Hi this is my first post. I have installed Ubuntu 9.04 on a number of identical PCs and they all behave the same. When they start they run through to a blank screen and all you can do is turn the PC off. Pressing [esc] while booting gives other options and selecting 'recovery mode' and then 'continue to boot', and it comes up fine.

I have tried all the options, checking files, checking memory, and I can find nothing out of order. I cannot read all the text that 'flies up the screen'. Does it write this to a log file somewhere?

I guess this is a small problem to someone that knows what they are doing, but with Linux, that's not me - not yet anyway!

The PCs use the Intel D845SEPI/D845GVSR motherboard and have 500meg of RAM and a Celleron running at 2.4gig.

I have a good understanding of XP but I don't know any of the Linux programs.

Any ideas please?

Regards, Andy

Welcome to LQ

Another user posted of a very similar situation recently (within the past week or so) where his Ubuntu would hang at the boot screen. His solution was to press the SPACEbar or some other keys repeatedly, which would cause the Ubuntu to continue to load normally.

I'm sorry I haven't got a link to that exact thread handy, but I'll have a look around and post a link to it if I find it.

I don't recall a real solution to his issue either, just the workaround of pressing a bunch of keys

Sasha

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...uttons-749411/

There we are.. See if that thread is much like your situation.

Sasha

Hi Sasha, thanks for that. I have had a look but it is not exactly the same. I have a number of PCs, all do the same thing. It reports a screenfull of 'end request I/O errors first time round, but works normally. Every subsequent run of the OS and it stops with a blank screen, as mentioned earlier, but thanks for the info.

Andy

OK, well if all the machines are identical, that makes sense that the same thing is happening to all of them.

The next step is for you to somehow provide us with the exact error messages that you're getting. There are several ways:

1) Check in /var/log/ for the various message & log files. This is almost always where all messages get logged on a Linux OS. You will want to examine the files dmesg, syslog, messages, and kernel.log (or their equivalent names on your machine), and there *might* be a file called "debug.log". the "dmesg" file is the first place I'd look. If that shows the stuff you see going up the screen, and the error messages, post us that dmesg file so we can have a look.

2) If there's NO indication of what's going on in there, your next bet is either pen & paper, or a screenshot with a camera, from which you can upload an attachment or post a picture to one of those paste-bin type of sites. Also, usually a well-times press of the SCROLL-LOCK key will pause the boot process.

Cheers!
Sasha

Hi Sasha,

I can get Ubuntu running by using the [esc] key sequence as mentioned earlier, but I don't know how to find/view files in this OS, let alone copy them to a memory stick to send them to you. At this point I ought to mention I am using a MAC for email and surfing, (with Firefox) so at least that is familiar.

Can I remove the HD and set it up as a slave in an XP machine? That way, (if it will read Ubuntu files) I am confident I can read and save them, and forward them to you if needed.

Alternatively, I can put the Ubuntu machine on the internet and attach the files. What is the Linux equivalent to Explorer for looking at / copying files?

Sorry I'm a bit of a dunce with this, but I am quite good on other things, honest!

Many thanks, Andy

Hi, that was easier than I thought. I have uploaded the files requested.

Andy

I don't know if this is relevent:
Sep 2 21:42:27 Lynux-Heather kernel: Inspecting /boot/System.map-2.6.28-11-generic
Sep 2 21:42:27 Lynux-Heather kernel: Cannot find map file.

Andy