Why won't GNU/Linux work on my laptop?!

I

i_hate_toms

New Member
So far, I've tried Fedora and OpenSuse.
I like OpenSuse better, so if there's a fix, please prioritize OpenSuse.
I download the 64bit ISO (computer's got 4GB of RAM and runs windows 8 64bit flawlessly, never crashed) , burn a bootable DVD, restart to reboot from the DVD, the computer shows the HP logo, waits there for about half a minute (i hear the DVD spinning and see the drive activity light flash), the whole screen goes black, the DVD stops spinning, and the Caps Lock indicator blinks, 6 times in a row and then a small pause, which continues until i press power to shut down. Restart, the same thing happens again, until i set the HDD as the 1st boot device, or remove the DVD from the drive. The computer otherwise doesn't have problems booting from the DVD drive, i installed Windows 8 myself, and it boots up fine frm the Windows 8 DVD.
Still worse, the same DVD can be used to boot up my other desktop computer, and also a VMWare player virtual machine running under Windows8 on the problem-laptop itself, so I'm sure the DVD is properly burned and is functioning. Weird.
 
Most likely the cd/dvd drive you have has an issue with the brand of media you used. You can try updating the firmware for the drive.
 
It depends on how new your laptop is. Windows 8 installs differently than previous Windows versions and Linux. The BIOS may have a secure boot setting that you need to change in order for it to allow loading Windows. Or, you might need to disable UEFI.
 
Troncoso said:
..you might need to disable UEFI.
Click to expand...
Under "Advanced Settings", there's this option called "Setup Mode".
It was set to "UEFI".
I changed it to "Legacy", and this warning popped up saying
Legacy mode might reduce performance and prevent pre-boot remote assistance & support. Improper modifications in advanced settings might damage your computer and invalidate support warranty. Are you sure? What exactly is pre-boot remote assistance? Is it like HP Tech suport can start a remote login session on my computer even before i boot to an OS? That's something new, never heard of anything like that. And what do they mean by "Reduce performance"? Will Windows 8 slow down while using Legacy mode? I think maybe that's what they mean, cause when it was set to UEFI, the computer presented the Windows 8 login screen within about 5 seconds of pressing power. Now it takes almost 30 seconds, but as long as work-time performance is not hampered, i can live with that, i don't reboot very often :P

back on topic, Troncoso, you saved the day.
As long as setup is set to "legacy", OpenSuse boots up fine and starts the setup screen :D
Haven't installed it yet, but nevertheless, it boots up to the "Install Now" screen, so the capslock flash issue i was having, has been resolved! If I run into problems while installing, i will update this post and maybe someone can help me out again.
Thanks everyone who read my post, and a special thanks to Troncoso :)
Helped a lot :)
**Issue Resolved**
CF Rocks. :good:
 
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