Ubuntu

Xubuntu 7.04 Installation Problems...Black Screen and Wierd Stuff

Asked by Evan Delaney

Okay, so I pop the CD into the drive and boot it up. Now I select the first option to install. When it starts installing...I get the Xubuntu logo and then it eventually transitions to a loading sequence where I can see "Starting Key Parameters [OK], etc..." Then all of a sudden my screen displays these messed up colors and skews of colors, and a few seconds later, my screen goes black. Soon after an X appears in the center of the screen...then later the X changes to a little white circle with some grey trails spinning around in the middle to indicate something might be loading...then the circle disappears and a white cursor appears in the black screen that cannot move. Eventually that disappears and I am stuck with the black screen again.

I have been running the installation since last night, and the CD is still spinning up and spinning down in the drive, and the screen is still black.

Sometimes my computer sounds like it just restarted, but it doesn't indicate it, and sometimes I'll see the X reappear and disappear and the white circle do the same thing.

It is a weak portable computer with these specs:
650 Mhz Pent. III
128 MB RAM
9 GB HDD
Some random video card I don't even know the name of.

Please help, thanks.

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Answered
For:
Ubuntu Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
David A. Benitez (dbenitez) said : 		#1

Can you please describe to me what install CD of Xubuntu you are using (for example, the Desktop edition, Server edition, or Alternate install CD)?

If the CD drive is spinning up and down consistently it probably means that power management _may_ be messing around with it.

Feel free to try the method of installation shown below _ONLY_ if you have a constant and fast internet connection:
<https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/MinimalCD>

The link above will bring you to the Minimal CD installer. Its size is about 8 MB, so your drive should be able to read that before it locks up.
I have a very good feeling you are having the same issues that I had with my CD drive. This Minimal install CD should be better. Feel free to follow the instructions on that page.

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Revision history for this message
Evan Delaney (xxmasterofalltradesxx) said : 		#2

The laptop is completely wiped, and wouldn't have access to the internet. And anyway Ubuntu is too powerful to run on it...it's a Toshiba and it's about a 7 year old laptop...

Revision history for this message
Wim (launchpad-xs4all) said : 		#3

(Is your display VGA-capable ?!?)
On an old Dell PC (586 on 400 MHz, 128 Mb memory) i had similar installation behaviour while installing 7.04. But the Xubuntu 6.06.1 installation went fine:
 + <f2> keep the installation language EN
 + <f4> set your display to VGA
 + At every screen wait a little wile before filling in and pressing <Enter>
After installation you can set the Default Language to your own language.
But the first time you reboot and log-in, you must wait a long time before you can work on your old PC; later on the PC is ready sooner.

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Evan Delaney for more information if necessary.

To post a message you must log in.