Porteus always hangs on bootup

[Renfro]

I created a Porteus Cinnamon v5.01 install on a new 32GB USB stick using Rufus in Windows 11. However, whenever I try to boot up it just hangs.

It displays the Porteus menu and options, but after I select "Graphics mode" it locks up on the second loading command (the first loading command says: vmlinuz and the second says: initrd.xz). After that it immediately freezes and the whole system becomes unresponsive (can't use the keyboard or anything). I tried leaving it for several minutes but nothing happens.

This same hang also happens when using other boot options such as Always Fresh, and even Text mode.

I briefly used Porteus 5.0 last year on my old laptop and it always worked great. This year my laptop died, and I got a new mini pc instead. It's Geekom GT1 Mega with Meteor Lake cpu and no graphics card (it uses on-chip Intel Arc instead).

I had to remake several of my old USB stick installs because they did not work on my new PC (my old laptop used a BIOS and MBR, whereas my new PC does not have BIOS or CSM mode; only UEFI GPT). I therefore also remade my Porteus USB install (using the newer v5.01 Porteus ISO and selecting UEFI / GPT in Rufus) but this is the one that now always hangs on bootuup.

I also downloaded the Gnome version of Porteus v5.01 (in case the issue was Cinnamon specific) but the exact same thing happened.

I really like Porteus and I want to start using it more frequently now that I have a new PC, but I am unable to get it to work at all.

Any suggestions for what the problem might be?

[Ed_P]

Hi Renfro,

Try doing the install using the USB_INSTALLATION.txt file's steps. No idea what the RUFUS install did.

2 partitions, 1 FAT32, 1 NTFS or EXT4. /EFI & /boot go on the FAT32 partition, /porteus on the 2nd partition, tweak the /boot/syslinux/porteus.cfg file to point to the /porteus folder.

Easiest approach, load everything to the FAT32 partition, 512MB should be big enough, boot, create the 2nd partition, copy/move the /porteus folder to it, tweak the .cfg file, reboot.

[Renfro]

Ok, I used a different USB stick, formatted it as FAT32 and then did as the instructions said.

I got exactly the same problem as before (hangs after the second loading command).

[Ed_P]

(hangs after the second loading command).

The fact that you have to enter any loading command is strange. You should boot, see the Porteus menu, select one of the top 2 items and then see Porteus.

Can you post a screen shot of the boot screen problem?

How big is the USB drive?

[ncmprhnsbl]

the first loading command says: vmlinuz and the second says: initrd.xz). After that it immediately freezes

sounds like it's having a problem with the initrd, unless it's the kernel (the vmlinuz) belatedly failing at the point of loading the initrd..
a bit hard to debug.. :/

you could try using the the "debug" cheatcode (press tab at the boot screen, type debug , press enter) but i suspect that there'll be no difference...

i wonder if it could be related to the software in the initrd.xz being i586 and this newest hardware not liking that ... (just a thought bubble)
if you feel like it, you could try nemesis : Nemesis update- v24.08 (2024-08-28)
..it's initrd.xz is fully 64 bit, to test this idea..