Acer Aspire 3 A315 struggles to install any ubuntu (including ZorinOS)

[zaphrina]

Hi,

I have ZorinOS 15.3 installed on a few devices (desktop, laptop, etc)

I am trying to help a friend install ZorinOS 16 onto an Acer Aspire 3 A315. I have googled and searched and tried multiple things (I eventually found that you need to press CTRL+S in the bios to unlock the SATA mode option to change it to AHCI in a blog for installing Debian)

I have already solved multiple problems including the live disk not being visible (if the flash is made using balena-etcher as recommended here it doesnt work but if its created with rufus its fine)

Currently:

• Secure boot is disabled (BIOS)
• Fast boot is disabled (BIOS)
• SATA mode is changed to AHCI (BIOS)
• Fast boot is disabled (Windows 10) (tried disabling it with 2 separate methods both power options and when that failed with a reg key in cmd prompt)

However, the internal SATA drive is still not visible on the live disk install boot. sudo fdisk -l only shows loop0 and /dev/sda (the flash stick)

As can be seen in this other thread:

Zorin 16 Core installer crashed

[IMG20210918083138] I did whatever you asked me to do But nothing has changed

when the internal hard drive is not picked up, the installer defaults to the install medium (the flash stick) and any clicking on ('+', '-', or 'change') to modify the partition table of the selected device when the only device available is the read-only/locked install medium results in a crash. While the installer should have a check and instead display an error message when no drives are available instead of displaying the wrong device and crashing when you click on modify, that is not the problem.

The problem is that the hard drive is not visible. I have tried for 2 days and have run out of things to try to get the hard drive visible. I'm not even sure how to verify if the windows10 fast boot lock is indeed disabled.

Please advise as to what else i can try.

[Aravisian]

@zaphrina

Fast boot is disabled (BIOS)

@zaphrina

I'm not even sure how to verify if the windows10 fast boot lock is indeed disabled.

This is the first thing I would focus on. I the machine unable to boot into Windows?

[zaphrina]

It is unable to boot into windows .... but that is because of SATA Mode AHCI instead of Optium without Raid. By changing SATA Mode back to Optium without changing the rest of the settings I mentioned Windows boots just fine.

disabling Fast Boot (BIOS) should add a delay and display the POST and print a message that states: 'Press F2 to enter bios' (it doesnt affect windows from booting)

And disabling Fast Boot (Windows 10 Power Options) is supposed to stop Windows from marking the drive as mounted (and preventing Linux from seeing it) even when powered off.

These are two different settings for 2 different systems that do 2 completely different things. And neither of these settings should prevent windows from booting but they can interfere with installing a new OS.

Since the hard drive is not being detected during live disk and this is said to be a common problem if you fail to disable the windows fast boot (I'm not all that familiar with win10, i have refused to use it personally .... ever) so the fact that it can block linux from installing is pure hear-say to me so I'm just going on what i have read. I am guessing that even though i have tried to disable the windows mode in 2 separate ways its still active (i guess - since I cant see the hdd from live disk)

How do I check if the windows fast boot mode is actually disabled? What other things can prevent a harddrive from being detected by the live disk when the USB drive shows up (which means the south bridge drivers are functional and the SATA drives should be visible?)

[Aravisian]

@zaphrina

And disabling Fast Boot (Windows 10 Power Options) is supposed to stop Windows from marking the drive as mounted (and preventing Linux from seeing it) even when powered off

Yes, exactly. If you have disabled it in power settings in the Windows Control Panel (Not BIOS), then it is actually disabled.
Therefore, since you say you have done that, we can discount that as a possibility.

I agree that SATA should be in AHCI, so let's discount that, as well, unless new and surprising information comes up.

If you could, boot into Try Zorin and then open a terminal.
Enter in fdisk -l
Note the /dev/sdX of the SATA drive you are looking for. Let's say for this example that it is /dev/sda
In terminal, enter in dmraid -E -r /dev/sda being sure to match the sda as the actual drive letter you saw listed in fdisk -l

If you get a confirmation asking to remove the RAID information, we may be on the right track.
Confirm to remove.

[zaphrina]

As already stated I have done fdisk -l the only results are loop0 (the ramFS the livedisk is mounted in - i assume) and /dev/sda (the 32GB flash stick the zorinOS iso is copied to in a 4GB partition)

there is ONLY /dev/sda there is no sdb or sdc etc
there is no 500GB device listed in the fdisk -l with or without any partitions

i cannot dmraid a device that is not there

[Aravisian]

@zaphrina

As already stated I have done fdisk -l the only results are loop0 (the ramFS the livedisk is mounted in - i assume) and /dev/sda

I see your point.
You might check and ensure from the Acer Website whether your machine has the latest BIOS Firmware installed.
You might try installing using rEFInd to see if that "jiggles" the hardware read, forcing the Drive to become visible.

[337harvey]

Does this machine have IRST or a raid array setup?

[zaphrina]

@Aravisian

You might check and ensure from the Acer Website whether your machine has the latest BIOS Firmware installed.

