Ubuntu (or just Linux in general) Hates me.

DoctorArch

So I get me a hankerin to try me some linux of the Ubuntu or Kubuntu flavors, and what happens is nothing, absolutely nothing. I had posted this earlier in Help & Advice, and Menthol did his best to help me, but nothing seems to be working, and so, I plead my case before G&T.

I've download the Live cd's for both distros (6.10), burn them at a slow speed, verify both for errors with their respective cd verifiers, and neither will load up with their Live (non install) version.

Ubuntu will get to the point where it will play the startup tune, and then I'll see a garbled graphic which I can only assume is the welcome screen, and stop there. The system doesn't hang, the mouse still moves, but no combination of keystrokes seems to work. After I installed with the alternate/text install, it got me to the login screen, but repeated the graphic problem immediately thereafter.

Similar situation happens with Kubuntu, both when I run the live version, and I when install it. Kubuntu loads to a blue screen, and then nothing more, short of the mouse cursor I can happily move around.

I have played with every graphical setting I can think of (vga, 640x480) to no avail, ctrl-alt-backspace does nothing when Ubuntu/Kubuntu loads, I have to do a hard restart. A friendly fellow (Menthol) recommended in H&A to try booting into failsafe mode and running SAX2, but when I (think) I did that, it never recognized the command.

I have also downloaded the Live desktop CD for a previous Ubuntu version (6.06 Dapper Dan) but it produced the same graphical error as 6.10.

I am trying to dual boot Ubuntu and XP, but while I've been playing with my linux install, I've unhooked my XP drive to eliminate any problems on that end (plus I don't want to accidentally wipe my XP drive when I mess with partitions).

If it helps, my PC is an AMD64x2 3800, 2 gb ram, Geforce 7800GT, linksys wireless internet card, 21 inch widescreen lcd, beyond those nothing else probably matters.

I'm at the end of my rope on trying out these distros, and any help would be very welcome. If I can't get Ubuntu/Kubuntu to work, I downloaded Fedora Core 6 DVD to give it a go, but I think I would enjoy Ubuntu more.

For the Future

You are installing Edgy Eft?


Damn man, Ubuntu is so easy to install I can't imagine how someone could fuck it up.

DoctorArch

For the Future wrote:

You are installing Edgy Eft?


Damn man, Ubuntu is so easy to install I can't imagine how someone could fuck it up.

1. Not very helpful.

2. Considering I popped in the Live desktop CD that is supposed to load Ubuntu into memory and it gives me the same problem as an install does, your point is moot.

3. Don't be a jackass.

4. Any actual help from someone else other than For the Future (who is probably jailed for good reason) is appreciated.

Sir Red of the Manti

BAM!
Doublecheck your hardware against those lists. Chances are something in your machine might not be supported yet. Also, check your distros in another machine to see where they can get to.

rayofash

It's probbably incompatible with your graphics card or some other hardware. For the longest time it wouldn't work with my monitor unless it was 640x480. After I plugged in the correct monitor dimensions it allowed me to go to 32bit 1024x768.

DoctorArch

Sir Red of the Manti wrote:

BAM!
Doublecheck your hardware against those lists. Chances are something in your machine might not be supported yet. Also, check your distros in another machine to see where they can get to.

It appears my geforce 7800gt is compatible, and the only thing that might not be is my wireless card. From the site you linked, I may have found an option that will let me re-install my drivers from a command line, so I have to find out exactly how to boot to text upon start up, and to see if I can do some sudo magic.

Rayofash, maybe it is my monitor, it's a 21 inch widescreen lcd. So far, every resolution I've tried at startup hasn't worked, be it vga, 640x480, 16 or 32 bit.

In a humbling moment, I just popped in one of my live 6.10 discs into my wife's laptop, and it's wonderful to see Ubuntu actually working while my custom rig does not.

Dritz

Have you tried Dapper Drake (the previous release). There are some changed features between Dapper and Edgy but nothing major and Dapper seems much more stable from what I've heard and experienced.

DoctorArch

Dritz wrote:

Have you tried Dapper Drake (the previous release). There are some changed features between Dapper and Edgy but nothing major and Dapper seems much more stable from what I've heard and experienced.

Tried and failed, same problem as the Edgy releases of Ubuntu & Kubuntu. I thought it could be a problem with both of my harddrives being NTFS, so I reformatted one to Fat32, unplugged the other NTFS (the one that still has XP) and tried to run both live desktop, and a manual install, to no avail. Same old graphical glitch nightmare.

After watching Ubuntu actually startup on my wife's laptop, the graphic that loads up garbled and does not go away is the startup graphic that has the ubuntu logo, and a text message on the very bottom saying what things are being loaded.

Boot2TheHead

Look man, I'm a software engineer for a living and installing Linux (the three flavors that I tried) drove me up the fuckin wall. I write software so some other person won't have to work hard. I don't want to have a FREAKIN OS that requires me to work hard.

People ask me about Linux, I say this: if you don't really like to use a command line, don't bother. Linux is for people who are just itching to hit Start->Run->cmd[Enter] in Windows XP. I got over that shit in like 1990.

