[Installation] Make Bootable Thumbdrive to install Kubuntu 20.10 - a vexing resource problem

[AnneF]

My Current PC: Lenovo T-410 Desktop 4GB Ram

CPU (From lscpu)
Architecture - x86-64
CPU op-mode(s) - 32-bit, 64-bit
Byte Order - Little Endian
CPU(s) - 4 Intel 6, model 42
Intel Core i5-2500 CPU @ 3.30GHz

Graphics
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp 2nd Gen Core Processor
or family integrated graphics controller (rev 09)

Grub
apt-cache show grub | grep grub (showed nothing, just went to next prompt)

Hard Drives: 3 (sata)

500GB Internal Hatachi (Windows 7 Pro 64bit) (Disk 0, sda) Will Not Boot

500GB Internal WD (Ubuntu 20.04) working poorly (Disk 1, sdb)

1TB Internal WD (non-bootable, contains an NTFS-Data Partition for access by Linux & Windows)

(Also have three 500GB Passport-Type USB Drives and an external 1TB 3.5? drive (haven?t used),
and three Thumb drives (256MB, 8GB, 32GB)

I tried to paste gparted pics here, but forum would not allow

sda1 Fat32 100MiB boot,esp (elsewhere says GMT and EFI)
sda2 FS unknown 128MiB (MS reserved partition)
sda3 ntfs 123.74GiB (C-System)
sda4 ntfs 195.31GiB (Basic Data Partition) mountpoint: /media/xxx/ (D-Win-Data-NTFS)
unallocated 146.48 GiB

sdb1 ext4 /boot 1.86 GiB
sdb2 extended 294.30 GiB
sdb5 ext4 / 46.57 GiB
sdb6 linux-swap 14.90 GiB
sdb7 ext4 /home 232.83 GiB
unallocated 169.60 GiB

sdc - (1TB) I'm only using one partition of sdc
(unsuccessful install on sdc1, sdc2, sdc5, sdc6, sdc7)
sdc3 ntfs /media/xxx 635.35 (NTFS-Data)

Windows 10 was installed on Disk 0 when I bought it (used, off-lease), but the seller installed Win7Pro64 on it before I picked it up, which may be why the boot shows up as GPT and EFI (but LOOKS like legacy BIOS to me, when I use it).

The Ubuntu (rufus usb) installed Ubuntu as legacy MBR) on Disk 1 (sdb) and apparently overwrote my Win7 boot partition (on sda). Windows7 will not boot at all now and Ubuntu is not working well. It worked at first, but now it doesn?t render pages well in Firefox and even leaves out selection buttons.

Ubuntu can?t find anything using terminal (grub, boot-repair, unetbootin ? nothing). I was told to edit sources.list (among dozens of other things) until I was finally so exhausted with it I gave up ? I?m just going to order a new machine (which I would like some advice on ? AFTER I at least have ONE properly working OS on this machine for the meantime). The forums and even my banking websites don?t render properly, which makes life difficult, to say the least.

At the moment I just want to have SOME OS that is working properly, without risking loss of the half-working Ubuntu install. I want to install Kubuntu 20.10 on Disk 2 (sdc), without touching anything but sdc. I have an NTFS data partition on this drive that I would like to keep, but I can do a new backup and let it go if need be, and free up the whole disk (1TB). Once I have ONE working OS, I will let the Ubuntu OS on Disk 1 (sdb) go and reinstall Kubuntu there. I just cannot afford to erase my only working OS, until I have a working one somewhere.

I have an ISO file for Kubuntu 20.10 64bit ? I just need to get it on a bootable thumbdrive. I do have an old XP 32-bit laptop, but it won?t run Rufus or Ventoy. My install of Ubuntu 20.04, as I said, can?t find anything (like unetbootin) and I don?t know how to use the Ventoy command line (the one I downloaded said ?Ventoy Windows? and I couldn?t find any other one (for linux). I?m very new at this, and I can?t even get a try/install thumbdrive containing Kubuntu 20.10 made. If I can get that done, so I can install it and not be so ?dead in the water?, then I can put my time and energy into ordering a new PC (where I could use some advice).

What I have tried to create a bootable Kubuntu 20.10 thumbdrive from an ISO file:

Rufus exe file, which I used to make my Ubuntu 20.04 thumbdrive, will not run on my old XP laptop

Unetbootin ? my half-working Ubuntu install can?t find any resources, such as unetbootin. Perhaps the instructions to edit source.list might have been incorrect, especially since I was being instructed by many people all at once. I tried to find unetbootin booting from the ubuntu thumbdrive, but that didn?t find it either, and even if it did, how could I access a place to save/install it, using the thumbdrive?

Ventoy also will not run on the XP laptop (and my Win7 won?t boot at all). I don't understand the command line version - my brain feels fried from many days of this. Command-Line Ventoy is still a possibility, if I knew how to get it / use it. (I'm 80 yrs old, brand new to Linux, and I don't know all the jargon and acronyms, so please be gentle, and try to use clear English to guide me.)

If you can help me just get Kubuntu 20.10 on a bootable thumbdrive installer, I will be SO grateful.

-? AnneF
p.s. why are the ?? being inserted in my post for quotes and apostrophes?

