Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Thanks for the pointer to the Nvidia drivers - but this is catch-22 - I can't install the drivers without starting Ubuntu, and it seems I can't start Ubuntu without the drivers!
Thanks again. I'll try booting into VESA. But how then do I try to install the drivers from the command line? I know that I need to use apt-get - but please remember that I am not all that clever with Linux and will need some help!
Thanks again. I'll try booting into VESA. But how then do I try to install the drivers from the command line? I know that I need to use apt-get - but please remember that I am not all that clever with Linux and will need some help!
After booting ino vesa download the driver.
Most people download to their Downloads directory. Change directory like this:
Quote:
cd Downloads Hit Enter
than type ls and Hit Enter to list what's in your Downloads directory
Type su and put in your root password and Hit Enter
Than use the dpkg --install <name of driver> and Hit Enter
I've finally managed to persuade Ubuntu Studio to load up & install!
Adding noacpi, noapic, nomodeset & xforcevesa to the GRUB line did the trick. During the install session I used "Proprietory drivers" to install Nvidia.
All then worked fine - the next boot went into US with no problems.
Then I got a message that updates were available, so I installed them.
You can guess what came next - flat refusal to boot...
I managed to get it going in the same way as before - my guess is that the update dropped the Nvidia drivers - not too clever.
Since this is bound to happen again at the next update(by which time I will have forgotten everything)what I think I need to do now is to edit GRUB to include a boot option with these commands. I can probably find out how to do so myself, but if anyone can give me some pointers it would save time.
Finally does anyone know if there is an online resource that explains all these(and other)commands in a simple manner? Just that I would like to know what they actually do!
Many thanks once again for all the help - especially Ztcoracat.
my guess is that the update dropped the Nvidia drivers -
Updating the kernel will do that. A quick google of this gets a lot of links to various Ubuntu sites.
To permanently have the modified Grub menuentry, create it in /etc/grub.d/40_custom and run sudo update-grub. It should then show in the output. You can test the menuentry by simply putting it in the grub.cfg file and rebooting immediately and if it works, copy it to /etc/grub.d/40_custom and run sudo update-grub.
I've finally managed to persuade Ubuntu Studio to load up & install!
Adding noacpi, noapic, nomodeset & xforcevesa to the GRUB line did the trick. During the install session I used "Proprietory drivers" to install Nvidia.
All then worked fine - the next boot went into US with no problems.
Then I got a message that updates were available, so I installed them.
You can guess what came next - flat refusal to boot...
I managed to get it going in the same way as before - my guess is that the update dropped the Nvidia drivers - not too clever.
Since this is bound to happen again at the next update(by which time I will have forgotten everything)what I think I need to do now is to edit GRUB to include a boot option with these commands. I can probably find out how to do so myself, but if anyone can give me some pointers it would save time.
Finally does anyone know if there is an online resource that explains all these(and other)commands in a simple manner? Just that I would like to know what they actually do!
Many thanks once again for all the help - especially Ztcoracat.
I thought that all was well - and it is true that I now have a usable instance of Ubuntu Studio. But there are still a few weird things.
Firstly although I have succeeded in getting Ubuntu Studio going the machine still flatly refuses to have anything to do with vanilla Ubuntu(14.04.3) no matter what I put in the boot line. This isn't crucial but I may be passing the computer on soon and I would like it to be in a good state for the new user, who may not want Studio.
Secondly I would like to know which boot options actually work. The grub screen gives me no fewer than ten options for Ubuntu, of which two work well, and one loads but is very jerky. The other seven freeze in the loading process - mostly at "ACPI probe failed". I have managed to identify those that work(the hard reset button is getting worn out!).
I think I can probably do what I want with "Customize Grub", but in all the messing around I have managed to install two versions of Linux - AV Linux & Ubuntu Studio. They are on two different HDDs each in its own partition. AV was installed first, then US a few days after. The initial grub screen is that of AV Linux(it has a great big logo on it!).
However in the process I seem to have acquired two instances of grub - haven't a clue how. The one that's actually being used is that in AV Linux, but if I run Customize grub in Ubuntu studio it edits the Ubuntu Studio version! This does seem to be confusing things somewhat - does anyone know what I can do about this short of starting again from scratch?
What I think might work to put in the "ultra failsafe" option is:
Using Customize grub in AV linux
1 Select an option that works.
2 Go into edit & copy the text
3 Select an option that doesn't work
4 Clear the existing text & paste from 3
5 Add noacpi etc.
6 Save the configuration
Is this likely to work?
Thanks
Last edited by davidtrickett; 10-20-2015 at 03:12 PM.
Reason: Clarification
However in the process I seem to have acquired two instances of grub
Most systems will install Grub so when you installed AV Linux, it's version of Grub was installed with most of the Grub files on it's root or boot partition (if you are using a boot) with a small part of the code to the MBR. When you installed Ubuntu Studio, you had the option to install to the MBR of the first drive (default) which would have overwritten the AVLinux code so you must have installed it either to the root partition of Ubuntu Studio or the MBR of the drive it is on.
Quote:
but if I run Customize grub in Ubuntu studio it edits the Ubuntu Studio version!
Expected behavior, if you are running it from Ubuntu Studio there would be no reason/way for it to modify the AVlinux.
I'm not sure what your end goal is. You can install Grub from Ubuntu Studio to the MBR of it's drive if it is not already.
You can run sudo update-grub from Ubuntu studio which should find AVLinux, then set the second drive to first boot priority in the BIOS.
You can install Grub from Ubuntu Studio to the MBR of the first drive (AVLinux) and leave the BIOS settings and run sudo update-grub from Ubuntu studio and you should have both options.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.