Live CD ok, install only boots to command prompt......
 

Hello Sorry for the noob question. My daughter really wants Ubuntu installed alongside windows vista on her PC. We tested the live cd and that all worked fine. we then repartitioned the C: drive through the Ubuntu installation process and installed Ubuntu, all ok. When we reboot you get the choices of Ubuntu and windows, when we select Ubuntu it starts to load.

The CD is for 10.04 Desktop LTS, this was given away with pcpro magazine (UK) October 2010


I think that it is having problems with the graphics chips and/or the screen.

When Ubuntu boots the Logo with the chasing dots below appear briefly and then the screen flashes on and off a few times in a manor that suggests something is wrong.

It then proceeds to boot into a text only screen. It requests username and pword, once entered it reaches a command prompt lucy@lucy – desktop:~$

I have tried the recovery mode option at the bootload screen and this results in an error message “ [DRM] KMS not enabled” “vesa (0): no valid modes “ “ Screens found but none have a usable configuration”
I then it the OK button and it moves onto a screen requesting to load once in low graphics mode, (they are other options, e.g. “configure graphics”, but none of the options work). If I select the low graphics option I end up at the same point (username, pword and command prompt)

The pc is a HP Compaq SR5219UK

AMD 64 Dualcore 4400+ 2.3 ghz

2GB ram

32bit

Graphics chips (integrated) nvida GeForce 6150se nForce430

This is a dual boot set up with Vista and Vista is still working fine (well you know, for Vista that is…)

I have reloaded ubuntu and it’s exactly the same. There is plenty of drive space and the hard disk is working fine.

I have read a few posts and tried a couple of things like; pressing “e” at the boot screen and replacing “quiet and splash” with “nomodeset”. This made no difference.

Any help would be gratefully received, we are really keen to get up and running with Linux.

Finally it seems really odd that the Live CD appears to work absolutely fine.

Many Thanks

Barry

Is the live cd the same as what you used to install?

My guess is video. I'd try startx at command prompt. It may go into gui but should tell you some issue and a log file to look at.

Hi The live CD is the same one that I used for the installation.

"startx" resulted in a logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log

I'm not sure on how to view the logfile..

Many thanks for your prompt response..

You can use vi or nano to view the logfile from the command line with the command vi /var/log/Xorg.0.log or nano /var/log/Xorg.0.log.

Vi is extremely powerful but not at all intuitive; I am hardly a vi expert, but I have learned enough to edit a messed up Linux config file. Nano is more like the old DOS editor and probably won't seem as foreign.

Here's more about Vi and more about nano.

If you don't want to use vi you may still be able to use mc (midnight commander) it is a graphical way to view file structure and has a simple viewer with F4 I think.

If the CD booted to a GUI, it can't be a graphics issue. It has to be a bug with the CD (and for that matter with Ubiquity) that breaks the GUI or graphics drivers on the installed system.

What is the output of

vi on ubuntu isn't fully installed. You would have to install vim fully for it to work. I figured that out the hardway. vi, nano are text editors. So if you want to view the files try this

you can also use

more /var/log/Xorg.0.log

You just can't scroll back up. How did you install ubuntu? did you do it through the windows install or did you boot from disk and do it your self. Its best to install ubuntu by booting the cd and choose boot. like list above if the live cd works then you should have and issue. You should be default be using the opensource drive so try the command by damgar. It will tell you the driver it is using.

Also assuming you said 32bit you have the i386 image. If you want full performance out of your processor you should get the amd64 image from ubuntu.com. It will give you full 64bit support with 64 bit apps.

I wonder if it wouldn't be better to get a real cd from ubuntu or mirror. It may be that this disk has some changes to the original.

See this too.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/KernelModeSetting

Firstly I would like to thank you all for your replies, it's very encouraging to know that there is such a great support network for Linux.

Unfortunately, I have been working late today and it is now 22:25 in the UK, my daughter now is asleep, so I cannot access her PC. I will follow the advice issued and post up the results tomorrow. Again many thanks for your help.

Kind Regards

Barry

I've had similar problems, and never did figure out what was going on. Solved by getting a new CD. (But, the new CD had a newer version.) That's probably a DVD, but same/same.

Small change of subject: Last I heard, the 10 series was up to 10.10, and the one I tried defaulted to a copy of a Mac desktop. Confused the heck out of me, and I went back to the 9 series.

Ubuntu 10.10 is still beta. The release version is due in October.

Yes, there is. One of the things I learned quickly when I started with Linux half a decade ago is that there are a lot of persons who are ready to help if given a fair chance.

LQ kept turning up in my search results when I was asking questions of The Giggle. I found so many answers here that I finally joined.

Hi guys

I have tried changing the video card to a Geforce 210.

No real difference.

grep 'Driver' /etc/X11/xorg.conf results in an error "no file exists"

I have run the log.

There is about 100+ lines:

not using default mode (then on each line screen resolutions e.g. 800x600)then: either hsync out of range or vrefresh out of range or unknown reason.

at the end of the log it states;

fatal server error: failed to activate core devices.


The install version is linux 2.6.24-25-server i686 Ubuntu

I installed linux via the cd installer side by side to windows.

I could download a fresh version and start again. Is that the nexct step?

Regards

Barry

My only issue is that the disk came from some other place. Dunno if it is exactly a true disto clone or some added stuff.

Also it is the lts server version. Do you need it to be a server?

There are many good choices that may also work. I tend to like mint linux over ubuntu but don't know why but see fedora and opensuse and maybe any of the top 20 or 30 at distrowatch for a similar solution.

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!

I suggest that you look at Download Linux here on LQ for available ISO.

If you want Ubuntu << just click on this. It will take you to the LQ Ubuntu ISO download page.

One other thing is the 'md5sum' or 'hash' is very important to learn to use and too regularly get in the habit of utilizing it. You can get a sum checker for M$ if need be; 'md5sum.exe'.

For GNU/Linux the 'man md5sum' will get you all the information to perform the check. You can get the 'man command' from the 'cli' at anytime.

If you download the CD/DVD ISO then be sure to check the md5sum for the original ISO. From the cli;
If the ISO md5 is OK then you should check the image burn with 'CdromMd5sumsAfterBurning''.

This way you will know if the burn was OK!

This will check the download ISO with the known md5sum that you also get with the ISO. You should do the check for any download that you might perform, even a LiveCD. Plus burn the image. Sometimes you may need to lower the burn rate to get a valid burnt image.

:hattip: