Unable to load or install LINUX systems, need help

[michael1985]

Hello there. I just got an extra SSD installed on my system today that I planned on loading Ubuntu on. I downloaded Ubuntu OS 19.10 and also 18.04 and installed it on a USB via Rufus and also Unetbootin. Plus also tried a bootable DVD. I even tried getting elementary os and have the same issue with ALL methods.

I boot from the USB drive and get to the screen where I can try the system or install it. After I make any of the selections, I hear my PC start to roar up then it powers down and restarts it. I can not get past this step. It happens when I try to install and also when I try the system. Currently my main SSD is running Windows 10 x64. Any ideas to get me past this issue??? Been looking for hours for help…

Seen info about disabling secure boot (already disabled) and disabling UEFI (Pretty sure that is done as well). I dug through my BIOS and tried everything I can. I got my mobo a few months ago and not 100% familiar with it. I remember my old MSI mobo had that option clear as day. I searched through the ASRock manual for quite some time and couldnt find anything.

ASRock Z97 Anniversary
Intel i5 4th gen
32 GB DDR3
Gigabyte GTX960
PNY 250Gb SSD (Windows 10)+128Gb SSD (New)
2TB Seagate HDD (Storage)
Dual BENQ 24" Gaming monitors

[jmarket]

Hi @michael1985 and welcome to PCHF

Have you tried another spare USB flash drive to rule out a faulty USB drive? Have you also tried moving the drive to another USB port?

UEFI can actually stay enabled as all Linux distros support UEFI. Secure boot will cause issues, so I’m glad to see it disabled for now.

[michael1985]

I have tried 2 separate usb drives along with mounting it to a dvd. They all take me to the main screen where I have options to try the OS, install, etc… Thats as far as I get.
Also, yes I have tried the 2 usb ports on the front along with one of the ports on the back directly connected to the mobo

[jmarket]

OK so it loads the bootloader. That’s good

What distro are you trying to boot right now?

[michael1985]

I have Ubuntu 19.10 and 18.04 plus also Elementary 5.1 that I have been trying. Both Unetbootin and Rufus have been used for all of these, All with the same results

[jmarket]

Ok try this tool instead. It’s called Etcher. I’ve had tremendous success with this tool.

[michael1985]

Giving it a shot right now…fingers crossed!

[jmarket]

Keep me informed Just make sure you wipe the drive first and then flash it.

[michael1985]

Same issue It goes to the purple screen (no options to do anything) then resets computer

[jmarket]

Ok let’s try something.

Go ahead and remove all the distros. Something might have gotten corrupted.

Go ahead and give this distro a try. Zorin OS, the Core version.

Download it and when it’s completed, save it to your Downloads folder and run this command in Powershell:
[ICODE]Get-FileHash C:\Users\Donald\Downloads\Zorin-OS-15.1-Core-64-bit.iso | Format-List[/ICODE]
just replace the directory with the location where the ISO file is located.

The has output should be:
[ICODE]39DDFEB72DFC9CD22ED007A3CC16D4B949EF76365A4F7C381E EDD01FBD639180[/ICODE]

[michael1985]

This is what I get

Get-FileHash : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument ‘family\Downloads\Zorin-OS-15.1-Core-64-bit-r2.iso’.
At line:1 char:1

• Get-FileHash C:\Users\timko family\Downloads\Zorin-OS-15.1-Core-64-bi …

•   + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [Get-FileHash], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PositionalParameterNotFound,Get-FileHash

[jmarket]

Try this command instead:
[ICODE]Get-FileHash "C:\Users\timko family\Downloads\Zorin-OS-15.1-Core-64-bit.iso" | Format-List[/ICODE]

[michael1985]

Algorithm : SHA256
Hash : 39DDFEB72DFC9CD22ED007A3CC16D4B949EF76365A4F7C381E EDD01FBD639180
Path : C:\Users\timko family\Downloads\Zorin-OS-15.1-Core-64-bit-r2.iso

[michael1985]

I gave this OS a shot and it gives the same results. Tried with all 3 tools to mount it.

[jmarket]

Ok that leads me to believe something is amiss hardware-wise. If Windows can boot just fine, but Linux can not, it means there’s an incompatibility with the hardware. If it won’t even boot into Live Mode, which just runs off the flash drive, that means something is amiss. Can you by any chance take a video of your BIOS settings?