Hi. I originally posted this on the LinuxMint Forums, since the issue appears to have been caused by running Linux, from a disk, on a machine that had Windows 7 installed as its operating system. However, because the installed operating system is Windows 7, the LinuxMint Forum people would not touch the question.
A little over a month ago I was planning to exchange my 240 GB SSD drive for a new 500 GB SSD drive. I decided to test Linux as a co-operating system, and a friend of mine suggested that I use a disk that he had sent me a year or two ago, with Linux Mint 19.2-XFC (64 bit), to test drive the operating system on this PC -- yes, I understand that this is an outdated version of Linux Mint, but I was acting under this person's direction (and though I mentioned downloading a more recent version, he said it would not matter for the test).
I had set the boot sequence to be CD-player several years ago. When I inserted the disk in the CD player and started the machine, it booted from the disk, though the process was a little slow (slower than what I remember booting from the disk was on other PCs).
When I had finished confirming that Linux would do what I wanted it to do, I shut down the machine. But when it reached the point in the closing sequence where it asked me to remove the disk from the CD player, and I did so (and closed the drawer), the PC seemed frozen. After giving it about 30 minutes to resolve matters internally, I shut the machine down manually.
Thereafter, whenever I start the machine, the loading screen gives me two options (at the bottom of the screen),
F-2 for Startup (apparently this is the "enter bios" command for this PC), and F-4 "For Recovery."
If I did neither, after a couple of seconds a black screen would load, with a white blinking cursor dash in the upper left hand corner, that cannot be navigated away from. As the only operating system installed on this PC at the time was Windows 7, I pressed F-4. Then, after beeping (a sound I never heard this PC make before), Windows loaded normally.
After this happened a couple of additional times, i mentioned it to the person who was helping me (the friend who was guiding me in Linux said that something similar happened to him once, but after a couple of restarts the issue "cleared up"). It has now been 3 weeks, of daily use, daily shut-downs and restartings, but nothing has changed. I subsequently attempted to enter Window's repair, and then safe mode, and the repair options menu for things like "restore Windows to a known good state," and so forth, by pressing F-8, but I was unable to surpass the need to press F-4 -- and after pressing F-4 it is impossible to access any of these diagnostic Windows tools. In other words, if I pushed F-8, the machine goes immediately to the black screen.
After disconnecting the C: drive, I attempted to run Windows off of a flash drive, but encountered the same problem -- thereby suggesting that this is not a hard-drive related issue, but, as best as I can figure, represents some sort of changes to the firmware of the main board (?), or something of the sort.
I decided to try replacing the hard drive with the new 500 GB drive, onto which I installed Windows 7 as instructed by Linux, and then add Linux (from the above mentioned disk), in the hopes that, with Linux actually installed on the PC, the problem would be resolved. No such luck. All I gained was the additional step of having to quickly select Windows before it times out (in 5 seconds) and automatically loads Linux. I require Windows (and, specifically Windows 7) for all of my writing, creation of illustrations, and so forth (at 70 years of age, I find I am too old to learn how to use the Linux tools, none of which do exactly what I need them to do in the most efficient way). I only wanted Linux as a back-up operating system in case Windows became damaged by malware (since Windows 7 is no longer supported, and since I occasionally have to search on line for photos that I need for my translations, there is always the risk that malware might somehow get into the system -- though I run a suite of malware scans at least 2 times each week, and always after I have found it necessary to do a Google search for images) -- so I could go on line to search for help.
It seems I have no control over this machine any more, should anything go wrong, and that is worrying. Does anyone on here have any idea what happened, and, more importantly, how to rectify it? (The person who was leading me into this for foray into Linux Land suggested I apply to the Linux Mint forums for help.)
The PC is a Samsung DB Z-400
The sticker on the side says that it was sold with Windows 7 factory-installed.
I don't know what the mother board is, or anything else about the hardware (and do not know how to find out other than by physically disassembling the machine and seeing if I can find an information sticker).
Thank you all for your help. Please have a good day.
-- DMB
Edited by dmburkus, 28 October 2023 - 12:43 AM.
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