After much hesitation I bought one of these:
http://www.fit-pc.com/web/fit-pc/intensepc/
I swapped the HDD it came with for a Samsung SSD:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009 ... UTF8&psc=1
However, the machine won't boot from this drive. I have tried tinkering with the BIOS, no luck. It does work, because when I boot Slackel using the USB boot stick I made during installation, up it pops, KDE and all, almost instantaneously - just what I'd been hoping for. However, I mean to put Windows on it (the machine is for my daughter to use Autocad on) so that won't really do.
When I say I tinkered, I tried a few obvious-seeming things (such as telling the BIOS that the drive, which it can see, is an SSD) and searched a fair bit without turning up anything helpful.
My impression is it isn't a kernel issue. BIOS apparently never hands over to the MBR. However, I haven't tried booting Salix / Slackel from the HDD (which came with Mint preinstalled). That would be something to do, because if that doesn't work either, then the issue is not the drive itself. As I say though, it looks more like a BIOS problem.
Has anyone ever had similar trouble booting from an SSD?
I'd be most grateful for any suggestions as to how to approach this.
Trouble booting from SSD
Re: Trouble booting from SSD
That's a nice piece of kit! Wouldn't mind one myself.
I can only say I haven't had any problems with booting from SSD's. Procedure and installation the same as with HDD's. I have done an install on an Intel SSD with Win7 and a Salix install on a Corsair SSD, no issues whatsoever with either.
Do you get an "OS not found" message or anything like that? Lilo was installed to the MBR I guess? Have you tried updating the bios?
I can only say I haven't had any problems with booting from SSD's. Procedure and installation the same as with HDD's. I have done an install on an Intel SSD with Win7 and a Salix install on a Corsair SSD, no issues whatsoever with either.
Do you get an "OS not found" message or anything like that? Lilo was installed to the MBR I guess? Have you tried updating the bios?
Re: Trouble booting from SSD
Thanks for your speedy reply. It does seem a nice machine, though maybe a bit expensive for what it is. I'm hoping it will last well in Brazil's heat and humidity. I'm also hoping to use it for long compiles and other heavy-duty stuff in the mornings, when my daughter is either asleep or at some class.
I'm embarrassed to say I didn't find the page you link to. I'm slightly nervous about following the steps, even from the vendor's website; the potential for bricking the box surely exists. Would you say (1) can safely be ignored (format stick to FAT, I suppose, and set bootable flag).... Also I bought it in June, but that page was last updated in February, so you'd think it would ship with the latest firmware by then.
In answer to your questions, I don't get anything, just an attempt at PXE boot or whatever it is called, followed by a choice between editing the BIOS settings and choosing from a short list of boot options, including the SSD. If I choose it, the list reappears immediately. I tried fiddling with various BIOS settings to no avail. During the installation I did everything as usual except that for some reason I opted to make a USB boot stick.
I'm embarrassed to say I didn't find the page you link to. I'm slightly nervous about following the steps, even from the vendor's website; the potential for bricking the box surely exists. Would you say (1) can safely be ignored (format stick to FAT, I suppose, and set bootable flag).... Also I bought it in June, but that page was last updated in February, so you'd think it would ship with the latest firmware by then.
In answer to your questions, I don't get anything, just an attempt at PXE boot or whatever it is called, followed by a choice between editing the BIOS settings and choosing from a short list of boot options, including the SSD. If I choose it, the list reappears immediately. I tried fiddling with various BIOS settings to no avail. During the installation I did everything as usual except that for some reason I opted to make a USB boot stick.
Re: Trouble booting from SSD
Hello mimosa!
I read about those fitpc, nice little box. When I bougth my first ssd I valued the speed not the space. Recently I bougth an 120gb ssd for my son's computer (for playing minecraft), and although it states that it reads and writes at speeds of around 500Mb I don't see a huge diference. I guess it's because it's a Kingston ( I don't like Kingston very much). I have two SSD and didn't had the problems you mencioned.
When flashing a bios there is always a chance that something goes wrong. Did you tried the forum to see if someone else is having a similar problem? I'll take a look too.
I have found this link: http://www.fit-pc.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... ive#p11609
I read about those fitpc, nice little box. When I bougth my first ssd I valued the speed not the space. Recently I bougth an 120gb ssd for my son's computer (for playing minecraft), and although it states that it reads and writes at speeds of around 500Mb I don't see a huge diference. I guess it's because it's a Kingston ( I don't like Kingston very much). I have two SSD and didn't had the problems you mencioned.
When flashing a bios there is always a chance that something goes wrong. Did you tried the forum to see if someone else is having a similar problem? I'll take a look too.
I have found this link: http://www.fit-pc.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... ive#p11609
Re: Trouble booting from SSD
Thanks for the link 
It hadn't occurred to me to expect too much help from the *vendor*
This is a Samsung 840, and it is blazing fast. KDE starts in about three seconds.
Looking at that link, what does anyone think the user means by "created a logical drive" (%question%, sorry, dodgy keyboard) Because if he means a logical partition (on an extended partition) I don't think Windows would like it.
I will have a look at the HDD that came with the machine, to see if there are any clues there.
It hadn't occurred to me to expect too much help from the *vendor*
This is a Samsung 840, and it is blazing fast. KDE starts in about three seconds.
Looking at that link, what does anyone think the user means by "created a logical drive" (%question%, sorry, dodgy keyboard) Because if he means a logical partition (on an extended partition) I don't think Windows would like it.
I will have a look at the HDD that came with the machine, to see if there are any clues there.