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[Bug 930447] Re: Unable to start Ubuntu 12.04 live CD with syslinux loader on Pentium M x86 Laptop due to bug in PAE kernel, initramfs or syslinux

 

I am not a dev, not a skilled programmer, but only a loyal and satisfied ubuntu user since I switched from Suse to Dapper Drake 6.06 on my deprecated Pentium M.
This old and poor notebook have seen also Windows XP, Windows Vista and now it can also run Windows 7 with not much pretends. I decided to give him new life upgrading from 11.10 and make Xubuntu 13.10 the only OS installed in my notebook and guess what?? I cannot install it. Why?? PAE Kernel!! I had to install 12.04, install fake-pae and the make 3 (THREE) dist upgrades! (after days of research)
The system goes smooth and fast as it has never been, so what's the problem of adding those few lines of code in linux kernel? 
Why force users that have a PAE capable cpu (unlikely not advertised) to make tricks and 3-4-5 etc distribution upgrades just to be able to install the latest distribution that could also run with no problems at all?
I understand that old hardware cannot been supported forever...but this is not the case for Pentium M. 
Should I have stayed with Windows 7 or even XP? This will be the scenario the first time I will be in need of formatting my notebook (don't have the will/the time to make 4-5-... dist upgrade from 12.04 everytime).
I really thanks all the devs, but the decision to drop off pae without thinking about consequencies, is a little bit stupid.
I decided to write this comment just to point out that LIKE ME, there are thousands (not hundreds) of desktop users like me that decided to return to run Windows on their systems after that decision and they didn't come to launchpad to make you know. 
Just search "Ubuntu non PAE" on google...

@Roland
Thanks for your efforts!

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/930447

Title:
  Unable to start Ubuntu 12.04 live CD with syslinux loader on Pentium M
  x86 Laptop due to bug in PAE kernel, initramfs or syslinux

Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in “syslinux” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in Baltix GNU/Linux:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Ubuntu 12.04 doesn't start from Desktop CD or USB with syslinux boot
  loader on Pentium M 1.6Ghz or faster Pentium M CPU - displays error
  message about missing PAE feature in CPU, but *the same* *Ubuntu
  12.04* Desktop CD/LiveUSB starts fine on *the same CPU* (and same PAE
  kernel) if GRUB boot loader is used, for example when WUBI or LiveUSB
  with GRUB boot loader, like Multisystem
  (http://liveusb.info/dotclear/index.php?pages/install ) is used!

  The error message is:
  "This kernel requires the following features not present on the CPU: pae.
  Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for you CPU."

  THIS IS AN IMPORTANT REGRESSION! People are able to install and successfully use Ubuntu 12.04 on such pretty new hardware, like IBM Thinkpad T42 laptop with Pentium M 1700Mhz processor, but the bug in syslinux (or something related) forbids Ubuntu 12.04 installation.
  This bug is reproducible on lots of computers, there are several log files and /proc/cpuinfo file attached to this bugreport, AFAIK it's enough to reopen this bug.

  ---
  ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
  Architecture: i386
  CurrentDmesg: Error: command ['sh', '-c', 'dmesg | comm -13 --nocheck-order /var/log/dmesg -'] failed with exit code 1: comm: /var/log/dmesg: Permission denied
  MachineType: IBM 2373PPU
  dmi.bios.date: 06/18/2007
  dmi.bios.vendor: IBM
  dmi.bios.version: 1RETDRWW (3.23 )
  dmi.board.name: 2373PPU
  dmi.board.vendor: IBM
  dmi.board.version: Not Available
  dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
  dmi.chassis.type: 10
  dmi.chassis.vendor: IBM
  dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnIBM:bvr1RETDRWW(3.23):bd06/18/2007:svnIBM:pn2373PPU:pvrThinkPadT42:rvnIBM:rn2373PPU:rvrNotAvailable:cvnIBM:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
  dmi.product.name: 2373PPU
  dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T42
  dmi.sys.vendor: IBM

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