
and then
$ su -
Make a directory(/mnt/ubuntu in this example) and mount the root partition from your new minimal install (/dev/sda3 in this example)
# mkdir /mnt/ubuntu && mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/ubuntu
Then, mount proc and /dev, and mount /boot if it's on a separate partition(/dev/sda1 in this example):
# mount -t proc none /mnt/ubuntu/proc && mount -R /dev /mnt/ubuntu/dev && mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/ubuntu/boot
Finally, chroot into the system:
# chroot /mnt/ubuntu /bin/bash
Now, you're chrooted into your minimal installation, so you can just
# apt-get install lubuntu-desktop
and then exit and reboot into your(hopefully) new lubuntu system.