new single install 12.10 not booting

[Bashing-om]

okkie;

Making progress ! Now for that leap forward; ( I strongly advise install 12.04 for long term stability) in the "try ubuntu" mode: booted to the desk top (12.10 version)-> left side of the screen is the "launcher" -> select " System Setting" ->in the task bar at the top of the screen -> Software Sources -> Additional Drivers (tab in software sources) --> install the recommended driver. Done with this stage. At this time play with ubuntu and check all your devices, that all works.

All is good ?? -> prepare to install ->

At the initial install screen are check boxes for 3rd party sofware, I recommend checking them to accept the proprietary software that ubuntu can not offer. That will install the needed graphics drivers and music/video codecs.
... now is the choice ///let the install wizard do all the install with a minimum amount of intercession on your part ( just the basic questions to establish a location and user account) OR manually set up the install. Manual install can be confusing the first couple of times one goes through it and most easily done with prior set up using GParted( as opposed to the installer's partitioner, that can also be used) to set up the partitions. That takes an awareness on your part as to how you intend to use your system. I will say this in advisement: a separate partition for /home can have its advantages, partition for "/" (which is "root") and partitions for data ...maybe separate for Windows (sharing) or dedicated for ubuntu partitions would be good things.

By far the simplest install is to choose to install ubuntu as the only operating system and "use the entire disk" The draw back to this is that you have 1TB size disk and the basic install will not make maximum use of it ...the installed operating system is but about 5 gigs. The good thing is that you may want to go ahead and do the simple install, get the hang of the new system and at a later time (re-)install ubuntu as you have found how you use the system and then partition accordingly.

The choice is yours, how now may I help?

[okkie]

additional drivers is blank.No recommended drivers
I have by the way got a 12.04 iso on CD but the machine failed to read it in the past.JUst mentioning it.

[Bashing-om]

okkie;

I am back. That - there are no additional drivers available- indicates you are perhaps running an old graphics card that may no longer be supported. Let's look and see what we are working with.
Boot up the live cd to the desk top and activate a terminal with the key combo ctl+alt+t.
To see your graphics card and info;
Post the output of terminal codes:

sudo lshw -C display
lspci -nnk | grep -iA3 vga

And by the way, as it may relate to bios, what version of Windows did the machine come with ?

one step at a time and we will get there

[okkie]

Hi Bash,Itrust this is whatn you are after.Just before grep in the second line there is a straightup line which the computer will not give me.I used forward slash and the machine put in the back slash.Might not be the desired result.Funny but the computer is suddenly extremely sluggish.

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo lshw -^C
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo lshw -c display
*-display UNCLAIMED
description: VGA compatible controller
product: NV34 [GeForce FX 5200]
vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
version: a1
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: pm agp agp-3.0 vga_controller bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=32 maxlatency=1 mingnt=5
resources: memory:ec000000-ecffffff memory:e0000000-e7ffffff memory:ed000000-ed01ffff
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ lspci -nnk \ grep -ia3 vga
Usage: lspci [<switches>]

Basic display modes:
-mm Produce machine-readable output (single -m for an obsolete format)
-t Show bus tree

Display options:
-v Be verbose (-vv for very verbose)
-k Show kernel drivers handling each device
-x Show hex-dump of the standard part of the config space
-xxx Show hex-dump of the whole config space (dangerous; root only)
-xxxx Show hex-dump of the 4096-byte extended config space (root only)
-b Bus-centric view (addresses and IRQ's as seen by the bus)
-D Always show domain numbers

Resolving of device ID's to names:
-n Show numeric ID's
-nn Show both textual and numeric ID's (names & numbers)
-q Query the PCI ID database for unknown ID's via DNS
-qq As above, but re-query locally cached entries
-Q Query the PCI ID database for all ID's via DNS

Selection of devices:
-s [[[[<domain>]:]<bus>]:][<slot>][.[<func>]] Show only devices in selected slots
-d [<vendor>]:[<device>] Show only devices with specified ID's

Other options:
-i <file> Use specified ID database instead of a3
-p <file> Look up kernel modules in a given file instead of default modules.pcimap
-M Enable `bus mapping' mode (dangerous; root only)

PCI access options:
-A <method> Use the specified PCI access method (see `-A help' for a list)
-O <par>=<val> Set PCI access parameter (see `-O help' for a list)
-G Enable PCI access debugging
-H <mode> Use direct hardware access (<mode> = 1 or 2)
-F <file> Read PCI configuration dump from a given file
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

[okkie]

previous install was windows xp

[mörgæs]

UEFI is not a problem here, but the graphics card is somewhat old.

Don't try to put Ubuntu on this computer, but Lubuntu 12.10 will work fine. Best is to begin with only open-source graphics drivers.

[Bashing-om]

+1 ...

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo lshw -^C
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo lshw -c display
*-display UNCLAIMED

means no graphics driver is loaded.

You will be much happier with a lighter version of 'buntu.

just my thoughts

[d0006]

Hi Bash,Itrust this is whatn you are after.Just before grep in the second line there is a straightup line which the computer will not give me.

Try SHIFT-backslash for the pipe symbol ( straightup line). On many keyboards this looks like two small vertical lines on top of each other. When you print it it looks like one vertical line (the pipe).

[okkie]

Thanks to all. Like everybody I want this computer to work right as it is the last one in my lifetime.I will go out today and find the best graphics card I can afford if one is available and report back

[mörgæs]

If you are planning on only standard use (office applications and the like, not playing heavy games) your present card will work fine. No need for spending money.