run from cd / regular install help ??

[blann]

Have dual boot winXP, FC6 computer. Clobbered something so FC6 does not boot. Am trying Ubuntu 9.10 CD; tried first to run from CD- but it asks for username and password, will not accept blanks nor my winxp values- keeps 'failing to authenticate'. So I did an install in new partition beyond linux fc6. It finally lets me log in, giving a small text window. How to get to desktop, and is there a way to get to my old home files in linux fc6 in native linux partition? Thanks- Marshall blann@gte.net

[scragar]

If the liveCD asks for your username and password I do believe the username is either 'ubuntu' or 'livecd' and the password is blank.
If you are only getting a text window is this a normal terminal, or busybox terminal(which appears when the kernel loads, but it encounters serious errors before being able to load a normal terminal).
You can test this typically by looking at the start of the prompt, if it's a '#' then it's likely to be a busybox terminal, you should get an error first, what does that say?
If it's a normal terminal try running
startx
Any more information you can provide would be appreciated.

[blann]

If the liveCD asks for your username and password I do believe the username is either 'ubuntu' or 'livecd' and the password is blank.
If you are only getting a text window is this a normal terminal, or busybox terminal(which appears when the kernel loads, but it encounters serious errors before being able to load a normal terminal).
You can test this typically by looking at the start of the prompt, if it's a '#' then it's likely to be a busybox terminal, you should get an error first, what does that say?
If it's a normal terminal try running
startx
Any more information you can provide would be appreciated.

I get the'#', and yes, a screen full of errors before. I'll go back and try the screen mode install again and try the suggested psswds-

[blann]

I get the'#', and yes, a screen full of errors before. I'll go back and try the screen mode install again and try the suggested psswds-
O.K.- I went back and re-installed CD version in Win; it still gives me a loop on the login box; it will not accept blanks, ubuntu, livecd, or my windows username; it just keeps asking me to login.
On the installation I made on a new partition of the HD, I can log in under the name I used at installation, and I get a small box with a ~$ prompt. I assume that this is an xterm window. Don't really know what to do with it, as I have not yet imported codes, doubt that I yet have a fortran compiler, etc.
On a separate question- I can still see my linux fc partition
using 'partition magic' from WinXP- is there any way to access
to back up my home directory there? Thanks- Marshall

[blann]

I get the'#', and yes, a screen full of errors before. I'll go back and try the screen mode install again and try the suggested psswds-

When I give ~$startx command, I get 'user not authorized to run xserver. aborting