Hi! Thanks for the response. I'll try to puzzle my way through it!

In the meanwhile, I was fiddling with PolarNavy, trying to install that.
Their instalation instructions refer to "Instalation Tarball". Persuing that through Software Centre led me to a system program called Module for Typical Installation Tasks. That, however, won't install (like most other things!). It refers to "Untrusted Software" and the instalation aborts. The advertising blurb in Software Centre is encouraging. It refers specifically to tarball files and might help in the present instance if I could install it. I have never yet succeeded in getting Terminal to do anything. I seem to have a UK keyboard. Could that be a problem?
Regards,
Ratel.

Hi!
Thanks for the response.
If I put the memory stick into the computer and then switch on, the computer boots off the hard drive.

The Launcher shows the memory stick. If I open it I can see all its contents. They include all the files you refer to.

I don't know what I have done to deserve this!

Regards,

Ratel

Yes, it will do this. This why you need to read the last part of my last post.

I'll say it again.

You need to tell the computer to go to the USB first...not the hard drive.

If you don't tell it....how is it going to know? Computers are the dumbest thing on the planet. They hate us...and we are letting them take over; make us dependent; and control our lives...which isn't very bright in itself.

You need to take charge and tell it what you want it to do.

If you told a computer, in the right way, to erase itself; it would.

So to you can tell it boot from something other than the hard drive, ...pretty please....and it will.

But you have to take the initiative.



....and nothing else. Right?

Forget the "Software Centre". It's Canonical's stab at being like Apple. It's Synaptic with icons and an awkward interface.

Yeah, it's ok for flipping through packages and installing/removing them one at a time...ah, to each his own.

On the other hand PolarCom is already installed in Navigartix....preconfigured to run with gpsd.

I have no idea why you would opt for PolarView over OpenCPN.

UK keyboard is only a problem if you don't speak English, or think the sign for pound sterling and euro is just fancy script for folks from £iv€rpool.

Hi!
This is the dreaded Ratel again!
I've made some small progress.
On my computer you get to the Bios by booting up whilst holding down the option key.
You then get a menu. One of the items is bootup device. To get to that you press F9.
At F9 you get another menu with three options - the hard drive, the usb stick (which is described by name, so the computer is looking at that specific stick) and the disc drive.

I selected the usb stick and pressed "enter" - as prompted.

The computer won't boot off the usb memory stick. The screen goes black and stays that way.

If I force shutdown - by holding the power button down - and then reboot it goes back to the hard drive and boots off that. If I then go back into the F9 menu I find that it has reverted to the Hard Drive option by itself.

As the Romans would have said . . . "Quid Vobis Videtur?"

These are the instructions on how to adapt your BIOS

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&docname=c00364979&lc=en&product=5068623

...or close enough. There might be sub-species in HP Pavilion g6 Notebook PC, but I would really be surprised if the changed the BIOS.

I'm am still sceptical that you have made the USB correctly, but give it another go. Because you have confirmed the checksum matches...right?

If it still goes blank. Remake the USB with the Startup Disk Creator. You are placing the system on /dev/sdb1 (most likely)


Select the proper ISO. If it's not in the list find it through Other;

Erase the contents of the USB; Select the appropriate one becaue I don't want to hear that you have erased something critical.

When it has finished preparing the USB; make sure you still have the right device and create away....

After a short period....
You will receive a confirmation window.
Dismiss it. and reboot.

Let me know how it goes.

The first time it boots off the stick you will get a black screen for a VERY long time. Please go have 2 cups of coffee while it does it's stuff. waiting..... waiting .......

Hi There!
Ratel here!
I've reinstalled onto the memory stick.
My version of Startup disk Creator is not the same as yours. It has the same (top) menu to choose navigatrix for installation from my download file. That came up automatically, so it knew what it had to install.
The second field/menu simply gave me the option of erasing the memory stick. When I told it to do that it came up with a flag saying that there was not enough space. I threw everything off the memory stick into the trash manually and emptied the trash. I then went back into Startup Disc Creator (same options came up) and told it to create a bootable memory stick. I could not choose the second of your choices. There was no "Other" option on the second field.
It took a bit of time - and it then told me (as it did on the first occasion) that I could now boot any computer into Linux using that memory stick.
I went into the BIOS and selected the Memory Stick as the boot option.
I tried booting my (HP) computer off the memory stick and so far nothing has happened. I'm contacting you off my Apple Mac which has just got back from being repaired. The HP is still sitting there mute with a black screen. I've had more than two cups of coffee!

I will say this: Before the Mac got back I really yearned for it. Now that it is back I might be committing heresy, but I confess to preferring Linux. IF ONLY I could get this Navigatrix to work!

Hi,
The HP did not boot off the memory stick, despite being left for a couple of hours.

I went back and expanded the window on Startup Disk Creator. The expanded window confirmed that the settings when I created the bootable Memory Stick were exactly the same as on your instructions.

