Problems whilst installing Kubuntu

[bobbicat]

This is more of a concerned rant than anything else.
I've been installing and using Kubuntu for some years now.
I usually upgrade pretty soon after any new version is released and am okay with passing through any settling in period as initial bugs get squashed.
However for a number of releases now I have consistently come up against a recurring problem during installation.
In the past installation was usually straight forward but this has gradually deteriorated and I would say that any newcomer to Kubuntu who now encountered the problems as I have seen them would give up and move on somewhere else.
I'm not at all sure what the problem is, my computer or the installation media, but once I have eventually managed a successful install I end up with the reliable Kubuntu that I am used to.
I am concerned that others who come across the same problem might be put off installing and using Kubuntu.
I'm not a compter geek but I am capable of following instructions and applying a little logic, so if there is someone out there interested in getting to the bottom of this problem I would be pleased to work through it with them.


To put it simply, I make a thumb drive containing the installation media.
The media checks out as error free.
If I am 'lucky' [I can't define exactly what that means] I am able to get through the installation process.
Otherwise, usually at an early stage, the whole shebang freezes and the only escape seems to be turning off the PC then turning it back on.
This has been occuring with increasing frequency at least since Kubuntu 13.10.
I have several pet theories but I am not really sure what is happening.


I have a PC and will give any data needed to explore this problem.

A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM IS POSTED TOWARDS THE END OF THIS THREAD

[jlittle]

Details of your hardware, particularly graphics, is what we'd need to see to make any comment here.

I used to run 11 year old hardware that needed some tricks to get Kubuntu installed. And then, 15.04 happened, and kwin became unstable, and more tricks needed to get it to go. 15.10 was a little better but still plasma was flaky, and I had to restart kwin three times out of four. Also, the installer used to crash a lot, too, but think that's been fixed.

I've got a new system now, with Intel graphics, and 16.04 rocks. I should have stayed on 14.04 on my old box, but by the time I'd realized it, I was too emotionally invested in the struggle to quit and go back to my back up.

[SecretCode]

One thing to clarify: if you get this freeze during installation, are you ever able to install that version? Does it sometimes work with the same image on the same thumb drive? Or a new image? Or is it a case of giving up on that Kubuntu version?

[elijathegold]

On one of my computers, any Linux installer can almost randomly take up to ten minutes to show the partition page and really looks like it has frozen. Everything else is fine on the thing so I never really bothered to dig in to it so if anyone does know why this is happening, it would be interesting to know.

[bobbicat]

answering those questions:


Details of your hardware, particularly graphics, is what we'd need to see to make any comment here [jlittle].

description: Desktop Computer
width: 64 bits

*-Base Board Information
Manufacturer: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
Product Name: M5A99FX PRO R2.0

*-memory
description: System memory
size: 15GiB

*-cpu
product: AMD FX(tm)-9590 Eight-Core Processor
size: 1400MHz
capacity: 4700MHz
width: 64 bits

*-display
description: VGA compatible controller
product: GK106 [GeForce GTX 660]
vendor: NVIDIA Corporation

*-storage

*-disk

description: ATA Disk
product: SanDisk SDSSDP12
logical name: /dev/sda
size: 117GiB (126GB)
capabilities: gpt-1.00 partitioned partitioned:gpt
*-volume:0 UNCLAIMED
description: Windows FAT volume
version: FAT32
size: 558MiB
capacity: 559MiB
capabilities: boot fat initialized
configuration: FATs=2 filesystem=fat name=EFI System Partition
*-volume:1
description: EXT4 volume
vendor: Linux
logical name: /dev/sda2
logical name: /
size: 31GiB
*-volume:2
description: Linux swap volume
vendor: Linux
logical name: /dev/sda3
size: 16GiB
capacity: 16GiB
capabilities: nofs swap initialized
configuration: filesystem=swap pagesize=4095

*-disk

description: ATA Disk
vendor: Seagate
logical name: /dev/sdb
size: 931GiB (1TB)
capabilities: gpt-1.00 partitioned partitioned:gpt
*-volume
description: EXT4 volume
vendor: Linux
logical name: /dev/sdb1
logical name: /home
size: 931GiB

*-cdrom
description: DVD-RAM writer
product: CDDVDW SH-224DB
vendor: TSSTcorp
logical name: /dev/cdrom
logical name: /dev/cdrw
logical name: /dev/dvd
logical name: /dev/dvdrw
logical name: /dev/sr0
capabilities: removable audio cd-r cd-rw dvd dvd-r dvd-ram

One thing to clarify: if you get this freeze during installation, are you ever able to install that version? Does it sometimes work with the same image on the same thumb drive? Or a new image? Or is it a case of giving up on that Kubuntu version? [SecretCode]

Once the freeze has occurred I would need to restart the PC.
It is possible to install but only IF the freeze does not occur.
It might take half a dozen false starts to get a successful freeze free install.
The freeze takes place before the install proper begins.

elijathegold

I also would like to find out what is happening but a temporary freeze might just be updates and restricted extras downloading, which can take a while, if you enable those options.
My freeze occurs before installation proper begins

there's no windows or mac of any shape or number on this machine

I'd like to add that I have eventually managed a successful Kubuntu 16.04 installation, but not without quite a number of false starts.
As I have been getting that sort of effect for a number of previous versions of Kubuntu I thought I ought to raise the issue.
I suppose this ought to take the form of a bug report but I am unsure how or where to report something of this nature.

[I think it is the Live Disk and the way my PC interacts with it that is giving me the problem rather than anything else]

incidentally,
I used dd to zero out an 8Gb thumb drive, then used dd to copy the Kubuntu iso across to it.
The downloaded iso successfully checked out with SHA256SUM and the iso copy on the thumb drive passed as error free.

I have heard of using additional commands when starting up a Live CD/thumb drive. Things to do with ACPI and so on - maybe I need to do something like that?

[SecretCode]

Given that you can get it working after some number of retries with the same image, I am going to suggest that there isn't a problem with drivers or unsupported hardware or a bad iso.

Instead it might be classic hardware issues ...

• RAM ... have you done a full memtest?
• Loose cables ... try disconnecting and reconnecting everything
• Overheating ... vacuum out dust, check fans, etc
• Bad disk sectors

Just ideas, may not be any of these things

[bobbicat]

Thank for that SecretCode.
I'll check for those hardware issues as you suggest

[elijathegold]

As does mine. It appears to freeze when loading the disk partitions before you choose where to install things. If I wait 10 minutes it thaws again.

[bobbicat]

@elijahthegold

when running install, try not ticking the options to download updates and third party software
you can install these after the install proper has finished
it will cut down that initial long pause, which is the time taken to download those files and lets you get straight into disk partitioning with no break

once you have finished the install open the Konsole and run

[FONT=monospace]sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade[/FONT]

then, in Update Manager enable "Software packaged by Canonical for their partners"
and in Konsole run

sudo apt install kubuntu-restricted-extras kubuntu-restricted-addons

which will add in those files once you are in your newly installed version of Kubuntu

[elijathegold]

when running install, try not ticking the options to download updates and third party software

It can't be that simple can it!? Now I'm trying desperately to remember if I always check those options when installing; I can't even remember if I did so when I installed this machine a couple of days ago.

[bobbicat]

@SecretCode

• RAM ... have you done a full memtest?
• Loose cables ... try disconnecting and reconnecting everything
• Overheating ... vacuum out dust, check fans, etc
• Bad disk sectors

I ran memtest and found no errors
cables appear to be connected properly and functioning correctly
no signs of excess dust or overheating
install media - tried one or two different thumb drives with the same software - all checked out as okay but produced the same freeze

We have a second PC with almost identical specs - the same phenomenon occurs on both PC's

I'll outline again the problem as I experience it:

I create a Live thumb drive [all appears error free and correctly functioning]

I boot the thumb drive in UEFI mode [correct for my hardware]

A working version of Kubuntu Live appears on my screen.

After a minute or two Kubuntu Live freezes.

The only way to regain control is to power off the computer.

HOWEVER, if I manage to begin an installation before a freeze occurs, the installation will complete successfully.

AND trying to use the Live thumb drive for any other function [as a diagnostic tool for example] means that a freeze occurs within a minute or two
making it useless for those purposes

I think there is some bug there, perhaps related to my hardware, as I don't encounter much that demonstrates others with the same problem.

Tools such as GParted Live and MemTest86, which also run from thumb drive, do not display this tendency to freeze.

[bobbicat]

@elijahthegold
its a matter of opinion which way is best:-
On the Ubuntu guide page they recommend enabling [ticking those boxes] which means you have to wait for for the downloads to occur.
ALTERNATIVELY and at the same time some very experienced long-time users recommend waiting until OS installation is complete.

If you feel confident installing Kubuntu you could reinstall a couple of times trying both options and then decide for yourself where your preference lies.
As with many things there is often more than one way to get to your goal.

[elijathegold]

After a minute or two Kubuntu Live freezes.

This is the bit I was misinterpreting.

• Did you check the SHA256 sum of the original file to make sure it hasn't had slight corruption during download?
• When it freezes, does the using the magic key combination REISUB while holding the sysreq key (Alt + Home on my laptop) reboot the machine?
• Have you tried booting with the acpi=off kernel parameter?
• Does the installed version lock up?

If you feel confident installing Kubuntu you could reinstall a couple of times trying both options and then decide for yourself where your preference lies.
As with many things there is often more than one way to get to your goal.

I've been running Linux since circa 2000 and exclusively running Linux at home since 2004, if my ageing memory serves. I am relatively new to Kubuntu and KDE; I only installed it in August last year. So yeah I'm comfortable installing things I am using my computer these days and not playing with it so much which I hope means I have settled on a distro now.

On the downside, this new me does have less fun with compiling things like FreeBSD from source or deciding on whim to install Slackware (which is awesome if you have time to look after it) or Crux.

[bobbicat]

@elijathegold


Did you check the SHA256 sum of the original file to make sure it hasn't had slight corruption during download?
When it freezes, does the using the magic key combination REISUB while holding the sysreq key (Alt + Home on my laptop) reboot the machine?
Have you tried booting with the acpi=off kernel parameter?
Does the installed version lock up?


yup sha256 okay
I can't get REISUB to work
I can't get acpi=off to work
I am using the insatalled version - it works and is error free

though I do remember now a couple of versions of Kubuntu ago there was a tendency to freeze in the OS which installing nvidia video drivers put right

I wonder if this problem has something to do with the video card and the drivers on the install disk?
I don't have a different video card that I could try unfortunately.

Oh I created an install DVD, again showing no errors, but freezing after a minute or two when running as Live DVD.

[elijathegold]

Could be something to do with that. It might be worth reporting as a bug. You can find out a lot of information about your graphics using the inxi script which can be installed by running sudo apt-get install inxi. If you run inxi -G and include those details in the report it may help to track the bug down.