OS uninstallable

[Liam Proven]

On Fri, 24 Mar 2023 at 21:31, Bret Busby <bret at busby.net> wrote:
>
> I have just spent about five hours unsuccessfully trying to install each
> of Linux Mint Mate 21.1, Linux Mint Mate 21, and UbuntuMate 22.04 .

They are all Ubuntu 22.04 under the hood.

If there is some hardware or something too new for that OS, that's not
understood, then all of those OSes will misbehave in much the same
way.

You haven't given us enough info for me to troubleshoot this. So the
following are just general comments.

For instance, are you using Mint 21.0 or 21.1?

Are you using Ubuntu 22.04, 22.04.1 or 22.04.2?

*Always* use the latest available. In this case, using a different
computer, download the latest ISOs, and update your Ventoy key. (I
think you said you were using Ventoy.)

As for using Ubuntu, try with 22.10. That's a newer kernel than Mint
and has more chance of working.

Also, update Ventoy itself. Version 1.0.90 was just released.

Finally, you say it runs Windows 10. Can you still get into Windows
10? If not, fix that first. Put a Windows 10 version 22H2 ISO on your
Ventoy key and use it to to do a Windows Boot repair.

Then go into Windows, check the motherboard make and model. Write it
down, on paper. Try to find the BIOS version.

You can do this from a Linux live USB without opening the lid.

https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/check-bios-version-linux

Go to the motherboard manufacturer's website. Look up that
motherboard. Find the current BIOS version.

Using Windows, download it and install the update.

Also, check if you're on Win10 version 22H2. That's the latest. It's
free. You should be on that. It makes updates and maintenance easier
and quicker to stay current.

I also suggest using that newly-downloaded Windows 22H2 ISO to update
your copy of Windows 10. Copy the ISO to the Windows C drive. Mount it
in Explorer. It appears as a new virtual DVD drive under a new drive
letter.

Make a temporary directory. Copy all the files and folders from the
virtual DVD drive to a real folder on the real hard disk.

Run Setup. Update your OS.

Then, run Disk Cleanup in Windows. Tick all the boxes. Let it run to completion.

Then run it again, and this time, press "clean up system files".
Again, select all, and let it run to completion. This will remove your
old version of Windows, getting back several GB or tens of GB.

Then and only then try installing Linux again.



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