Sorry ...... forgot to mention that I updated the bios blushes

@Aravisian

You might try installing using rEFInd to see if that "jiggles" the hardware read, forcing the Drive to become visible.

Link please.
(And instructions to achieve 'jiggle')

@tomscharbach

I read the thread and wonder if getting Windows to boot properly in AHCI might trigger the change you need.

I'll give it a try, thanks

@337harvey

Does this machine have IRST or a raid array setup?

IRST?
No raid, its a laptop, single drive ..... raid is pointless
I do know its not the original drive, I do know it was installed by a proper technician, I do know the drive works for a windows boot.
I dont think any of those conditions would have an effect on the current situation

If you need the current partition structure or HDD make/model I can look it up for you.

[zaphrina]

@tomscharbach getting windows to boot in AHCI mode worked, but the drive is still not visible in live disk, many thanks for the suggestion

[zaphrina]

@tomscharbach

I'm going to take some time this morning to read the threads and see if I spot anything that might be of help.

I'm aware its not just a Zorin problem .... hence the title.
Thanks for the help
I hope you find a thread I missed with a solution

Most of the posts state that ubuntu cant see the drive but other linux can (debian and archlinux are often mentioned) I just booted into an Archlinux live disk and fdisk -l is still not showing any other drives.

[sulthan]

I am using the same model laptop and it is fine for me.

[zaphrina]

@tomscharbach

I think that this falls under the "Don't try this at home ..." category, because the cure seems to be worse than the disease.

yeah ...... corrupting the bios
if it was a desktop i would try because bios reset is easy
i dont feel like disassembling a laptop without the correct special made custom tools to try and reach the flash bios jumper

[Aravisian]

"This is what I needed to know. If this sleep mode trick works, there is a workaround to modify grub configuration so it will boot properly. The ubuntu forums have published this mod."

How nice of him to allude to some published grub mod, but not link to it, give any details or post the actual modification...

[Aravisian]

@tomscharbach

Yup. But if the suspend/wake trick works (that is, @zaphrina is able to see the drive after suspend/wake), then we might be able to chase the mod down on the Ubuntu boards, and figure out what it is and what it does. But seeing the drive is one thing, screwing up the BIOS is another, as @zaphrina points out.

It seems like trying the grub parameter would be the easiest logical step, rather than risking BIOS. If he grub parameter does not work, just remove it.
Perhaps it is a common one like pci=noaer or pci=nomsi, and that is why he did not bother mentioning what it was.

[Aravisian]

@tomscharbach

I will go back and look at the threads to see if I can find the mentions. Uh huh ... good luck with that, Tom.

Yes, it is so little to go on, that finding the right search term is daunting.

But for reference, in the O.P.'s case, hitting e or esc at the LiveUSB Zorin Boot Menu should allow for editing grub, immediately. Locate "quiet splash" and edit in so it is "quiet splash pci=noaer pci=nomsi" (why not try both at once) and then continue to the Boot.

[Aravisian]

@tomscharbach

@Aravisian Since @zaphrina seems to have done everything right, I'm wondering if the SSD/HHD might be an issue. I've seen SSD/HHD mentioned as an issue in a number of threads, including this thread, which is very long, but focuses on the SSD/HHD on the second page.

It may be.
There are quite a few different things.

Things to try:
Reburn the USB installer using a Different Etcher program. It may be something went wrong on the burn or the etcher neglects something that a different etcher does not neglect.

The O.P. my try booting Windows, then partitioning the Drive to divide it. Then once that is done, reboot and boot into the Zorin LiveUSB.

Change back to RAID, then try booting Zorin LiveUSB. Then go and switch it back to AHCI. Why that may work is a Computing Mystery, but sometimes it does.

Use rEFInd to try to find the EFI BOOT partition on the drive, thereby rendering the drive visible...
https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/

[Aravisian]

@tomscharbach

Just a note. @zaphrina is using Rufus. He first tried Etcher and Etcher wouldn't boot the Live USB. Rufus, he reports, is working fine. So that's not the issue, I don't think.

In this case, I suggest a different one then either Rufus or BalenaEtcher. Unetbootin, maybe.

[Bourne]

Some laptops have a security to not damage or take a partition. Sometimes the problem cannot install if this mbr or gpt. If he want installing then he must check in settings bios. For me the best idea take off original hard disk and put another. Try installation on usb pendrive with port 2.0 usb 3.0 could be not working properly because problems with controlers on motherboard and sata hard disk what could be also not recognize. Third solution start any live linux distribution and checked with gparted. I don't know where is the point but if he have problem no visible hard disk then under laptop are screws and mark where is hard disk. If he can check this hard disk on another pc for visible.

[sulthan]

Just an input from my past expereince.
I had this problem while installing some other distro.

Use Rufus to make a bootable USB. It gives you two options

ISO Mode and DD mode.

Try both. either one will solve. It helped me once. Usually ISO mode works. Once, DD mode helped to solve the problem and got booted.

[Bourne]

My computer suggestion was DD and software Rufus.