New PC install/live boot problem

[telbuntu]

Afternoon all I would like to ask for a bit of assistance from forum contributors after purchasing a cheap new Pentium Dual Core (1.72 Mhz) notebook called an E System T2370, which comes pre loaded with MS Vista.

The plan is to remove the enemy of all that is free & replace with multiple flavours of Linux, but at the moment this is proving a bit of a problem. I have tried to 'live boot' quite a few distrobutions without success. I then attempted to install without tasting these & other distros', all unsuccessfully with the PC hanging during initial set up. Unfortunately I am not even given the courtesy of an error message to assist troubleshooting.

All of the software has proven to be OK & has been successfully installed on other older PCs. Never the less I have downloaded the distros' again - in both 32 & 64 bit versions, but I am no better off.

Has anyone else come across E System PCs or had similar problems installing Linux? Maybe the PC has a way of locking the hardware exclusively to MS/Vista?

My next move will probably involve formatting the machine, but all help will be gratefully received.

[wpshooter]

Are you trying to run the software "LIVE" from the CD or are you actually trying to install it to the hard drive ?

Do you have DSL or other high speed internet access ?

[telbuntu]

Hi WPShooter, I have tried both & not just with Ubuntu so unlikely to be a problem with the supplied media as such.

I purchased the PC purely to remove the supplied SW & install what I wanted. Vista is working OK, although a bit slowly, using 1MB of memory, so I do not suspect the PC itself, but maybe a configuration setting.

I do have fast internet access.

[wpshooter]

First, have you tried to install from Live CD version using the safe graphics mode ?

Second, have you tried to install from the ALTERNATE CD version ?

[telbuntu]

Hi wpshooter, sadly I have tried both of your suggestions without success. I have also made attempts to boot after toggling various BIOS settings & disabling APIC - still no good!

[wpshooter]

The next step I would take would be to get www.killdisk.com and WIPE the drive completely clean (assuming there is nothing on it you need to keep) and then try the install again from the ALTERNATE CD.

Good luck.

[telbuntu]

Thanks wpshooter, I will look into that & let you know what happens.