Hey everyone! I'm trying to install Linux on my old HP laptop from 2011 because it's been really slow with Windows 10. I've decided to go for a complete switch to Linux, specifically Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop because I think it looks great. My friend and I created a bootable USB using Rufus in legacy mode, and while the live session worked without issues, I'm now getting a "fallback" error after installation. I suspect it's a GRUB bootloader issue. I followed various fixes for GRUB, but they haven't worked. I also experimented with UEFI mode, but it wouldn't allow me to install at all, saying I should use legacy mode instead. Now I'm caught in this frustrating loop where legacy mode isn't working for the installation and even after retrying Windows 10 and updating the BIOS, nothing changes. Here are my laptop specifications: Intel i5 2nd Gen, 256 GB HDD, and 8 GB of RAM. Should I consider dual booting instead, or is there a lighter Linux distribution that's better suited for my setup? I'm eager to switch to Linux, but I'm really not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any suggestions?
4 Answers
I definitely recommend Linux Mint XFCE for your hardware. The Cinnamon version should work fine too. For testing, try using Legacy Mode and MBR disks—it tends to be less complicated. You might want to use a different bootable USB tool like Ventoy for easier installation. Also, consider checking out other lightweight distros like EndeavourOS or Manjaro, as they could work better for your setup. Lastly, using the Boot Repair tool from the Mint live USB might help fix any boot-related problems that arise during installation.
Before you continue with installations, it might be wise to run MEMTEST86 to rule out any hardware issues. Sometimes old machines can have memory problems that can manifest during installations. Additionally, given that your system struggles with Windows, skipping dual boot might be a good idea. I have been using MX Linux on a similar 2011 machine, and it runs quite well!
I just recently installed Mint Cinnamon on an HP Probook. I did the installation with legacy mode first, and then tried switching to UEFI. After lots of trial and error, resetting the BIOS security settings helped me get it right. When I booted back into BIOS, the UEFI order showed "operating system boot manager"—moving that to the top solved my boot issues. So don’t give up, sometimes it just takes tweaking the BIOS settings!
It sounds like you're facing a classic bootloader issue. Make sure to check the exact error message you're getting; it really helps in troubleshooting. Since older UEFI computers can be tricky, sometimes manually installing GRUB to the fallback directory with the 'removable' option can help. If legacy mode doesn't work, it might be due to not having a BIOS boot partition or your system is forcing UEFI with a GPT partition table. Have you thought about creating an MBR partition table instead? Dual booting with Windows could complicate things further, especially on such an older system in UEFI mode.
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