Sony VGN TX2- plpbt.ini vs plopkexec - Ubuntu 12.10

[pondikako]

New question.
I have a SONY Vaio VGN-TX2XP: the BIOS doesn't allow me to boot via USB ports and the DVD ROM is now working only as CD ROM.
I would like to install the latest version of UBUNTU 12.10 via an USB pen drive: I have GRUB2 (Ubuntu 12.04 and windows).

I followed the instructions (item #7 in http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/plpbt.bin.html): selecting on  "FORCE USB as Mode1" and pressing CTRL-U, my external hardware put in a USB port is well detected but after pressing the ENTER button on my keyboard a black screen is shown with a blanking underline.
Some behaviour I have if I start with plop-linux live cd.

Can someone help me to solve the "black screen with blanking underline" behaviour and start eventually with the installation?

Thanks a lot


P.S.= As already posted, if I use plopkexec (with the same USB pendrive and UBUNTU 12.10) the Hardware is well detected and the installation start perfectly (but remember to update grub2 after the installation! )...I don't understand the reason!!!! help!...

[Elmar]

hi,

when the installation worked with plopkexec, why do still try it with plpbt.bin?

regards
elmar

[pondikako]

Thanks for the attention Elmar!
Simply because I'm curious! ... and I don't like to stop with the first solution: if there are other possibilities I would like to try them!
Of course I solved with plopkexec but "why with plpbt.ini" doesn't work?
Thanks again Elmar and I hope you can help me!
best regards

[Elmar]

Of course I solved with plopkexec but "why with plpbt.ini" doesn't work?

i don't know why plpbt.bin hangs, but there can be many reasons. i had to keep my usb driver as small as possible for the mbr install version and the driver is also used in plpbt.bin. i implemented only a simple error handling to save space. maybe it has to do with that.

regards
elmar

[pondikako]

".bin"....yes...sorry!...I written it wrong! 
If you have time to think about this and fix it in (may be) future revisions of this splendid tool, I will be very interested!
Thanks again
tschüss

[pondikako]

Hi Elmar
I I written in the previous post
"selecting on your tool "FORCE USB as Mode1" and pressing CTRL-U, my external hardware put in a USB port is well detected but after pressing the ENTER button on my keyboard a black screen is shown with a blanking underline : I tried with different versions of UBUNTU (older versions, remix and so on), but always with no success (same screen behaviour described before).
So, I tried to install "LINUX MINT 14 MATE" in the same way described above and ...... the installation starts: good news, but I want UBUNTU and not Linux Mint!  "

SO....is not a USB driver problem of your tool... It could be a "Ubuntu 12.10" problem?
What do you think?
Thanks again

[Elmar]

hmm,

do you use the same usb drive?
is the partition layout and format the same? same partition size and partition id?
are both distros using the same boot manager (ex. syslinux)? if yes, what version numbers of the programs are they using? but i think your wrote in the other post that ubuntu is using grub2, or?

regards
elmar

[pondikako]

I just finished to redo all the steps....
I confirm you that I used the same usb drive and the  same usb port: with LM14 the installation starts, while with UBUNTU (12.10 or remix) no (the pendrive is well detected but after writing "loading boot sector" I have a black screen with a blanking underline on the higher part of the monitor on the left)
I used USB CREATOR under UBUNTU 12.10 to create the installer on my USB pendrive for both the distros: so I think that the partitioning is the same.
I'm sure that UBUNTU uses GRUB2 ; considering that LM14 MATE is a "UBUNTU based" distro, I suppose that LM uses the same GRUB2.
All these trials have been made using your plpbt.bin (and of course setting "Force USB MODE 1" at the start-up)

Let me add an experiment that I did: with plpcfgbt I created my own "plpbt.bin" (named plpbt_mio.bin..I am Italian!): in the plpbt_mio.bin the settings are the following
Video mode     : 640x480
Start mode     : menu
Countdown      : off
Countdown value: 15 seconds
Default boot   : off
Profile        : 1
Starfield      : on
Zoom animation : on
Font           : bootmanager
Force USB 1.1  : 1
Use USB MassDev: 1
Use INT19h     : off
Startup hotkey : no
Skip PCMCIA    : yes
Fast PCMCIA    : yes
Ignore USB devs: 0
Show extended p: no

Using plpbt_mio.bin, with same pen drive and same usb port as before neither UBUNTU nor LM14 start (always black screen and a blanking underline)...strange, isn't it?
Thanks again Elmar for your patience !
ciao ciao   

[pondikako]

Hi Elmar

Do you have any suggestion for me?

Thanks again!
ciao ciao

[Elmar]

very strange

regards
elmar