i tried to run ubuntu and kubuntu with live cds, but after everything loaded and the little blue bar went across, the screen just goes black.

i have a pentium 4 32 bit processor 2.6 Ghz
Nvidia geforce fx 5200 and an S3 trio 32/64 (i tried them both)
512 mb ram
i also tried the safe graphics mode
i think it might be a hardware compatibility issue
any ideas?

Hey,

Are you getting any error messages on the screen after it goes black? The frequency might be off, hence the black screen.

Regards,

Brandon

edit: Not sure if you're able to do this, but others will let us know, can you boot into JUST the command prompt? Init(run level)3 I believe it is.

I have exactly the same problem. I have installed Xubuntu onto my laptop (Pentium III processor, 132Mb RAM). The OS will load up to a point (the progress bar goes right across the screen), then it goes black. There are no error messages: it goes completely black (although there is power going to the screen).

I have tried this with installing Xubuntu, running it from the live CD, installing the alternate CD, in both full and safe mode, all with the same result.

If the frequency is off, would plugging in to an external monitor make a difference? IS there a method of changing the frequency used?

Given the age of the hardware, wouldn't the monitor driver take care of that sort of thing?

Ta.