If you decide to continue on this path I hope that the Geek Gold Star that gets stuck to your forehead gives you a major woody. Like the Boner Of All Time. Because that's all that you'll get for your hard work. On the other hand if you really need to set up a LAMP server, then maybe it'd be worth it.

Edit: one other thing, if you ask me, you should install Linux on the most vanilla PC possible. Ps2 mouse/kb. CRT monitor. AGP video card or onboard. Intel processor. 4 yr old mobo. AC97 sound on board. You get the idea.

Linux hates everyone because it was invented by SATAN. Yeah, you heard me, the prince of darkness.

DoctorArch

Boot2TheHead wrote:

Look man, I'm a software engineer for a living and installing Linux (the three flavors that I tried) drove me up the fuckin wall. I write software so some other person won't have to work hard. I don't want to have a FREAKIN OS that requires me to work hard.

People ask me about Linux, I say this: if you don't really like to use a command line, don't bother. Linux is for people who are just itching to hit Start->Run->cmd[Enter] in Windows XP. I got over that shit in like 1990.

If you decide to continue on this path I hope that the Geek Gold Star that gets stuck to your forehead gives you a major woody. Like the Boner Of All Time. Because that's all that you'll get for your hard work. On the other hand if you really need to set up a LAMP server, then maybe it'd be worth it.

Edit: one other thing, if you ask me, you should install Linux on the most vanilla PC possible. Ps2 mouse/kb. CRT monitor. AGP video card or onboard. Intel processor. 4 yr old mobo. AC97 sound on board. You get the idea.

Linux hates everyone because it was invented by SATAN. Yeah, you heard me, the prince of darkness.

Wow, I'd hate to see what you'd say to people who put together airplane models as a hobby. Or crochet. Or try to run a mile in under five minutes for no reason other than just to see if they could or because they enjoy the challenge or find it fun and invigorating.

Seriously, calm down. I'm trying to install the easiest version of linux that I know of as a hobby. It's not working, I don't know why, and I'm asking if anybody does, and which for the most part, people have been as helpful as they can be.

FyreWulff

How old is your CD burner? It's possible it could be going south and just making bad burns.

Have you tried downloading Live CDs of other distros (like Knoppix or Mandriva) and seeing if they work?

Marlor

It definitely sounds like some sort of hardware incompatibility, but really it could be anything.

The problem is that there isn't a specific error message being reported, so any suggestions really would just be speculation. Unless someone has the same hardware as you do, and has had the same error, then I don't think there will be an easy answer.

It might help if you post the full specs of your machine (i.e the exact brand and model of your mobo, video card, etc).

DigDug2000

Sounds like hardware to me too. Do you have an alternative graphics card / onboard graphics you can run through just for testing? Or use a different monitor? Doing stuff like that might help you track down the problem.

Also, this gives me a chance to pimp out E-Live as an alternative LiveCD option.

phoeniks

I'll give a nod to the Compatibility theory. To test it out for real, get a different live cd and give it a whirl. Something like knoppix or mepis or kororaa. The only difference between ubuntu and kubuntu (as far as I know) is the desktop environment (gnome vs kde). It's the same underlying OS, so having it fail twice doing the same thing isn't really telling you anything new. Mepis and knoppix are both debian-base (like ubuntu) so they might also share issues, so ultimately, a non-debian live cd is optimal for your situation, but I think knoppix should probably be fine.

racyrefinedraj

Ubuntu will get to the point where it will play the startup tune,

Do you mean the bongos before you log in or the longer noise after you log in? in other words, can you log in?

also,

Have you tried downloading Live CDs of other distros (like Knoppix or Mandriva) and seeing if they work?

Ubuntu is great, but there's nothing magic about it. If Fedora or SUSE or whatever boots up and installs without messing around with it, don't even look back.

racyrefinedraj

Boot2TheHead wrote:

Look man, I'm a software engineer for a living and installing Linux (the three flavors that I tried) drove me up the fuckin wall. I write software so some other person won't have to work hard. I don't want to have a FREAKIN OS that requires me to work hard.

How long has it been since you've tried installing linux? Seems like it gets easier and easier as time goes on. Hardware compatibility can still be a bit of a crap shoot, but if your hardware is supported it's a hell of a lot easier than installing, say, windows.

noweat

are you still trying to troubleshoot this?

i'm not sure if those live cd's write to the logs, but since it's all cached in ram it's worth checking to see if you can see if something obvious is listed in the x11 log.

if you boot into the single user mode or even runlevel 3 and login via the prompt then you can assume that your system runs at a basic compatability level and start trying different options to troubleshoot further.

short of that, someone else mentioned trying a different live boot distro like knoppix. that seems like an excellent starting spot, but if you're determined to get a ubuntu version running then you'd have to play with the windows manager or the xorg settings. dropping down to using the basic vesa driver or making sure the right nvidia driver is being used instead of the generic nv, etc.

victor_c26

Usually when X crashes with graphical glitchs and errors, it means your video card isn't supported with the loaded drivers. Try running in VESA mode, and installing the drivers after installation.

