Hi! I got an old used laptop that has higher specs that I am currently using, however, when I got it, there was an MBR error 1 and 2 on startup(press any key to boot from floppy...)! I do understand that it's a problem with the master boot record, and when I try to start it in safe mode, it beeps until I let go of the safe mode commands, then goes back to the MBR error screen. I've tried F10, F2, F8, and F12 on different occasions. I do not have the Windows 7 recovery disk so I am stuck at making the bootable USB drive with Ubuntu. It does work, considering that my current laptop was able to boot it without installing. Any ideas on getting it to work on this thing? The laptop is a Lenovo ideapad y570.
Windows 7. I am needing to format the hard drive so I can install Ubuntu via flash drive, but it won't even go to startup safe mode when I am pressing any of the keys, it just beeps and still says MBR error. I have a bootable USB stick ready to go.
If you boot to Windows 7, or any other operating system, you will not be able to format the partition on which the operating system resides. If you want to install Ubuntu just boot to the bootable DVD or USB flash drive and you can format a swap partition and a partition for Ubuntu as part of the installation process.
Or, you don't even have to install it. While running the "Live" version do whatever hard drive partitioning or formatting you want to (pretty sure GParted is included with Ubuntu).
If you boot to Windows 7, or any other operating system, you will not be able to format the partition on which the operating system resides. If you want to install Ubuntu just boot to the bootable DVD or USB flash drive and you can format a swap partition and a partition for Ubuntu as part of the installation process.
Or, you don't even have to install it. While running the "Live" version do whatever hard drive partitioning or formatting you want to (pretty sure GParted is included with Ubuntu).
That's the problem, to boot to the flash drive I HAVE to go to safe mode(which the pc beeps at me when I try to activate it), it won't let me go to it to choose the option in the first place. I was able to run the live version on my current laptop through safe mode so I have no clues on what's next, the USB stick is ready for boot.
It's a 2011 Lenovo ideapad Y570, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 750GB HDD, i7-2670QM processor, NVIDIA 2GB graphics card with CUDA. It only says to boot from floppy but it also means the CD drive or the USB drive, it's just a change of words is all.
A post at this link shows which F keys to press - F2 for Bios, F12 for Boot Menu - and also says a Usb stick larger than 4GB may not work, I think that implies the stick should be formatted as Fat32 :-
It's never exactly the same thing, different times I start it up, it beeps at different rates, usually it 's one short, but then I'm hearing one short one long, 1 short 1 long 1 short, 1 long 2 short etc. It doesn't give me a definite answer since it has a different code each time.
Solved it, got a reply from an old friend, and he had me take out the hard drive and start it up so it forced the computer to run off the USB stick, then I changed the BIOS settings to run off the USB stick primarily so I could turn it off, put the HDD back in, then turn it back on to install the new operating system and delete the Windows 7. Didn't know I'd have to take it that far lol xD For anyone reading this though, he said he does NOT recommend doing this much, but in extenuating circumstances like mine, sometimes you have no choice.
Glad you got it fixed and thanks for posting your solution.
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