Need Help installing xubuntu

trick_m0nkey

trick_m0nkey

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I'm trying to install Linux on my old 2.6 ghz P4 dell. I downloaded a live CD from the official website and, in order to be a simple as possible, had it boot into Live CD mode so I can just install it from there.
Unfortuanitly, I just get a black screen with a blinking cursor, and then after a while a loading bar, and then I get the command line interface. Same story for if I ask it to go straight to install.
I have no clue what to do with command line...google isnt helping, I've done a barrel roll, and I've reburned the image using the slowest possible way and it still does me. The computer has a gig of ram. Help?
 
Like I said in my post, it's a dell with 2.6 ghz p4, 1 gig of ram, 60 gig harddrive, pretty standard. I have no idea what esoteric hardware is.
 
Yes I've tried that. Tried going to other linux forums, the users there are hardly helpful.
 
It is hard to determine your issue without clearly indicating your problem. Also, you haven't posted your hardware specs or word by word error messages.

If you have issue getting your X to display your Window Manager and it worked using the live cd, your xorg.conf file might have been altered.

try running this command from the commandline, it will restart the X configuration wizard.

Code: 
 sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
 
From what I remember troubleshooting last time I had that issue I believe I had to edit my Xorg.conf to enter the correct resolution for my monitor because it just had the defaults. This was for Slack, but it was giving me a black screen. X will do that if it gets an error though. Did you check all the virtual spaces for error messages and also look for any log files being generated with error messages?
 
requiemnoise said:
It is hard to determine your issue without clearly indicating your problem. Also, you haven't posted your hardware specs or word by word error messages.

If you have issue getting your X to display your Window Manager and it worked using the live cd, your xorg.conf file might have been altered.

try running this command from the commandline, it will restart the X configuration wizard.

Code: 
 sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
Click to expand...

I dont know how much more clear I could be. I posted my computer specs more than once, in my origional post and in a reply. Please read those to find out the computer specs and come back.

I turn on my computer with the live CD in. The CD's integrety has been verified, it is the second burned copy.
I get to the login screen. If I do nothing and I select either Install or Boot from CD, I can hear my CD Drive running furiously, but there is only a black screen with a blinking cursor. After about 5 minutes, I see a loading bar. After this loading bar is done doing it's thing I get to the command prompt. There is no error message or anything but I'll post what it says when I get home.
And that's it. I did the "boot options" thing and put ACPI=off, that did nothing, I've tried booting in safe graphics mode, that did nothing. I'm very much a complete noob at linux and I have no idea what to do at this point. I've read forums for similar problems and there's not much in the way of clear instructions on how to troubleshoot further.
 
Try installing Ubuntu. With your specs, you should have no trouble installing it. If you had, say, a P2 that would be different. Sounds like XFCE doesn't dig your system for some reason.
 
Try looking around in /var (possibly in /var/log) and look for an Xorg.#.log file and see if there are any error messages to be found there. You can look in the syslog too, there could be something there and that is in /var/log.

Your system should be telling you what is wrong, you just have to know where to go to find it. Everything (especially errors) is sent somewhere.
 
trick_m0nkey said:
I dont know how much more clear I could be. I posted my computer specs more than once, in my origional post and in a reply. Please read those to find out the computer specs and come back.

I turn on my computer with the live CD in. The CD's integrety has been verified, it is the second burned copy.
I get to the login screen. If I do nothing and I select either Install or Boot from CD, I can hear my CD Drive running furiously, but there is only a black screen with a blinking cursor. After about 5 minutes, I see a loading bar. After this loading bar is done doing it's thing I get to the command prompt. There is no error message or anything but I'll post what it says when I get home.
And that's it. I did the "boot options" thing and put ACPI=off, that did nothing, I've tried booting in safe graphics mode, that did nothing. I'm very much a complete noob at linux and I have no idea what to do at this point. I've read forums for similar problems and there's not much in the way of clear instructions on how to troubleshoot further.
Click to expand...

If you are having an issue with a video display, it will be helpful to know more about your video card and your monitor.

Just run sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg for now. It will try to do a basic plug and play and run "/etc/init.d/gdm start." It that doesn't work, you might have to edit your xorg.conf. In order for people to help you edit that file, we need to know your video hardware.

Also try acpi=force apm=off

You might also have to deattach your firewire and usb devices beside mice and keyboard during the installation.
 
requiemnoise said:
If you are having an issue with a video display, it will be helpful to know more about your video card and your monitor.

Just run sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg for now. It will try to do a basic plug and play and run "/etc/init.d/gdm start." It that doesn't work, you might have to edit your xorg.conf. In order for people to help you edit that file, we need to know your video hardware.

Also try acpi=force apm=off

You might also have to deattach your firewire and usb devices beside mice and keyboard during the installation.
Click to expand...

Alright thank you for that. I will try these things and I'll see if I can get video info for now...but what I know is that it is an intergrated Intel video chipset, I just know exactly which one.
 
Yeah I had the same thing happen to me but i went found that when installing i got a error 16 SRST failed. I'm kind of new to Linux and it is my first time using it and I cant seem to get it install either.
 
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