Ubuntu
ubiquity package

10.04 Boot disk fails to start

Asked by Andrew

I'm attempting to install Ubuntu 10.04 however the boot disk never fully starts. I've had 8.04 Hardy Heron running on this same hardware previously; the only exception is the hard drive is different. When I boot the image (ubuntu-10.04.2-desktop-i386.iso) I get the splash screen for awhile, the 5 dots cycle for awhile, and then suddenly I get a strange screen with black and white blocks and can do nothing else. I've attempt to boot from a CD, a DVD a usb thumb drive, but no luck. I've checked the MD5, looks fine. If I start up the same boot disks or thumb drive on my laptop, I get the installation/tesk drive desktop no problem. I'm not really sure whats wrong, possibly a missing driver for the graphics card? I've got a Nvidia GeForce 8600 with 2 dvi out, a dvi to vga adapter which is hooked up to my vga only monitor. The motherboard has no video out, so I can't test w/o the graphics card.

How would get logs or get some text output while the boot disk loads? Should I use an alternative image? Maybe different BIOS setting? Thanks in advance!

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Ubuntu ubiquity Edit question
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Solved by:
sikander3786
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Revision history for this message
marcus aurelius (adbiz) said : 		#1

did you check your memory for defects?
you can do that from the installation disk when you install ubuntu.

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Andrew (werdna) said : 		#2

Hi, thanks for your response. I gone through 2 passes of the memory check, no errors found. After messing around a bit, I've found that I can get logging while it loads by hitting esc. The last few lines I get before the black and white block pattern appears are:

Begin: Grant administrative PolicyKit privilages to default user... ...
Done.
Begin: Disabling gdm guest session functionality... ...
Done.
Begin set ubiquity favourite for UME... ...
No value set for '/apps/netbook-launcher/favorites/favorites_list'
No value set for '/apps/netbook-launcher/favorites/favorites_list'
No value set for key: '/apps/netbook-launcher/favorites/favorites_list'
Done.
Done.
Done.
Begin: Running /scripts/init-bottom ...
Done.
init: ureadahead-other main process (2516) terminated with status 4
init: ureadahead-other main process (2517) terminated with status 4
* Setting sensor limits
* Speech-dispatcher configured for user sessions

Revision history for this message
Ubfan (ubfan1) said : 		#3

Try pressing F6 early in the boot sequence to go directly to the language selection screen, avoiding the graphical install screens.Then you might be able to do a text install.

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Best sikander3786 (sikander3786) said : 		#4

Try using the 'nomodeset' boot parameter.

http://ubuntu4beginners.blogspot.com/2011/01/ubuntumaverick-blank-screen-problem.html

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#5

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/alternative-download#alternate
It's a textual installer, avoiding graphic issues...during installation. However, you could have at first reboot from hard drive (but as you will download latest driver, you could also avoid it).

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Andrew (werdna) said : 		#6

Thanks for the help guys. I've finally gotten everything together and I'm installing now! I ended up downloading the alternate installer, but ran into problems with my wireless keyboard, I couldn't get any response out of the language select screen. I went out and got a regular wired usb keyboard. Found that the wired keyboard didn't help, figured out I needed to be using PS2 input. Finally got the usb PS/2 adapter today, and it's worked great so far. Thanks!

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Andrew (werdna) said : 		#7

Thanks sikander3786, that solved my question.