Q4OS Forum

PCGuy53

Member

Registered: 2019-11-16

Posts: 2

[SOLVED] Dual boot problems with Q4OS Windows 10 install

I've repaired Windows PCs for years, but have only played with Linux a little. I have an old Dell Dimension E521 that I received for free, that I am playing with. ( Specs below) I put 4 Gig of RAM in it  along with an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, and installed Windows 10 Pro. It works, but is slooow. I did the Q4OS Windows install, but when I reboot and select Q4OS, I get the message below. I can do Shift-Enter, edit the boot options and add the 'noapic' option to get it to boot, but it does not persist between boots.

do_IRQ: 0.55 No irq handler for vector
Kernel panic - not syncing: IO-APIC + timer doesn't work! Boot with apic=debug and send a report. Then try booting with the 'noapic' option.
CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 4.19.0-6-amd64 #1 Debian 4.19.67-2+deb10u
Hardware name: Dell Inc Dimension E521/0UW457, BIOS 1.1.11 08/02/07
Call Trace:
dump_stack+0x5c/0x80
panic+0xe7/0x24a
setup_IOAPIC+0x752/0x837
? clear_IOAPIC_pin+0x8b/0x110
x86_late_time_init+0x17/0x1c
Start_kernel+0x465/0x52c
secondary_startup_64+0xa4/0xb0
---[ end Kernel panic - not syncing: IO-APIC + timer doesn't work
Boot with apic=debug and send a report. Then try booting with the 'noapic' option. ]

My question is, how do I make my noapic boot option changes permanent? How do I change the default OS to boot? I tried using Grub Customizer, but didn't have luck in making the desired boot changes.
I uninstalled Q4OS using the Windows uninstaller, re-downloaded & reinstalled Q4OS, but still have the same boot problems.

I am using Q4OS with the Windows installer and dual boot on an old HP laptop just fine, but haven't figured out this Dell yet.
Thanks for any help you can give.

Ken

System:
     Host: q4os-pc Kernel: 4.19.0-6-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0 Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.14.5 tk: Qt 5.11.3 wm: kwin_x11 dm: SDDM Distro: Q4OS 3.9.2-n1 base: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Machine:
     Type: Desktop System: Dell product: Dimension E521 v: N/A serial: Chassis: type: 3 serial:
     Mobo: Dell model: 0UW457 v: A03 serial: BIOS: Dell v: 1.1.11 date: 08/02/2007    (UPDATED TO THE LATEST BIOS I COULD FIND)
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory:
     RAM: total: 3.85 GiB used: 439.4 MiB (11.1%)
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CPU:
     Topology: Single Core model: AMD Sempron 3400+ bits: 64 type: UP arch: K8 rev.F+ family: F (15) model-id: 5F (95) stepping: 2 microcode: N/A L2 cache: 256 KiB
     flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 bogomips: 3607
     Speed: 1800 MHz min/max: 1000/1800 MHz Core speed (MHz): 1: 1800
     Type: l1tf status: Not affected
     Type: mds status: Not affected
     Type: meltdown status: Not affected
     Type: spec_store_bypass status: Not affected
     Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Graphics:
     Device-1: NVIDIA NV41 [GeForce 6800] driver: nouveau v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 10de:00c1
     Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: nouveau unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa alternate: nv compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1280x1024~60Hz
     OpenGL: renderer: NV42 v: 2.1 Mesa 18.3.6 direct render: Yes
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Audio:
     Device-1: NVIDIA MCP51 High Definition Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:10.1 chip ID: 10de:026c
     Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.19.0-6-amd64
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Network:
     Device-1: Broadcom Limited BCM4401-B0 100Base-TX vendor: Dell driver: b44 v: 2.0 port: cc00 bus ID: 04:07.0 chip ID: 14e4:170c
     IF-ID-1: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: 00:18:8b:59:37:70
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Drives:
     Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 42.53 GiB (9.1%)
     ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WD5000AVDS-63U7B1 size: 465.76 GiB block size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s serial: WD-WCAV9U447359
     Optical-1: /dev/sr0 vendor: HL-DT-ST model: DVD-RAM GH15L rev: FD5D dev-links: cdrom,cdrw,dvd,dvdrw
     Features: speed: 125 multisession: yes audio: yes dvd: yes rw: cd-r,cd-rw,dvd-r,dvd-ram state: running
  - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Last edited by PCGuy53 (2019-11-18 23:03)

Dai_trying

Member

From: UK

Registered: 2015-12-14

Posts: 2,993

Re: [SOLVED] Dual boot problems with Q4OS Windows 10 install

Edit your GRUB configuration file

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Add noapic parameter to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT (inside the quotes), then update GRUB

sudo update-grub

That should make the noapic parameter permanent.

PCGuy53

Member

Registered: 2019-11-16

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] Dual boot problems with Q4OS Windows 10 install

Thanks for the response. I had tried this earlier, but did it again, just to make sure I followed your instructions properly. Unfortunately, this didn't change anything.

I installed EasyBCD to change the default OS. That is when I noticed it referencing a Wubi mbr file. Being a Linux newbie, I hadn't heard of Wubi before.
Since Q4OS was done with a Windows install, I found that I needed to mount Q4Os's root.disk and edit grub from there.
Here is what I did to get my system booting properly. Other users may need slightly different instructions, depending on their system.

1. Used the  Q4OS Windows installer to install Q4Os. After install, when selecting Q4Os from the Windows boot manager, I get an error with a message to use the 'noapic' option (without the quotes).
2. Restart computer, and hold down 'Shift' while pressing 'Enter' on the Q4Os selection.
3. Add  'noapic' option (without the quotes).
4. Q4Os boots normally, but the 'noapic' option does not persist.
5. Restart computer and boot to SARDU CD, then boot to Lubuntu Desktop LTS, and select the Live option. A straight live Linux CD would work too.
6. Open a terminal window in Lubuntu and install grub:  (Not sure if this was needed or not)
    sardu@sardu:~$ sudo apt install grub
7. Ran Bootinfoscript to determine which device to mount.
8. Execute the following commands to mount the Windows partion, then loop mount  Q4os's root.disk. This will allow grub.cfg to be edited to add the 'noapic' option.  ( I don't know if all of the commands were needed, but I saw reference to them on another site.)
I used Leafpad for my text editor.

sardu@sardu:~$ sudo mkdir /win
sardu@sardu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /win
sardu@sardu:~$ sudo mount -o loop /media/sardu/Windows/debian/disks/root.disk /mnt
sardu@sardu:~$ sudo cp /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg.copy
sardu@sardu:~$ sudo chmod +w /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg
sardu@sardu:~$ gksu leafpad /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg

9. Added 'noapic' (Without the quotes) to the end of this line:
  linux    /vmlinuz root=UUID=$diskuuid $diskrfs $diskflg $diskacs loopfile1=$loopdev bcphase2=true quiet loglevel=3 systemd.log_color=0 systemd.show_status=1 qdbg=0 noapic

10. Saved grub.cfg and closed Leafpad
11. Update grub:
sardu@sardu:~$ cd /usr
sardu@sardu:/usr$ cd /sbin
sardu@sardu:/sbin$ sudo update-grub   (Changed to the /usr/sbin folder and Updated grub)
[sudo] password for sardu:
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... Generating /boot/grub/default file and setting the default boot entry to:
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ...

Could not find /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Would you like /boot/grub/menu.lst generated for you? (y/N) N     ( <-I selected N)

12. Reboot the computer.

My dual boot Windows 10 / Q4OS system boots properly now.

Feel free to clarify my steps, if some are un-clear or not needed. If there is an easier way to do this, let me know.

Thanks again,
Ken