[claydoh]

Unetbootin sucks, imo, But:
https://unetbootin.github.io/linux_download.html


Balena etcher is more reliable, imo
https://www.balena.io/etcher/
Download, unzip, and double click to run
very simple to use


No clue as to what works in XP that is still around and is reputable

[Beerislife]

Balena Etcher works for me every time!

https://www.balena.io/etcher/

[AnneF]

Unetbootin sucks, imo, But:
https://unetbootin.github.io/linux_download.html

Balena etcher is more reliable, imo
https://www.balena.io/etcher/
Download, unzip, and double click to run
very simple to use

No clue as to what works in XP that is still around and is reputable

From what I read about Etcher, it says it just copies the image, but doesn't do anything make a thumbdrive BOOTABLE/INSTALLABLE, which is what I need. It says that some Linux ISOs will boot without modification, but It also says that it can confuse apps, like parted, about a drive's partition table, format, and block size, causing it to issue warnings. I need a Live Install Thumbdrive. It sounds like Etcher is geared primarily toward SSDs. I really don't know much (obviously) about the topic, but this is what it says on their website. If it doesn't run on my old XP laptop, it's a moot point anyway. --Anne

[claydoh]

It most certainly does create bootable usb sticks, I have been using it for many years now, for quite a few distros.

[AnneF]

It most certainly does create bootable usb sticks, I have been using it for many years now, for quite a few distros.

That would be great, then! Will it run on Ubuntu 20.04? or on WindowsXP 32-bit? My Ubuntu installation is not working well; it apparently can't find any repositories - how would I get it to use on Linux?.

[Beerislife]

Etcher is cross-platform, the download page auto-detects the OS you're using and offers you the dowbload for that platform. There are Windows, Linux and Mac versions available.

[claydoh]

That would be great, then! Will it run on Ubuntu 20.04? or on WindowsXP 32-bit? My Ubuntu installation is not working well; it apparently can't find any repositories - how would I get it to use on Linux?.

As I said, download from the link, extract the zip file, and then simply double click on the file you extracted, called balenaEtcher-something-something.appimage. It is a self contained program, no repos, no installation.
Click to run, then simply choose a file, choose the USB stick, and Gooooo

The link to unetbootin shows how to add and install this software using a PPA.

[Beerislife]

There is a repo for Etcher on GiHub which I use.

https://github.com/balena-io/etcher#...-6ce2e5bc46e2R

Scroll down to 'Installers' and follow the simple instructions. Using the repo, Etcher will always be up-to-date.

[AnneF]

I was able to use Etcher in Linux and got the Thumbdrive created and installed Kubuntu 20.10. Thanks for the help.

I want to reinstall because the drives are not appearing as I need them to. I was able to select a mount point for partitions and affix a "label", but there seemed to be no way to give the drive/partition a title that made easy sense for me. My old Ubuntu partitions (on sdb) and my Windows Disk partitions (sba) appeared in Dolphin under "Devices", along with my Win7 data (easily readable and named by with Windows which let me name the partitions), but the partitons of the system I was actually running (Kubuntu), appeared under "Removable Devices" and both Ubuntu and Kubuntu had "names" that were just disk descriptions (and they are the same disk mfg/size) - WD 500GB Hard Drive (for old Ubuntu) (or WD 500GB Removable (for running Kubuntu system), the reverse of where they should be. Neither gparted, nor Etcher allowed me to NAME the partitions for easy reading. Is there a solution to these problems (partition names or getting the partitions in Dolphin under the proper device heading, with the running system under "DEVICES" and the other partitions (to get to the data in other systems) under "REMOVABLE DEVICES"? Thanks, AnneF

In addition, what should be simple: deleting a file/folder in Dolphin, without taking the time to first move it into the Trash - with a big file that takes a long time in Linux. Can you do a simple permanent delete of a file/folder in Dolphin, skipping the move to Trash? I tried to delete a ISO file that was a duplicate and it took FOREVER, saying it was moving it to trash first. Thanks again, AnneF

[AnneF]

I was able to use Etcher in Linux and got the Thumbdrive created and installed Kubuntu 20.10. Thanks for the help.

I want to reinstall because the drives are not appearing as I need them to. I was able to select a mount point for partitions and affix a "label", but there seemed to be no way to give the drive/partition a title that made easy sense for me. My old Ubuntu partitions (on sdb) and my Windows Disk partitions (sba) appeared in Dolphin under "Devices", along with my Win7 data (easily readable and named by with Windows which let me name the partitions), but the partitons of the system I was actually running (Kubuntu), appeared under "Removable Devices" and both Ubuntu and Kubuntu had "names" that were just disk descriptions (and they are the same disk mfg/size) - WD 500GB Hard Drive (for old Ubuntu) (or WD 500GB Removable (for running Kubuntu system), the reverse of where they should be. Neither gparted, nor Etcher allowed me to NAME the partitions for easy reading. Is there a solution to these problems (partition names or getting the partitions in Dolphin under the proper device heading, with the running system under "DEVICES" and the other partitions (to get to the data in other systems) under "REMOVABLE DEVICES"? Thanks, AnneF

EASY QUESTION - In addition, what should be simple: deleting a file/folder in Dolphin, without taking the time to first move it into the Trash - with a big file that takes a long time in Linux. Can you do a simple permanent delete of a file/folder in Dolphin, skipping the move to Trash? I tried to delete a ISO file that was a duplicate and it took FOREVER, saying it was moving it to trash first. Thanks again, AnneF