My instinct is that we have a perfectly good bootable Memory Stick. We might even have a prefectly good version of Navigatrix on it.

The problem - so my inexperienced antennae suggest to me - is beginning to look as if it lies with the HP computer. The computer is only a few months old. I bought it when my Mac stopped working, so its unlikely to be a hardware problem.

The boot options in the Bio specify the actual Memory stick I'm using, so they are reading it.

Is there perhaps something in the Linux Operating System that needs to be switched off before it will allow the computer to boot off something else? It seems to be hanging onto "power" a bit like a polititian!

Will that Memory Stick boot a Mac into Linux?

Puzzled Ratel!

Since you have checked the checksum on the ISO and verified that it is an exact copy of the file you are suppose to download; AND

You swear on the grave of Elvis that making the USB went smoothly and flawlessly;
AND

The BIOS of your computer has the boot order adapted to boot from the specified USB device first, and those settings have been saved <f10>; AND

....it still doesn't boot?

There are a few thing to try. The easy ones first.

With the power off; remove the USB and re-insert it. Turn the machine back on. This is an old technicians trick dating back to the Babylonians. No one knows why it works.

In the even that does not work, do the same thing....but insert the USB into a different port.

If it works you will know in short order. If it doesn't work you will know a few seconds later than if it did.

If it doesn't work tell me what you see. What happens to the screen? Are there and lights on?....flashing?

If it's just sitting there like an inert lump of plastic; does anything happen when you bash a few keys....like <esc>;....<enter>;....or any of the function keys or their sisters?

It is also possible that this computer is reading the USB as a CDROM (which it is, sort of), but the BIOS is looking for a USB that is a HDD (hard disk)....which it also is. Therefore it is looking for one type but telling itself it has another and doesn't know what to do. As I said, computers are stupid and they hate us.

Once the problem is sorted out there will not be this drama every time. It is just figuring out the path to follow and then following it.

Give the simple methods a go, and let me know. In the meantime I'll figure out how to tell you to tell your computer to tell the USB stick...It's Ok. You can do this."

Hi!
Thanks for the reply.
I went back into the BIOS.

f10 has the following options:-
USB Diskette on key/USBHard Disk
Internal CD/DVD ROM Drive
USB CD?DVD ROM Drive
! USB Floppy
! Network Adaptor

f9 has the following options:-
SanDisk Cruzer Edge
Notebook Hard Drive
Internal CD/DVD ROM Drive

f9 is headed "Boot Order"

I have been telling it on f10 to use the "USB Diskette on key/USBHard Disk@ option.
I have also tried going into f9 and telling it to use the SanDisk (which is what the Navigatrix data is on.

You just could have put your finger on it!

I pushed the Memory disk in and out as per your instructions with f10 set as above. There was no reaction whatsoever.


I'm about ready for some lateral thought.

I have two external Hard Drives - One is a terrabite and the other about half that. Both are USB powered.
I'm happy to sacrifice a Hard Drive if that will work?
I may have to reformat it (?) because it was used (not formatted) on my Apple Mac.
Alternatively, can we partition the Hard drive on the HP and use that instead of the memory stick? I have GParted Partition Editor, but cannot figure out how it works.
I'll go out and have a party if I can get this thing working!
The Desperate Ratel!

Try what's behind door Number #3

USB CD/DVD Drive

The ISO is in a form that's called a LiveCD. In days of yore a CD was the means to transfer and eventually examine and install large files and operating systems on to other machines.

Then some bright people figured out this CD could be written to a USB memory stick and spare the plastic and mylar. Shortly thereafter a mad scientist decided since the USB is a read/write memory a number of files can be modified and data can persist from one session to another. This created a chimera. He shouted "It's a LiveCD", and the rest is history.

This fine and gentle beast worked well until hardware people emboldened by the advent of large external drives and better solid state drives laughed. They claim a LiveCD is a aberration of nature and isn't really a hard drive. They drew a line in the sand.

The newer models of computer now look for an MBR and a proper boot flag on an external device before it will consider itself a bootable external HDD or "diskette".

The next generation of LiveCDs will sport a hybrid configuration to support a MBR if the computer requires, but for now your computer thinks your USB is an external CD.

Try <F10> USB CD/DVD ROM Drive

Look, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi!
I think I've made some progress.
I spent Sunday on my boat battling with the computer.

I have been into the Bios (f10) and selected the keyring diskette which seems to be the only choice compatible with a memory stick.
I then went into f9 and selected the memory stick again.

I have now reached the point where the computer is trying to boot off the Memory stick when the stick is inserted into the USB port before boot up. It will now do that every time – as long as the memory stick remains in the USB port. Previously after one attempt to boot off the memory stick it would revert (on the next boot up instruction) to the hard drive boot up by itself . . . so it now knows when to try and boot off the memory stick.

Writing comes up on a black screen at startup saying that the computer is preparing to boot off CASPER. There are then several lines of dots and at the end of them the word “ready”. Below that on the left is a short line-type cursor that flashes.

