Live disc fails to start gives error message about initramfs

G'day,

I've successfully loaded Zorin 5 Free 64 bit onto a few systems here at home, but have struck a weird problem in the last couple of days. I can't get Zorin 5 Free or Zorin 5 Ultimate 64 bit to install on an i5 or i7 Intel system.

My son bought a new i7 Intel system and I got my first hand me down computer from him, his i5 Intel - when we try to load Zorin 5 onto them they go through the initial splash screen, even get the nice Zorin button and turning wheels, then have a major hernia and come up with the error message:

Initramfs unable to find a medium with a live file system in it.

It stops there and I got a partial terminal type operation, but it doesn't recognise most of the commands and has a very limited list of valid operations when I type 'Help'

The systems are as follows:

i7 Intel 3.4 GB processor with 16 GB RAM DDR3 - sata HDD and sata CDROM / DVD ROM
i5 Intel 3.4 GB processor with 8 GB RAM DDR3 - sata HDD and sata CDROM / DVD ROM

In both cases the HDD and CD / DVD players are from other system and worked well there. The DVDs used to do the install are the same ones that have worked and installed Zorin on older P4 systems. I even took a HDD that I'd installed Zorin on in an older machine and installed it in the new system. The install program came up with the same error.

The only difference between the systems that the install worked well on, and the install did not work well on are:

SATA Optical drives on system it installed on - sata optical drives on systems it didn't install on.
2 GB and 4 GB DDR2 RAM on systems it installed on - 8 B and 16 GB DDR3 RAM on systems it didn't install on.

I found I could boot from the installed copy, but some of the hardware differences caused major trouble. I'm currently working on the i5 Intel using the Zorin loaded from the older system, but it's awkward as the Panel does NOT work and doesn't display. I can get some applications to run because I used the display option to create a folder and use the folder to run Dolphin and the drill through the folders to - Root - usr - share - applications and click on the .desktop file for the application (eg firefox.desktop) this runs the application. But it only works for the apps with the desktop files in that folder and not all the applications or system settings can be runf rom it. But most can. So it's an odd way to do things, but works.

However, I do NEED to solve this initramfs problem so I can load Zorin 5 Ultimate on this system from the boot DVD and have the full working system working properly. Any help with this would be appreciated.

PS. I am burning a new DVD with this system in the hopes of having the DVD burnt from the same DVD-ROM it may work. I don't hold out much hope, but it's work a try, and a back up copy of the software never hurts. - nope that didn't work, either.

Regards,

Ernest

edit to add - It speaks very well of Zorin 5 Ultimate 64 bit that I can take a hdd with Zorin built on a P4 Dual Core with 2 GB RAM and stick it in an i5 Intel with 8 GB RAM and the only issues I have are due to graphics drivers as the bulk of the hardware and drivers still work. But those graphics driver issues are enough to require a full rebuild to get over - damn. I KNOW I couldn't do the same thing with any version of Windows.

Hi Ernest,

I found this:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/38083/in ... disk-space

Hope it helps

Regards Wolfman

Thanks Wolfman,

But that's no help as it's not getting that far at all. The drives concerned had 20 GB set aside as the first partition (80 GB & 320 GB drives involved). It isn't completing the start of the Live Disc, so we don't even get to think about the installation process at all. The failure is during the start of the Live Disc desktop.

It's as if the Live Disc can't find the RAM it put the OS onto when it goes to use it. But I'm not sure that's the case.

Ernest

Ernest,

have you tried a USB install??.

Regards Wolfman

G'day Wolfman,

Yes, I tried with a 4GB USB, and got the very same error. Since this is my main system now, due to the previous P4 having some intermittent Motherboard issues, I had to get this going somehow, which is why the HDD with the Zorin from the P4 is being booted. It sort of works, but no start menu, no panel just the bare desktop. I'm fudging along to do the basics.

If I can get past this initramfs issue I'll rebuild the system. I'm also hoping that getting an easy solution to the HD 2000 my be a way around it. The last trick I've got to try, is I'm clearing another drive and going to use Gparted to set up partitions and then see what happens if I run Ubiquity in this fudged up boot up I've got at the moment.

I also tried another DVD and no go. I can usually work out most hardware issues, had enough experience at it, but this has got me totally stumped.

Regards,

Ernest

G'day,

No, that just confused me more. The issue is still unresolved, but no longer of any demanding interest.

I fudged an answer. I built a drive on another system I knew I could build Zorin on, but didn't load any special drivers, just generic default settings. I then transferred the just built hard drive into the new system with the INITRAMFS problem. The hard drive booted perfectly, so I then did a package update and set about customising the system. All works.

In short, the problem is NOT solved, but I fudged a way to get around it and build a working system. So I'm no longer concerned about it.

BTW My son has the same problem on his new i7 system. He tried other installs and had the same issue with Ubuntu 11.04, and Ubuntu 11.10 but Ubuntu 10.04 and Ubuntu 10.10 load OK and work - thus, the problems seems to stem from a change in the set up from Ubuntu 10.10 to Ubuntu 11.04.

Regards,

Ernest