Help installing Ubuntu Linux

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:34 pm

Okay, so I put in the live CD and say install, it goes through the command prompt thing, and it says it's supposed to start the setup, but all I get is a black screen and the disk drive stops. What can I do?! I need to get rid of Vista!

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Post by **lifeisbetterwithketchup** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:37 pm

Try the "alternative install" (I think that's what it's called). It's basically just the installer with no livecd stuff.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:39 pm

Well, here's the problem:

My other OS just quit working. The hard drive freaks out whenever I try booting it, and I'm waiting on a recovery disk in the mail. So, my only option is to use the LiveCd.

Post by **bicostp** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:51 pm

Sounds like whatever driver X is using doesn't like your graphics card.

I say you should install XP. (If you don't have a copy, get a copy.) Linux is a whole 'nother animal, and even Ubuntu isn't anywhere near the usability Windows has. (I'm trying as hard as I can to not go into an anti-Linux rant, but honestly 99% of home users are better off with Windows or OS X simply for the amount of real support, usability, and software out there for those platforms. Linux requires a lot more coddling and special care.)

If you just need a temporary solution, try another live CD like Damn Small Linux. It won't be as pretty as a full installed system but it will get you on the 'net for the time being.

(And to be perfectly honest, if you can't get past this on your own, you really, really shouldn't even think about this OS.)

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:32 pm

Don't bother installing linux. If you can't find out how to install it, you sure as hell won't be able to do anything with it. As Bic said, get XP.

DukeNukenFourEver · Post by **DukeNukenFourEver** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:02 pm

That will happen if you don't burn the disc at at least 2x. It sounds lame but it HAS to write ALL that media.

Unless you ordered a disc or something.

And... what? Command prompt? Are you using the LiveCD with the GUI or the Alternative disc? You make it sound like it's the Alternative... until you mention the black screen. :p

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:51 pm

I can figure out how to install linux, I've managed to do it on an older machine, I just can't get the 64b version to work for me.

It DID work in Safe Graphics mode for a while, but I shut it down and it stopped working again. I might get XP, but I'm really broke right now.

I burned the CD at 4x, but all I had were DVD-R's, so that might be part of it... I'll see if I can get a LiveCD from my friend who ordered one.

DukeNukenFourEver · Post by **DukeNukenFourEver** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:04 pm

Yea, sharing with your friend is a good idea - just to see if it's your machine or your discs or what.

You said your computer was 64? Are you sure, or could it be 32?

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:44 pm

Nick wrote:It DID work in Safe Graphics mode for a while, but I shut it down and it stopped working again. I might get XP, but I'm really broke right now.

I'm assuming you installed it, then shut down and tried to boot from your install? I got the same problem when I installed xubuntu last night (dang all-in-wonder 8500, barely works with Windows drivers). After some searching of the interwebs, I found that putting "vga=795" (for 1280px) or "vga=792" (for 1024px), no quotes, in the kernel line in Grub acts the same as safe graphics mode.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:49 pm

vskid wrote:
Nick wrote:It DID work in Safe Graphics mode for a while, but I shut it down and it stopped working again. I might get XP, but I'm really broke right now.
I'm assuming you installed it, then shut down and tried to boot from your install? I got the same problem when I installed xubuntu last night (dang all-in-wonder 8500, barely works with Windows drivers). After some searching of the interwebs, I found that putting "vga=795" (for 1280px) or "vga=792" (for 1024px), no quotes, in the kernel line in Grub acts the same as safe graphics mode.

Ok, but I never really installed it. I was running it off of the LiveCD. It showed the desktop, and had an install option, but I decided to maybe wait and see if I could get backups of some stuffs. I'll try that, but after showing the command prompt, the screen just goes black. I'm wondering if my laptop is even compatible with Ubuntu or not. I am using an HPdv6000.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:11 pm

Scratch that! It's up and running. I looked in the help file and decided to use text interface, and just put in boot: live vga=771 noapic nolapic. I love it so far, so I plan on installing it.