Distorted Display on Desktop
 

I am wanting to try using Linux again, and I liked Ubuntu the last time I messed around with it, so I got 6.10 and went to install it with the LiveCD and had a distorted display once the desktop appears. I saw that using the Alternative disc would help, so I got it, got Ubuntu installed, but when I get to the desktop the same graphical distortions come back (hard to explain. I can see mostly brown (the desktop I'm sure) with the task bar on the bottom (or at least a solid color stripe on the bottom of the screen that resembles the task bar) and everything that appears on the screen other than vague shapes and colors, like text and I am assuming the log in box as well as mouse cursor, are squished vertically, stretched horisontally and there are multi-colored "scan lines" running through everything. I tried using the recovery console to run the command:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

It went through it's thing and so I entered "startx" and it came back saying that no device was detected!

So I figure that maybe X doesn't work in this mode and go back to the normal boot and, while I no longer have the SAME distortions, I now I have the black Ubuntu loading screen with a green dotted line running down the center with red dotted lines appearing every few minutes just above or below the green line.

I don't know what the heck I need to do to get it running. I am guessing I am to install the drivers for my video card, but I can't do that without seeing what's going on it seems. I have nothing set up that I could do most of the possible solutions I have found blindly (that is, if everything is working fine behind the googly eyes I am seeing the situation from) because they require me to have internet access for apt-getting stuff, but since I haven't even set-up my wireless connection yet (and don't know how or if I can from the command line)...

I am pulling my hair out trying to fix this, but I am pretty much on noob on Linux so I can't do it alone.

SPEC TIME:

CPU: Intel Pentium D 975 Dual Core (3.4GHz)
MOBO: Abit IP-95
GPU: HIS ATI Radeon x1650 XT
RAM: 1536MB DDR400
HDD: 2x 250GB SATA1.5 Seagate Barracudas

Well, you should be able to login to your system by starting a terminal:
<CTRL><ALT><F1> will give you a login, <CTRL><ALT><F7> will take you back to your messed-up X display.
(sudo halt should turn off your computer cleanly from the terminal)

Once you have logged in, you'll need to check the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf and make sure you have your monitor's refresh rates right. Then restart X, or reboot, and see if you have fixed it. Otherwise repeat with a new console login......

If your display is OK with the run-from-live-CD setup, you could make a copy of the (obviously fuctioning) file
/etc/X11/xorg.conf and then use that to replace the "bad" one the install is giving you. You'll need to know how to do this from the terminal of course!

I see you have 2 posts, and you seem to be a bit new to linux, so I appreciate you might find the above quite difficult, although you'll certainly learn something about linux!

If your display is OK with the run-from-live-CD setup, you could make a copy of the (obviously fuctioning) file
/etc/X11/xorg.conf and then use that to replace the "bad" one the install is giving you.

Easier, and not quite so bleeding-edge, might be to try and install (k)ubuntu Dapper 6.06.1 which most people find installs easily. Then you can get used to how linux works from the relative convenience and safety of the GUI and play with the command line before you try a reinstall of 6.10 and get your hands really dirty!

Ubuntu's standard installation installs the Open Source graphics driver.
You would try the driver provided by ATI:
(If there's a message like "xorg-driver-fglrx" not found, you'll need to enable the "restricted software" section first.)
To get a console to work at, choose "recovery mode" in the GRUB menu that appears right after booting.

G'luck

I do appreciate the help but I guess something is not right. Opening the virtual consoles (ctrl+alt+f1-f6) just gives me a blank screen. No text, just black. It's possible this is because of a bad resolution and it IS working, I just can't see anything.

I know this would be a simple fix if only I could apt-get but I have to find a way to configure my USB wifi adapter so I can get online. I guess I could use my laptop to at least get on to fix the video... Hmm... I will see and post back :)

I'm sorry for that.

*Little me* would probably resume by trying to get a copy of the NVidia driver by using any other, working, computer.
NVidia.com offers drivers for Linux; I'm not sure how well they integrate.

Sorry again.

Nvidia drivers won't work with an ATI card. I have little ATI experience. If your mobo has an on board video, I'd try removing your ATI card for now and see if the same problems still occur after a live CD install. Once you have a working system you can address the ATI card again.