This sort of goes hand in hand with This thread, but since it's not an X problem (though I hope it's a step in the right direction) I figured I'd start a new thread.

Anyhow. The console/text portion of Linux on my Dell C600 only takes up the middle portion of the screen.

Like this.

Additionally, if I try to run up2date, or anything that gives one of those pseudo-graphical ANSI block install screens, all I see is blue - no text, no buttons, just a big blue square.

Which, as you might imagine, makes it rather difficult to diagnose.

Any ideas? BIOS update, possibly? Or would that do nothing for the video?

TIA