Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
- warron.french
- Posts: 616
- Joined: 2014/03/27 20:21:58
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
Hi Trevor, I have actually gotten to the phase where the OS is actually installing. Thanks for the kernel parameter set to use - that made the difference.
I have 2 questions though:
1. the video was terrible during the installation steps, within the GUI. Does this make sense because of the kernel parameter, or is there something else I am missing?
2. Now that it looks like the CentOS image was installed, I get stuck at the grub menu after every reboot. What do I execute now?
Thanks,
I have 2 questions though:
1. the video was terrible during the installation steps, within the GUI. Does this make sense because of the kernel parameter, or is there something else I am missing?
2. Now that it looks like the CentOS image was installed, I get stuck at the grub menu after every reboot. What do I execute now?
Thanks,
Thanks,
War
War
- warron.french
- Posts: 616
- Joined: 2014/03/27 20:21:58
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
I successfully got the CentOS 7.2.1511 operating system installed; however, after the first (and all subsequent) reboots the OS gets stuck at the grub> prompt.
I found this url= https://www.tecmint.com/recover-or-resc ... -centos-7/ and followed its steps. They don't work all the way through, because the grub2-install command responds with an error:
Here is what I typed:
Here was the error:
I have never used these commands before; so I took a stab at it anyway, and this is what I used on the second attempt.
That failed, with the same exact error.
I also got a failure when attempting these (expand the regex, and repeat 1x for each delimited value):
I also tried, to no avail:
The laptop has a sticker that indicates it is running an Intel Centrino.
The command dmidecode --type processor displays details indicating the machine has an Intel Core 2 Duo.
Can I get some feedback on what I am doing wrong, and how do I determine which target to specify for this laptop?
Thank you.
I found this url= https://www.tecmint.com/recover-or-resc ... -centos-7/ and followed its steps. They don't work all the way through, because the grub2-install command responds with an error:
Here is what I typed:
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/sbin/grub2-install /dev/sda
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/sbin/grub2-install: error: /usr/lib/grub/i386-pc/modinfo.sh doesn't exist. Please specify --target or --directory.
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/sbin/grub2-install /dev/sda --target i386-pc
I also got a failure when attempting these (expand the regex, and repeat 1x for each delimited value):
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/sbin/grub2-install /dev/sda --target i386-{coreboot,efi,multiboot}
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/sbin/grub2-install /dev/sda --target x86_64-efi
The command dmidecode --type processor displays details indicating the machine has an Intel Core 2 Duo.
Can I get some feedback on what I am doing wrong, and how do I determine which target to specify for this laptop?
Thank you.
Thanks,
War
War
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
So, reading backwards, one thing I noticed is that you said you were going to go away and hit tab etc to add the kernel parameter and then a little later that it had worked and you were able to boot the installer. Now, that's good but I'm not entirely sure it sounds right. I would expect a laptop of this generation to be using UEFI? Is it? Or is it using legacy BIOS?
If it is using UEFI then I don't think you should see the isolinux install prompt, you should see a grub version and tab doesn't work there. The most likely reason for seeing isolinux and not grub on a UEFI enabled machine is that the installation media is corrupt, usually caused by using one of the iso-image-to-usb utilities like unetbootin/rufus etc. Many of these are utterly broken for the CentOS isos and they attempt to be clever and rewrite the iso content as it writes to the USB stick. They remove the UEFI boot capability from it and it ends up booting in legacy BIOS mode but thinks it's in UEFI so it writes the wrong grub config and refuses to boot.
Did you use a USB stick? How did you copy the CentOS iso onto it if so? The best way to do that is to use good old 'dd' as it just works.
If it is using UEFI then I don't think you should see the isolinux install prompt, you should see a grub version and tab doesn't work there. The most likely reason for seeing isolinux and not grub on a UEFI enabled machine is that the installation media is corrupt, usually caused by using one of the iso-image-to-usb utilities like unetbootin/rufus etc. Many of these are utterly broken for the CentOS isos and they attempt to be clever and rewrite the iso content as it writes to the USB stick. They remove the UEFI boot capability from it and it ends up booting in legacy BIOS mode but thinks it's in UEFI so it writes the wrong grub config and refuses to boot.
Did you use a USB stick? How did you copy the CentOS iso onto it if so? The best way to do that is to use good old 'dd' as it just works.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
- warron.french
- Posts: 616
- Joined: 2014/03/27 20:21:58
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
Hey Trevor, I burned the ISO using Roxio from my other standalone Windows 8.1 machine. I then took the media over to the Dell Latitude D630 machine and booted from media so that I could attempt the install.