You can also try the alternate installation ISO, instead of installing throught the Live CD GUI interface. It installs with the old 4-bit color installer.

Boot2TheHead

How long has it been since you've tried installing linux? Seems like it gets easier and easier as time goes on. Hardware compatibility can still be a bit of a crap shoot, but if your hardware is supported it's a hell of a lot easier than installing, say, windows.

Coupla years. But at the time Linux (red hat) was supposed to be easy to install. I was specifically trying to install Mono to run a .NET app under Linux. On windows you'd get this nice single file or folder with a program that installed for you. In Linux you had to install a lot of "supplemental" files from the command line before you could install Mono. The whole experience made me realize that, even in software, you get what you pay for

japan

Boot2TheHead wrote:

-- troubles --

I think you discovered what Debian fanboys disparagingly refer to as "dependency hell." It's one of the weaknesses of the .rpm packaging method.

StormyWaters

Honestly, I'd ask for help on the ubuntu forums. I've had to before, the guys are quite good there. I'm a little confused on how far your setup is-if it's in fact installedlike I think, is it possible for you to get in and change to runlevel 2 instead of 5? That way you can at least manually turn on X, instead of having it be automatic. I learned to do that a very long time ago because autoloading graphics=bad idea :P

foursquareman

Hey, I had exactly the same problem. Don't sweat it. The driver that ubuntu is using for your video card doesn't work, but it's an easy fix.

When the boot menu shows up, press F6. This will give you a list of commands. Delete the word "splash" and enter in "break=bottom" (without quotes) and press enter.

This will start the boot process, but interrupt it before it gets to any graphical screen. You will get to a prompt. Type in "chroot /root nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf". This is the config file for X. Scroll down to where it says "Device". Under that heading there should be an entry of "driver nv". Change the "nv" to "vesa" and save and exit. At the prompt type in "exit" and the boot process will continue, using a generic driver that won't mess up the display.

Once you install Ubuntu, install the proper nvidia driver, and it will work beautiful.

DoctorArch

foursquareman wrote:

Hey, I had exactly the same problem. Don't sweat it. The driver that ubuntu is using for your video card doesn't work, but it's an easy fix.

When the boot menu shows up, press F6. This will give you a list of commands. Delete the word "splash" and enter in "break=bottom" (without quotes) and press enter.

This will start the boot process, but interrupt it before it gets to any graphical screen. You will get to a prompt. Type in "chroot /root nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf". This is the config file for X. Scroll down to where it says "Device". Under that heading there should be an entry of "driver nv". Change the "nv" to "vesa" and save and exit. At the prompt type in "exit" and the boot process will continue, using a generic driver that won't mess up the display.

Once you install Ubuntu, install the proper nvidia driver, and it will work beautiful.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll try this tonight, but when you say interrupt, how do I do this, with ctrl-alt-backspace?

Mr.FragBait

Archgarth wrote:

foursquareman wrote:

Hey, I had exactly the same problem. Don't sweat it. The driver that ubuntu is using for your video card doesn't work, but it's an easy fix.

When the boot menu shows up, press F6. This will give you a list of commands. Delete the word "splash" and enter in "break=bottom" (without quotes) and press enter.

This will start the boot process, but interrupt it before it gets to any graphical screen. You will get to a prompt. Type in "chroot /root nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf". This is the config file for X. Scroll down to where it says "Device". Under that heading there should be an entry of "driver nv". Change the "nv" to "vesa" and save and exit. At the prompt type in "exit" and the boot process will continue, using a generic driver that won't mess up the display.

Once you install Ubuntu, install the proper nvidia driver, and it will work beautiful.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll try this tonight, but when you say interrupt, how do I do this, with ctrl-alt-backspace?

He means that by replacing "splash" with "break=bottom", it will interupt it for you, before it can start using the video driver and fuck up.

Mr Blonde

I just found this, it is all sorts of awesome.

Basically it uses an image so you don't have to repartition your hard drives.

DoctorArch

Mr.FragBait wrote:

Archgarth wrote:

foursquareman wrote:

Hey, I had exactly the same problem. Don't sweat it. The driver that ubuntu is using for your video card doesn't work, but it's an easy fix.

When the boot menu shows up, press F6. This will give you a list of commands. Delete the word "splash" and enter in "break=bottom" (without quotes) and press enter.

This will start the boot process, but interrupt it before it gets to any graphical screen. You will get to a prompt. Type in "chroot /root nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf". This is the config file for X. Scroll down to where it says "Device". Under that heading there should be an entry of "driver nv". Change the "nv" to "vesa" and save and exit. At the prompt type in "exit" and the boot process will continue, using a generic driver that won't mess up the display.

Once you install Ubuntu, install the proper nvidia driver, and it will work beautiful.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll try this tonight, but when you say interrupt, how do I do this, with ctrl-alt-backspace?

He means that by replacing "splash" with "break=bottom", it will interupt it for you, before it can start using the video driver and fuck up.

Ah, I read that wrong, I see it now. Thanks for the clarification. Damn word tenses and tone emphasis that is lacking on the internet.