[Bug 930447] Re: Unable to Install Ubuntu 12.04 on Pentium M x86 Laptop due to bug in PAE kernel, initramfs or syslinux

Mantas Kriaučiūnas mantas at akl.lt
Tue Jun 5 18:11:51 UTC 2012 

** Description changed:

- I recently downloaded and built a live usb of the latest 12.04 daily
- build iso for i386 hardware using the following link address:
- http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/precise-desktop-i386.iso. I
- was not able to boot from the live usb due to the incompatibility of the
- linux kernel on the 12.04 iso and my Pentium M laptop hardware.
+ Ubuntu 12.04 doesn't start from Desktop CD or USB with syslinux boot
+ loader on Pentium M 1.6Ghz or faster Pentium M CPU - displays error
+ message about missing PAE feature in CPU, but *the same* *Ubuntu 12.04*
+ Desktop CD/LiveUSB starts fine on *the same CPU* (and same PAE kernel)
+ if GRUB boot loader is used, for example when WUBI or LiveUSB with GRUB
+ boot loader, like Multisystem
+ (http://liveusb.info/dotclear/index.php?pages/install ) is used!
  
- The error message I received is as follows: "This kernel requires the
- following features not present on the CPU: pae. Unable to boot - please
- use a kernel appropriate for you CPU." I expected that I would be able
- to install Ubuntu 12.04 on my IBM Thinkpad T42 laptop that has a Pentium
- M processor, 1700Mhz processor. The root cause of the issue appears to
- be that the default kernel bundled in the current daily build i386 iso
- is the generic-pae kernel. It's my understanding that the generic-pae
- kernel cannot be installed on cpu hardware that does not support pae.
+ The error message is:
+ "This kernel requires the following features not present on the CPU: pae.
+ Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for you CPU."
  
- I have been using Ubuntu since 10.10. I have been able to install 10.10, 11.04, and 11.10 on my Thinkpad without issue. My understanding of the December Tech Board kernel meeting is that the non-pae kernel will be supported until 12.10. If that's the case, there should be a version of the Ubuntu 12.04 iso available for download that can be loaded on non-pae hardware.
- --- 
- AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
+ THIS IS AN IMPORTANT REGRESSION! People are able to install and successfully use Ubuntu 12.04 on such pretty new hardware, like IBM Thinkpad T42 laptop with Pentium M 1700Mhz processor, but the bug in syslinux (or something related) forbids Ubuntu 12.04 installation.
+ This bug is reproducible on lots of computers, there are several log files and /proc/cpuinfo file attached to this bugreport, AFAIK it's enough to reopen this bug.
+ 
+ My understanding of the December Tech Board kernel meeting is that the non-pae kernel will be supported until 12.10.
+ ---
  ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
  Architecture: i386
- AudioDevicesInUse:
-  USER        PID ACCESS COMMAND
-  /dev/snd/controlC0:  debbie     9252 F.... pulseaudio
- Card0.Amixer.info:
-  Card hw:0 'I82801DBICH4'/'Intel 82801DB-ICH4 with AD1981B at irq 11'
-    Mixer name	: 'Analog Devices AD1981B'
-    Components	: 'AC97a:41445374'
-    Controls      : 26
-    Simple ctrls  : 18
- Card29.Amixer.info:
-  Card hw:29 'ThinkPadEC'/'ThinkPad Console Audio Control at EC reg 0x30, fw 1RHT71WW-3.04'
-    Mixer name	: 'ThinkPad EC 1RHT71WW-3.04'
-    Components	: ''
-    Controls      : 2
-    Simple ctrls  : 1
- Card29.Amixer.values:
-  Simple mixer control 'Console',0
-    Capabilities: pvolume pvolume-joined pswitch pswitch-joined penum
-    Playback channels: Mono
-    Limits: Playback 0 - 14
-    Mono: Playback 3 [21%] [on]
  CurrentDmesg: Error: command ['sh', '-c', 'dmesg | comm -13 --nocheck-order /var/log/dmesg -'] failed with exit code 1: comm: /var/log/dmesg: Permission denied
- DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
- InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
  MachineType: IBM 2373PPU
- Package: linux (not installed)
- PccardctlIdent:
-  Socket 0:
-    no product info available
-  Socket 1:
-    no product info available
- PccardctlStatus:
-  Socket 0:
-    no card
-  Socket 1:
-    no card
- ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-15-generic root=UUID=8e82110c-928a-47f7-ba15-e767a29d933e ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
- ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-15.26-generic 3.0.13
- Tags:  oneiric running-unity
- Uname: Linux 3.0.0-15-generic i686
- UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2012-01-24 (18 days ago)
- UserGroups:
-  
  dmi.bios.date: 06/18/2007
  dmi.bios.vendor: IBM
  dmi.bios.version: 1RETDRWW (3.23 )
  dmi.board.name: 2373PPU
  dmi.board.vendor: IBM
  dmi.board.version: Not Available
  dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
  dmi.chassis.type: 10
  dmi.chassis.vendor: IBM
  dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnIBM:bvr1RETDRWW(3.23):bd06/18/2007:svnIBM:pn2373PPU:pvrThinkPadT42:rvnIBM:rn2373PPU:rvrNotAvailable:cvnIBM:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
  dmi.product.name: 2373PPU
  dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T42
  dmi.sys.vendor: IBM

