16.04 fresh install completes but no gui

[jmill00]

I have an old Dell that I was running as only a file server with a obsolete version of ubuntu server. 9 dot something I think. The hard drive died and I am now trying to install 16.04 desktop. The installation completes without error, but when I boot it seems to start up but I get no gui. The cursor is present and responds to the mouse. I believe it is also seeing the keyboard, but no characters are printed. Processor is an Intel 2.4Ghz --- 1.5Gb of memory buss speed 800Mhz --- 250Gb SATA hard drive for the OS and (2) 250Gb hard drives for data.

I installed the 32bit 16.04.1 server software and it worked, but I would like to be able to do also use this as a normal desktop from time to time. I was hoping to just install samba on the desktop version. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

[ajgreeny]

It is most likely that your hardware is simply not up to running Ubuntu with the unity desktop as it has too low specs for that version which needs good 3D graphics for a start.

You could probably do a lot better with another DE version such as Lubuntu or Xubuntu, both of which run well on more lowly hardware.
Give them a try and come back again if there is still no luck.