All this remains for a few moments, then the screen goes like light grey for a few moments, then it goes black. At that point the fans come on for a short while, then go off and that is as far as the computer goes. I've tried keeping it on for an hour, but nothing happened.

On ONE occasion – and only one – the screen flickered and I got the word “Navigatrix” flashing briefly on the centre of the screen in blue letters. I have not been able to reproduce that.


LATER
I've tried booting off the other f10 item.
It also works - but only to the same extent.

Thanks for your patience. It really is appreciated!

I think we might be closing in on this gremlin!

Ratel

Hi there!
Ratel again!
I've just solved a problem on my Apple Mac by accident.
It would not read a GPS.
I remembered someone telling me years ago to keep repairing the permissions on a Mac. I did that in this instance with miraculous results. I don't know what permissions are, but they needed repair!
On the Mac one does it through Disc Utilities.
Does Linux have the equivilent?
Ratel

Hi,
I'm hoping you'll come back to me!

I've partitioned one of my hard drives.
I made a 10gig partition called "Nav". The rest of the drive is called "General.
I then downloaded a new version of Navigatrix from the internet.

I used the Startup Disc Creator a message on the screen saying to install it on the Nav partition.
I opened Nav and checked that it was all there.

I went into BIOS and selected USB HD.

I shut down and then pressed the boot button.

I got a message on the screen saying Missing Operating System. My computer no longer reads the Nav partition - even after a re-boot. It is evidently reading the General partition which has no system on it.

There is nothing under f10 or f9 which refers to Nav. It simply refers to the whole drive - a Hitachi.

A bootable Memory Stick would be first prize, but I'd like to know also what I've done wrong?

Please help guys!

Ratel.

I'm looking....

Would have been quicker & simpler to just post you a USB stick!!!
Where are you located Ratel?
Laugh if you live around the corner from Moe!!!

He's in Mexico. I'm still working on a response.

I'm making some assumptions about what he has done; trying replicate the problem...and then figure out a way to resolve the situation without shedding too much blood. I've broken a lot of systems, but I've never broken one in this fashion so it helps if I can see what's going on.

Unfortunately, setting up the situation to experiment is taking longer than expected. I have to move some data around, in case it all goes horrible wrong, to free up space on an external drive and then partition it as he did and them...um, find out where it all went wrong....aside from the main issue that the Startup Disk Creator is really meant to make single partition USB stick boot a LiveCD form of a Linux distribution.

Some people are doing what he has trying to do but they are using some additional tools to make it happen.

The best solution if you're having problems is to verify that your md5 matches; create the stick with the right tools; modify the BIOS to boot to the appropriate device...in his case USB CD/DVD, and then be "the eyes and ears" with enough information to troubleshoot if it doesn't work like magic.

My machine has to grind for a few more hours in a race against bdetime and then I can break it.

On the local front, Bruce, there was 60 knot of wind last night on the coast. Fortunately we're up the Parramatta River about 12km...not as bad. The rain will keep the fires down. It was a lovely day today.

Yes it's been a terrible fortnight up and down the East coast.
My friend set sail late Sat night to attend the Wooden Boat Festival in Tassie & may I suggest he was hoping your weather took a left turn before it left the mainland ! !
I'm not sure if he's going down the left or right coast of Tassie.
I found it ironic that there was torrential rain on the far East coast of Victoria while there was a fierce fire at Violet Town. (Hume Highway)
I believe the Parramatta was flowing well too?
One of the problems is huge trees being carried along with the current & if it strikes your moorings.............
Good luck sorting that out for Ratel!!!

Hi!
Thanks for the ongoing help guys!
Yes, I'm in Mexico trying to get ready to go across the Pacific to New Zealand.My single greatest problem is to get a stable chartplotting system. The idea of a bootable memory stick to use with Linux is like the answer to a prayer - if it can be made to work!

I have an aging Macbook pro with MacENC on it. After many weeks I got that working - by the apparently simple expedient of repairing the permissions. However, it will only work on one of my two "button-type" GPS's. I can't get it to tell me what it wants in order to talk to the other one. I'm also hunting for some free charts of the Pacific to use - I'm Irish from Africa and money is is in very short supply! I've been doing deliveries up the Pacific west Coast from Mexico to the States. It's known locally as "The Bash"! Its cold and wet and rough! The wind comes down the coast from Alaska and brings with it a series of cold fronts.

Keep up the good work! - and grateful thanks for it!
I'm going to try downloading Navigatrix onto the external hard drive unpartitioned. Its a bit of a waste of 500gigs, but I've distributed the data over my other drives. If it works, perhaps I can put things like movies back on the external drive? One of the great attractions of using OpenCPN/Navigatrix is that I have charts of the entire world for that system.

Do you know of anyone who might be interested in crossing the Pacific to New Zealand with me? I have a ship's cat, but he's a little short on conversation!

All the best,

Ratel.