From what I can tell this machine offers BIOS and only BIOS; so I would infer that it is using a legacy BIOS.
Microsoft Windows does not offer dd as far as I am aware; would you trust it anyway - it's a Microsoft OS.
Thanks,
From what I can tell this machine offers BIOS and only BIOS; so I would infer that it is using a legacy BIOS.
Microsoft Windows does not offer dd as far as I am aware; would you trust it anyway - it's a Microsoft OS.
Thanks,
Thanks,
War
War
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
I had assumed that it was the same machine as listed in the topic title but maybe it's not. If it is then it's a Dell machine fdrom 2017 and I would be astonished if it didn't have at least a UEFI capability. As far as I know, all Dell laptops for about the last 5 years+ have shipped with UEFI that can be told to switch to legacy BIOS mode - certainly true of my 2013 xps 13. From your symptoms though it definitely sounds like this sort of UEFI/legacy BIOS problem.From what I can tell this machine offers BIOS and only BIOS; so I would infer that it is using a legacy BIOS.
You say you used Roxio so does that mean you used a real DVD to do the install?
And yes, you can can get dd for Windows. It's one of the utilities known to work for writing the iso to a USB stick as per http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
Just found an interesting info item: if you boot the installer and then switch to the root command prompt that's available on ctrl-alt-f2, you can check if /sys/firmware/efi exists. If it does then you are booted in UEFI mode, if it doesn't then you are in legacy BIOS mode.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
- warron.french
- Posts: 616
- Joined: 2014/03/27 20:21:58
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
Sorry, you made a fair assumption, based on the title, but my machine is a Dell Latitude D630. I can see where I misguided you.
Yes, I did use a physical media burned by me using Roxio. It was a DvD, and when I placed that specific media back into my Windows machine it is readable/browsable. I see the comment about switching to alt_screen2, I will try that and get back to you on the result for full and proper confirmation.
I will be right back.
Yes, I did use a physical media burned by me using Roxio. It was a DvD, and when I placed that specific media back into my Windows machine it is readable/browsable. I see the comment about switching to alt_screen2, I will try that and get back to you on the result for full and proper confirmation.
I will be right back.
Thanks,
War
War
- warron.french
- Posts: 616
- Joined: 2014/03/27 20:21:58
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
I don't know if this is an appropriate tact to take; however, I booted from media, used the Rescue mode; and then after chrooting /mnt/sysimage I checked for /sys/firmware/efi.
It does not exist; the directory /sys/firmware does with subdirectories of - acpi, dmi, edd, memmap.
After I use the rescue boot, I looked into the /boot/grub2 directory and found only a single directory structure, themes/system and it was actually void of anything.
About an hour ago, before you replied the first time today I executed and then
I don't see the files under /boot/grub2 that I typically recognize as being there, such as grub.cfg, grubenv, and etc.
Heck, under /boot the vmlinuz* files aren't there at all, but I do see a single initramfs* file there, and only the two subdirectories of grub and grub2.
Seems like this installation went very wrong, but I am not deliberately doing anything wonky that I can figure. I installed CentOS with "Gnome Desktop" and a few extra selectable items.
It does not exist; the directory /sys/firmware does with subdirectories of - acpi, dmi, edd, memmap.
After I use the rescue boot, I looked into the /boot/grub2 directory and found only a single directory structure, themes/system and it was actually void of anything.
About an hour ago, before you replied the first time today I executed
Code: Select all
dracut -f -v
Code: Select all
mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
Heck, under /boot the vmlinuz* files aren't there at all, but I do see a single initramfs* file there, and only the two subdirectories of grub and grub2.
Seems like this installation went very wrong, but I am not deliberately doing anything wonky that I can figure. I installed CentOS with "Gnome Desktop" and a few extra selectable items.
Thanks,
War
War
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
You need to check the non-chroot version of that.then after chrooting /mnt/sysimage I checked for /sys/firmware/efi.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
- warron.french
- Posts: 616
- Joined: 2014/03/27 20:21:58
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
Oh boy, well, that's going to be a problem then, because I can't get past the grub > prompt to boot the OS.
I don't know how to get past the grub> prompt, more specifically the grub> prompt is all that I get - no menu. I think that detail might be more helpful than "I don't know how to use the grub> prompt."
I don't know how to get past the grub> prompt, more specifically the grub> prompt is all that I get - no menu. I think that detail might be more helpful than "I don't know how to use the grub> prompt."
Thanks,
War
War
Re: Capslock light is blinking when installing to Dell XPS 15 9560
No, boot from the DVD then check the presence or absence of /sys/firmware/efi (not /mnt/sysimage/sys/firmware/efi)
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke