10.10 blank screen after installation multiple formats

[enneract]

running a HP elitebook 2730p - I'ved attempted to install via multiple methods...
USB drive created with usb-creator,
USB created with unetbootin,
HDD install created with unetbootin,
wubi...
multiple disc images, both x86_32 and amd64, all of which have good md5 checks.

Each time, I get the exact same problem, which is a blank screen (backlit, but no text). The only solution I've found by searching is to enter recovery mode (which suffers the same problem after the wall of text during boot), or to add 'nomodeset' to the cli options, which has no apparent effect.

I'm really at a loss at this point... if someone has another suggestion to try...

*edit*

booting with a vga cable plugged in got me a display, running the update manager allowed me to boot without the vga cable.

[Hedgehog1]

enneract,

You might need to to enter other boot parameters There are 6 of them. You may have to do them one-by-one until you get video.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCDBootOptions#Main%20Page%20Options (Common Kernel Options Section)

The Hedge...

:KS

[bcbc]

what type of graphics card does it have?

Apparently it works with 10.04 http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1593938

[enneract]

intel 4500

trying some of those options now.

[enneract]

This is odd.

I can get a display if I have an external monitor hooked up. However, the image on the monitor is completely useless (appears to be 1\4 screen, not a resolution problem, it just shows the bottom right quadrant of the image in the top left quadrant), and the primary internal display functions properly.