installing linux -A nagging graphics problem
 

I am trying to install linux on a PC, not exactly very old. I have PIV 1.6 Ghz with 1 GB RAM with Savage4 card, I think. When I try to install some of the distros like Ubuntu or its variants particularly, there is a common problem. After installation i am not able to get into usual graphical boot screen and the monitor lights keep blinking and no display on the monitor. Is it necessary that i give some boot parameters while booting? If so, what is that instruction like? ... 'vga=vesa|normal' or resolution modes of my monitor?

The Savage4 is a 12 year old graphics card, from a company that sold off it's business in 2001 to Via. Perhaps it's time to splurge $40 on an Nvidia PCI card?

Don't think, know. ;)
For more detailed information try lshw, which is probably in the repos of whatever distro you're using.

If you can't see anything on screen when the PC boots, wait until you're sure it's booted then try pressing ctrl-alt-f1. That might give you a console login.

I can appreciate if you don't want to spend money on the machine but it might be worth seeing if you can scrounge a newer video card from somewhere, or buy one cheap second hand.

I think nomodeset would be the appropriate parameter. Another option is to create an xorg.conf file, and to specify the vesa driver.

I'd guess its a S3 'chrome' series, not a S3 savage4. The 'chrome' series is far more likely to have problems with linux than the old savage.