Unable to install 64-bit F17 on Lenovo x120e

Hi!

I have 64-bit F17 running on 2 of my machines:
1. A dual-core desktop
2. A small Samsung N150 netbook

I have been running 32-bit F17 with PAE kernel on my Lenovo x120e Thinkpad netbook for a month. But, since the other two systems have 64-bit OS and apps on them, I figured I would install the same 64-bit F17 on this Lenovo Thinkpad netbook. So, here's what all has happened in attempting to install 64-bit F17 on this Lenovo TP Netbook:

1. I plugged in the same USB stick that I had used to install the other two systems mentioned earlier. The x120e would NOT even boot.
2. Then, I figured it could be a UEFI/BIOS issue. So, I read through the installation manual/Fedora-wiki and built another USB stick with 64-bit F17 on it ... only this time I used "dd" instead of the Linux USB creator GUI app.
3. I was able to boot the x120e from new "dd"-ed USB stick containing 64-bit F17, but ...
4. When I went ahead to the installation phase, choosing all default options, the installer/anaconda croaked saying that the partitions were NOT correctly chosen. So, I aborted that attempt and made a new attempt in which I opted to check the partitions that the installer was creating onto the disk. If memory serves me right, the installer had chosen the following partitions (/boot_uefi, /boot, /, /home, swap ... although the order of partitions may be different) ... I accepted the installer's suggestion ... and it croaked again!
5. Then, I made a third attempt, only this time I chose my usual partitioning setup (only / and /home with swap as a file in /). Even this time through the installer croaked saying partitions were incorrect and /boot was needed!

Have I hit upon ((this)) issue?

I did go through the following references:
* The F16 installation guide had a big WARNING that said that "/boot" had to be manually created for installation on UEFI systems. The F17 installer seems to be doing it ... in fact, it wanted to create two partitions: /boot_uefi and /boot. (I did not check the partition type, because I had not seen this link before the installation.) Then why the failure? (I was unable to put the link here, because as a new user of the forum I am restricted from putting in too many links. )
* I created the USB stick with "dd" rather than using the Live USB creator gui program because the beginning of the second paragraph of this section from the Fedora Wiki about how to create a Live USB stick says: "As of Fedora 17, all images written using the dd method should be UEFI-bootable"

So, now I am confounded. What is the problem here? Why am I unable to install 64-bit F17 onto my little netbook? Has anyone else faced this problem before? How did you solve it? Any tips, hints, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Anxiously waiting for your reply.

Warm regards
Mahesh R S

[george_toolan]

What exactly is the error message?

If you boot your computer in uefi mode then Fedora 17 will insist on installing in uefi mode with a GPT instead of MBR and separate /boot and /boot/efi partitions.

Try to figure out how to boot your computer in BIOS compatibility mode and then you can install Fedora 17 on a normal HDD with MBR partitioning scheme. A separate /boot partition is not required in this case.

E.g. with the Lenovo s205 netbook you'll have to press F2 to enter firmware setup otherwise the little bugger won't boot the Fedora 17 DVD in BIOS compatibility mode.

Originally Posted by george_toolan

What exactly is the error message?

If you boot your computer in uefi mode then Fedora 17 will insist on installing in uefi mode with a GPT instead of MBR and separate /boot and /boot/efi partitions.

Try to figure out how to boot your computer in BIOS compatibility mode and then you can install Fedora 17 on a normal HDD with MBR partitioning scheme. A separate /boot partition is not required in this case.

E.g. with the Lenovo s205 netbook you'll have to press F2 to enter firmware setup otherwise the little bugger won't boot the Fedora 17 DVD in BIOS compatibility mode.

George,

Thanks for your reply. I believe the S205 and the L-x120e are technically similar. Let me see if (and how) I can boot my netbook into the BIOS mode rather than the UEFI mode. I will report back here as soon as I find more about it.

Thanks and Rgds
Mahesh R S