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/930447

Title:
  Unable to Install Ubuntu 12.04 on Pentium M x86 Laptop due to bug in
  PAE kernel, initramfs or syslinux

Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
  Won't Fix
Status in “syslinux” package in Ubuntu:
  New
Status in Baltix GNU/Linux:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Ubuntu 12.04 doesn't start from Desktop CD or USB with syslinux boot
  loader on Pentium M 1.6Ghz or faster Pentium M CPU - displays error
  message about missing PAE feature in CPU, but *the same* *Ubuntu
  12.04* Desktop CD/LiveUSB starts fine on *the same CPU* (and same PAE
  kernel) if GRUB boot loader is used, for example when WUBI or LiveUSB
  with GRUB boot loader, like Multisystem
  (http://liveusb.info/dotclear/index.php?pages/install ) is used!

  The error message is:
  "This kernel requires the following features not present on the CPU: pae.
  Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for you CPU."

  THIS IS AN IMPORTANT REGRESSION! People are able to install and successfully use Ubuntu 12.04 on such pretty new hardware, like IBM Thinkpad T42 laptop with Pentium M 1700Mhz processor, but the bug in syslinux (or something related) forbids Ubuntu 12.04 installation.
  This bug is reproducible on lots of computers, there are several log files and /proc/cpuinfo file attached to this bugreport, AFAIK it's enough to reopen this bug.

  My understanding of the December Tech Board kernel meeting is that the non-pae kernel will be supported until 12.10.
  ---
  ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
  Architecture: i386
  CurrentDmesg: Error: command ['sh', '-c', 'dmesg | comm -13 --nocheck-order /var/log/dmesg -'] failed with exit code 1: comm: /var/log/dmesg: Permission denied
  MachineType: IBM 2373PPU
  dmi.bios.date: 06/18/2007
  dmi.bios.vendor: IBM
  dmi.bios.version: 1RETDRWW (3.23 )
  dmi.board.name: 2373PPU
  dmi.board.vendor: IBM
  dmi.board.version: Not Available
  dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
  dmi.chassis.type: 10
  dmi.chassis.vendor: IBM
  dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnIBM:bvr1RETDRWW(3.23):bd06/18/2007:svnIBM:pn2373PPU:pvrThinkPadT42:rvnIBM:rn2373PPU:rvrNotAvailable:cvnIBM:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
  dmi.product.name: 2373PPU
  dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T42
  dmi.sys.vendor: IBM

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