Dell Dimension 8200 clean install problem

[stangjc]

I'm having trouble trying to install Ubuntu 9.04 on my dell dimension 8200. Every time it hangs up on the start splash screen after I select the language only showing the pointer, even on safe graphic mode and oem install. I don't wont to go back to windows!!! Please help.

[Sef]

Instead of installing, go down to "Check Disk for Errors" (or something similar.) Make sure that the disk and iso are good.

[stangjc]

I did check the disk and none were found. I used the same disk to do installs on three other computers that I built with no problems. For some reason it just don't like this POS dell computer. Any other advice?

[paulop]

Hi stangjc, I'm having exactly the same problems as you with my Dimension 8200. Did you manage to solve the issue and get it to install? I've see other users say they can get 9.04 installed OK on an 8200 so it must be feasible. I tried various different boot options by using the F6 key but no luck yet.

[presence1960]

if your dell will boot from a usb try making a bootable USB with unetbootin (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/) or

Try the alternate text based installer (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloadmirrors#alternate)

[Talar]

I'm having a similar problem. Installing with the alternate installer seemed to work at first, but the system wont boot up after install. I'll let you know if I figure it out.

Edit: Starting it up with the 9.10 live cd works much better, probably has to do with the graphics card and acceleration effects.

[presence1960]

I'm having a similar problem. Installing with the alternate installer seemed to work at first, but the system wont boot up after install. I'll let you know if I figure it out.

Edit: Starting it up with the 9.10 live cd works much better, probably has to do with the graphics card and acceleration effects.

Let's get a better look at your setup & boot process. Boot the Ubuntu Live CD/USB. Choose "try ubuntu without any changes", when the desktop loads come back here and do the following:

1. Download the boot info script. There is a link in my signature.
2. Once downloaded move the boot info script to the desktop.
3. Open a terminal and run the command
sudo bash ~/Desktop/boot_info_script*.sh

This will create a RESULTS.txt file on the desktop. Paste the entire contents of that file back here. Once pasted highlight all text and click the # sign on the toolbar to place code tags around the text.

See here (http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/) for more info on the boot info script.

[Talar]

It has been a while, but I have now decided to attack the problem again. Trying to boot the system with a 10.10b disc gives the same problem, I can briefly see some symbol in the bottom of the screen, then the screen just goes black and doesn't seem to get any video input at all.

presence1960, I followed your instructions using a 9.10 livecd and have pasted the output below.





Boot Info Script 0.55 dated February 15th, 2010

============================= Boot Info Summary: ==============================

=> Grub 2 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda and looks on the same drive in
partition #1 for /grub.

sda1: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: ext2
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System:
Boot files/dirs: /grub/grub.cfg /grub/core.img

sda2: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: Extended Partition
Boot sector type: Unknown
Boot sector info:

sda5: __________________________________________________ _______________________

File system: LVM2_member
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:

=========================== Drive/Partition Info: =============================

Drive: sda ___________________ __________________________________________________ ___

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders, total 625142448 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00006804

Partition Boot Start End Size Id System

/dev/sda1 * 2,048 499,711 497,664 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 501,758 625,141,759 624,640,002 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 501,760 625,141,759 624,640,000 8e Linux LVM


blkid -c /dev/null: __________________________________________________ __________

Device UUID TYPE LABEL

/dev/loop0 squashfs
/dev/sda1 e6db77a8-100c-481c-a478-955a91c245d3 ext2
/dev/sda5 0IB2XP-6M8D-qbMg-Bx8x-V71V-10gm-vHJtPW LVM2_member

============================ "mount | grep ^/dev output: ===========================

Device Mount_Point Type Options

aufs / aufs (rw)
/dev/sr0 /cdrom iso9660 (rw)
/dev/loop0 /rofs squashfs (rw)


============================= sda1/grub/grub.cfg: =============================

#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by /usr/sbin/grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ ${prev_saved_entry} ]; then
set saved_entry=${prev_saved_entry}
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then
saved_entry=${chosen}
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}
insmod lvm
insmod ext2
set root='(ubuntu-root)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 2cdd44fd-1c6e-44ce-a381-83d61d3359b7
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=640x480
insmod gfxterm
insmod vbe
if terminal_output gfxterm ; then true ; else
# For backward compatibility with versions of terminal.mod that don't
# understand terminal_output
terminal gfxterm
fi
fi
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set e6db77a8-100c-481c-a478-955a91c245d3
set locale_dir=($root)/grub/locale
set lang=C.UTF-8
insmod gettext
if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-21-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set e6db77a8-100c-481c-a478-955a91c245d3
linux /vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu-root ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-21-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set e6db77a8-100c-481c-a478-955a91c245d3
echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.32-21-generic ...'
linux /vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu-root ro single
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set e6db77a8-100c-481c-a478-955a91c245d3
linux16 /memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set e6db77a8-100c-481c-a478-955a91c245d3
linux16 /memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
if [ ${timeout} != -1 ]; then
if keystatus; then
if keystatus --shift; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=0
fi
else
if sleep --interruptible 3 ; then
set timeout=0
fi
fi
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###

=================== sda1: Location of files loaded by Grub: ===================


.0GB: grub/core.img
.0GB: grub/grub.cfg
.0GB: initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
.0GB: vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
=========================== Unknown MBRs/Boot Sectors/etc =======================

Unknown BootLoader on sda2

00000000 70 65 72 00 46 61 69 6c 65 64 20 74 6f 20 69 6e |per.Failed to in|
00000010 69 74 69 61 6c 69 7a 65 20 64 72 69 76 65 72 20 |itialize driver |
00000020 69 6e 74 65 72 66 61 63 65 00 00 00 44 72 69 76 |interface...Driv|
00000030 65 72 20 69 6e 74 65 72 66 61 63 65 20 72 65 6a |er interface rej|
00000040 65 63 74 65 64 20 64 72 69 76 65 72 5f 70 61 72 |ected driver_par|
00000050 61 6d 20 27 25 73 27 00 44 72 69 76 65 72 20 69 |am '%s'.Driver i|
00000060 6e 74 65 72 66 61 63 65 20 72 65 70 6c 61 63 65 |nterface replace|
00000070 64 20 69 6e 74 65 72 66 61 63 65 20 6e 61 6d 65 |d interface name|
00000080 20 77 69 74 68 20 27 25 73 27 00 00 49 6e 76 61 | with '%s'..Inva|
00000090 6c 69 64 20 57 50 41 20 70 61 72 61 6d 65 74 65 |lid WPA paramete|
000000a0 72 20 76 61 6c 75 65 20 66 6f 72 20 64 6f 74 31 |r value for dot1|
000000b0 31 52 53 4e 41 43 6f 6e 66 69 67 50 4d 4b 4c 69 |1RSNAConfigPMKLi|
000000c0 66 65 74 69 6d 65 00 00 49 6e 76 61 6c 69 64 20 |fetime..Invalid |
000000d0 57 50 41 20 70 61 72 61 6d 65 74 65 72 20 76 61 |WPA parameter va|
000000e0 6c 75 65 20 66 6f 72 20 64 6f 74 31 31 52 53 4e |lue for dot11RSN|
000000f0 41 43 6f 6e 66 69 67 50 4d 4b 52 65 61 75 74 68 |AConfigPMKReauth|
00000100 54 68 72 65 73 68 6f 6c 64 00 00 00 49 6e 76 61 |Threshold...Inva|
00000110 6c 69 64 20 57 50 41 20 70 61 72 61 6d 65 74 65 |lid WPA paramete|
00000120 72 20 76 61 6c 75 65 20 66 6f 72 20 64 6f 74 31 |r value for dot1|
00000130 31 52 53 4e 41 43 6f 6e 66 69 67 53 41 54 69 6d |1RSNAConfigSATim|
00000140 65 6f 75 74 00 00 00 00 46 61 69 6c 65 64 20 74 |eout....Failed t|
00000150 6f 20 69 6e 69 74 69 61 6c 69 7a 65 20 63 6f 6e |o initialize con|
00000160 74 72 6f 6c 20 69 6e 74 65 72 66 61 63 65 20 27 |trol interface '|
00000170 25 73 27 2e 0a 59 6f 75 20 6d 61 79 20 68 61 76 |%s'..You may hav|
00000180 65 20 61 6e 6f 74 68 65 72 20 77 70 61 5f 73 75 |e another wpa_su|
00000190 70 70 6c 69 63 61 6e 74 20 70 72 6f 63 65 73 73 |pplicant process|
000001a0 20 61 6c 72 65 61 64 79 20 72 75 6e 6e 69 6e 67 | already running|
000001b0 20 6f 72 20 74 68 65 20 66 69 6c 65 20 77 00 3b | or the file w.;|
000001c0 1d 1f 8e fe ff ff 02 00 00 00 00 40 3b 25 00 00 |...........@;%..|
000001d0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
*
000001f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa |..............U.|
00000200

[Talar]

Eventually got it working. Ubuntu 10.10 Beta Alternate install with nomodeset got me a working installation, seems to be a driver problem with the Geforce3 Ti500 card.