4.3: Special situations
Older hardware
If you are trying to install MEPIS Linux 7.0 on older hardware, and the LiveCD is running very slowly, try the following:
- Don't load KDE: At the login menu, go to the Session menu and select failsafe,
then log in as root (password is root). You will find yourself at a command prompt. Enter the command "minstall". This will launch the installation wizard, and you can proceed with section 4.2 from step 2.
- Install using a different machine: Remove the hard drive
from your old computer, and insert it into a faster machine. Run the
MEPIS Linux 7.0 install as described in section 4.2. After installation is
complete, remove the hard drive and put it back in the old machine.
Because MEPIS Linux 7.0 redetects all hardware on every boot (rather than
once during the installation), you should have little or no problem.
- Try antiX: If your hardware is very old (near or below the
minimum requirements), you may have better results from antiX. This
community remaster of MEPIS Linux 7.0 was designed for old machines.
Without a CD
Even if your computer does not have a bootable CD or DVD drive, you can install MEPIS Linux 7.0.
For instance, if your system supports booting from a USB drive (Apple does not) you should be able to boot to the flash drive
and proceed with the install normally. On a second computer, boot to the LiveCD and create a bootable MEPIS Linux 7.0 flash drive using the
MEPIS System Assistant. Most users report this method is actually much faster than a traditional CD installation.
For other alternative boot methods, see the Links and Guides subsection.
4.4: Troubleshooting
Lockups during installation
If MEPIS Linux 7.0 is locking up during installation, it is usually due to a problem with faulty computer hardware, or a bad CD. Refer to Section 2 for details on verifying your MEPIS Linux 7.0 CD.
If you have determined that the CD is not the problem, it may be due to faulty RAM, a faulty hard drive, or some other piece of faulty or incompatible hardware.
- Refer to the Links and Guides at the bottom of the page for details on testing your RAM and Hard drive for physical defects.
- Shut down your computer and remove any non-essential hardware, then attempt the installation again. Non-essential hardware may include
USB, serial, and parallel-port devices; removeable PCI, AGP, PCIE, modem slot, or ISA expansion cards (excluding video, if you do not have
onboard video); SCSI devices (unless you are installing to or from one); IDE or SATA devices that you are not installing to or from;
joysticks, MIDI cables, audio cables, and any other external multimedia devices.
- Add one of the Boot Options space at the bottom where the cursor is blinking (see Section 3.4).
- Systems often lock up due to overheating. Open the computer's case and ensure that all the system's fans are running when it is turned on. If your BIOS supports it, check the CPU and Motherboard temperatures and compare them to the temperature specifications for your system.
- Your CD drive may be having problems. If your system supports it, create a MEPIS Linux 7.0 bootable USB flash drive and install from
that.
Installed MEPIS Linux 7.0 does not boot
After a reboot, it sometimes happens that your computer reports that no operating system or bootable disk was found. Usually, this means
that either you failed to install GRUB, or you failed to mark at least one partition bootable (a.k.a. “active”) during custom
partitioning of the hard drive.
To fix this, try the following:
- Boot to the LiveCD, log in as demo
- Launch Gparted, and select the drive on which you installed MEPIS Linux 7.0
- The partition on which you installed MEPIS Linux 7.0 should say “Active” in the “Status” field. If it does not,
right-click it and select set active. Then click Commit.
- If that was not the problem, launch the MEPIS System Assistant and run a GRUB repair. If you did not previously install GRUB to the MBR,
this might be something to try. Experts can use the initrd option.
- If this still does not fix it, you may have a faulty hard drive. Use the MEPIS System Assistant (from the LiveCD) to check your
MEPIS Linux 7.0 partition for bad blocks.
Links and Guides
