Ubuntu
 

New to the forums and to Linux. I down loaded ubuntu 9.04 to dvd, not a cd because I do not have a cd burner. I was wanting to set up a duel booting Xp and ubuntu system, (e8400 p5q-pro 4 gig ddr2 BFG GTX 260 video card). I went through the setup and got the option at boot to go to xp or ubuntu. Xp boots fine. Ubuntu will not boot. It goes to a flashing _ on a blank screen and will not go any further. I had a friend tell to hit Ctrl Alt F1 at this point but it still does not do anything. Any suggestions?

If I understand correctly, the installation completed successfully and upon re-boot you were unable to boot Ubuntu? Are you using the xp bootloader or Ubuntu Grub to boot? If you are using Grub, what is in your /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Perhaps you could post it? Can you use your Install CD and from a terminal run the command: sudo fdisk l (lower case Letter L) and post that partition information here.

Did you run the Ubuntu CD as a Live CD to try it out before installing to see if things worked? Video card drivers?

Make that

sudo fdisk -l

I'm thinking it might be video, too. While in that live cd and terminal, try 'lspci' and see exactly what it says for Video even though you've said what you have.

I'm also wondering when you did Ctrl Alt F1, did you see a black screen with any text on it? If it has 'login' on it, that is good and almost surely means this is video related. If you don't see 'login' there, look at Ctrl Alt F2 and F3 up to F8. Let us know if you see any text on any of them. It could be that it is hung trying to boot. one of those screens usually has the messages.

Slightly off topic but you can burn a CD with a DVD burner....

I always install with CDs---partly because I always install the minimum and then add from repositories.

Ok wow, thanks all for the information. I was attempting to us Grub and from that screen I got to the flashing cursor. I tried to run it first from the 2nd option on the live CD as an app in XP and nothing happend. I then ran the first option on the live CD and it took me through the setup screens. Even asking me to partition my C: drive and getting name, location information. It then said it was done and to reboot. The Grub came up and I selected Ubuntu, it was listed as the 2nd option below Xp home. This is when I got the the flashing cursor/underline. I attempted the Ctrl Alt F1 here. I can not get the live CD to run anything but the start screen with the 3 options. Video card is BFG GTX 260 with the nvidia driver that came with it I think is is version 1.4. I tried all of the CTrl alt Fs and nothing comes up. I have now tried to remove it and start over. Used Xp disk manager to remove the partition but I am not sure how to get rid of the Grub. I am considering doing a new install of Xp and starting over. Thanks again for the help

Once you remove the linux partition, grub will no longer boot windows, because it uses files that were on that linux partition. You can restore windows boot without reinstalling if you have a windows install cd. Start Recovery Console and run fixmbr. That will get rid of grub and let you boot windows. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058

Since nothing showed on Ctrl Alt F1, I'm guessing this was not a video problem. That should have given you a console with login if the system had booted. There are other possibilities.

There should be an option that says to run without installing. That is the LiveCD. There is a way to install it within windows which is called wubi, but I think you do that by opening the cd while you are in windows.
That makes virtual space in your windows partition, installs, and then gives you two options when you boot. You do not repartition doing it that way. You can also uninstall it just like any other windows program.

You said there were 3 options and you ran first 2 and then 1. What was option 3?

The third option was just a link to the Ubuntu home page. Not really anything to load. When trying to load the wubi I can fill out the information and after it ejects the cd and then wants me to reboot. I do so and it gives me Grub. I select ubuntu and it does the same thing as before. I have no way of running wubi as a program in windows. Again thanks for the help.

That's odd. It doesn't sound like you have the regular Desktop version. I got the Desktop version of 9.04 recently and put it on usb. I just booted it and it has 5 options: Run without install, install, check memory, check drive (I think it was), and one other thing. It doesn't sound like you got the same thing.

I got it here http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download and used the 32 bit version of 9.04. To put it on a usb stick: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...n/FromUSBStick. I guess you would use Unetbootin.

You can get wubi here. There is a little link that says Try Wubi now. It will download wubi.exe which you then run on windows.
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloadmirrors#wubi Wubi is a really easy install. I've done that a couple times. Of course, it still depends on your hardware.

Ok thats the same place I downloaded from. When I reboot after running wubi if i go with the ubuntu it just takes me to the flashing cursor and blank page. If i go with Xp it does not do anything and I have no exe file to go into wubi. So I am not sure what the next step is other than starting over. When I went to the http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloadmirrors#wubi link, it brings up the menu I was working from.
Thanks again

Are you saying that you installed with wubi and now selecting Ubuntu gives the blank page. XP doesn't do anything? Do you mean that it will no longer boot either?

Did you ever actually install with a cdrom? It must have been, because you said that it had you repartition? I found something that says that some folks got the blinking cursor like you and solved it this way:

Put the cdrom in and boot. Select install, but before you press ENTER, press F6 for special options. Type the following to the end of the line:

noapic nolapic

Then press ENTER.

If you would rather not try linux, but need to get windows going, then check that link I gave you earlier about getting to the recovery console and running fixmbr.

Xp is up and running, I am trying to figure out how to get to fixmbr, Xp home does not want me to go there. I have got rid of the disk partition with disk manager. I do not get an install option with the disk in during boot, just the Grub asking for Xp or ubuntu boot. So at that screen hit F6 and type in noapic nolapic? Any suggestions on a different linux build for a very bad newbie? I am learning a lot thanks again

try PC Linux. it's friendly ubu isn't

Newbie gets an Idea. Went to bios and looked at boot directory. I moved my cd rom to primary. It booted from the Cd to ubuntu. It is now asking for a id and password which I have not set up yet. So I am now looking to see what the default is. Thanks again everyone for your help.

Ok I got it loaded but now I am getting Grub loading Error 17 and it freezes. And now no Xp.

I am in Ubuntu now. How do I get back to Xp when I am getting the Error 17 on the Grub?