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.
I have attempted to install two versions ubunto & mint from OEM cd, ISO and VM and get the same results the load page flashes then disappears (no signal) I can hear it finish loading (startup chime) can someone help without doing bios hacks as I'm not that experienced in that area!
Are you referring to your display going into no signal?
There may be an issue with your video card. if it's ATI or nvidia you may need to use one of their drivers
It could also be the frame buffer is trying to display at a resolution that isn't supported by your monitor.
as for ubuntu you can hit F4 at the boot options and try "Safe graphics mode" or you may even have to boot into a text based installer do the install then correct any video issues post installation.
A search on ubuntu community forums showed this issue in a few threads.
Yes, I tried F4 "safe graphics mode" and all it did was flash text so fast you cant read it, had to do a manual shut down! I have also updated my on-board nvidia graphics driver(from nvidia)VGA res. is set at 1024x768 75hz is this supported? I have also tried 800x600 60hz (native) and all combos in between!
As for booting into a "text based installer" I don't understand what or how this is done!
I have looked at some threads but those answers are beyond my comfort level!
Honestly had hoped I was doing something wrong and there was a simple fix!
what was the text that flashed across the screen im assuming your referring to the boot process in its "raw" form as it were in which case this is normal? did you just manually power it down before it finished??
I tried again and let it flash for 15 min. (how long should it take?) before manual shutdown, the following is part of the flashing text;
.com>
reading package index... done
something about reading the existing 120768 files (sorry I missed the exact text and location)
writing new source list
source list entries for this disc are:
deb cdrom:[ubuntu 9.10_Karmic Koala_-release i386(20091028.5)]/ karmic main restricted
repeat process for the rest of the CDs in your set.
W: skipping non-existing file /cdrom/dists/karmic/main/binary-i386/packages
W: skipping non-existing file /cdrom/dists/karmic/main/restricted/binary-i386/packages
the rest goes into build dates and then run commands as administrator "root" & "sudo" etc...
~(Ubuntu$_
I let it flash well beyond the cdrom and hd have stopped spinning!
(note: this is actually the second page the first one only flashes once and then goes to the text shown above also the monitor is starting in 640x480 60HZ)
question: after the flashing bar comes up on your monitor can you try hitting ctl+alt+f2 and tell us if you get a login prompt please. i had the same thing with ubuntu. in my case it was due to a video driver issue with ubuntu 10.4 or something like that. if your case is the same and the system doesnt lock up your keyboard ( had this happen with ubuntu as well) then you can use the ctl+alt+f2 to log in to a shell and edit how the machine is booted and the drivers or rather mode that it will start in.
are you saying your keyboard locks up? for example: if you hit the number lock key ( top left corner of the number key pad) that the number lock light does not go on and off?
if the above is the case i had the same problem and gave up on it. in my case it was something about karmic koala that was trying to load a messed up video setting. you should be able to get it to load up an installer when your asked at in th e start of the install process to load basic video drivers. Are you not seeing that option or is the option to load basic video drivers not working either? please try rebooting th ecd once more and watch for the option.this is a screen shot of the install screen. its small but if you look at the bottom it will ask you to pick a mode with F4. from that point you can choose basic video install.
HOWEVER, if you saying that you already performed the install and are getting a system lock after seeing your system spit some text across the screen then thats something else. I also had issues after getting it running ( the BETA 9.10 karmic koala ). If you already have it installed we will have to get you into a shell login. maybe someone else here can help out with stopping x from loading with out actually having to load x to get to a prompt with ubuntu. i think shift f10 will do if pushed during initial load up. anyways, can you tell me again if your TRYING to install or if you have ALREADY installed ubuntu?
No I did not try Num. lock, tried Ctrl+alt+f2 did not work but Arrows do. The manual shut down was due to the never ending loop of flashing text after starting in "safe graphics mode".
Trying to Test Drive from CD before first install.
As for F4 options I wanted to clarify the wording, You asked about starting with "to load basic video drivers" the only option close is "install drivers from CD" I know stupid question! As I'm sure I know the answer, but at this point I want to be thorough!!
Will installing these basic drivers mess with already installed video drivers?
This is my boot order;
Restart
boot from CDROM
enter for English
F4 safe graphics mode enter, enter
flashes first boot page +/- 5 sec.
second page flashes every .5 sec. never ending!
manual or forced shut down
do you think this might be helpful? its a step by step for video card issues during install i think ( if that is what the problem is). I would have thought maybe someone else would have jumped in on this thread. To be honest, once i went to f4 and used the basic video drivers ( which are for the install portion only) i was able to get it running. However, karmic koala crashed on me all the time which made me dump it. hope this helps.
sorry i couldnt help you more. I had issues trying to get ubuntu koala installed. went through the basic videa driver thing and still had issues. well i hope you get it resolved.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.