8.04 install hangs after adding Nvidia card

[jrdecastro]

Motherboard - Matsonic WS 10102
Intel 865GV chipsent, socket 478 (800FSB)
1GB memory
1x 320 GB IDE hard disk running Windows XP
1x 80 GB IDE hard disk with Ubuntu 8.04 install
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card, 256MB

Had to change motherboards due to a bad Bios flash which killed the old one and changed for the one above. Ubuntu 8.04 installed and ran OK using the built in Intel graphics in the motherboard.
I then added the Nvidia card (because I need to run dual screen)
XP works OK on it, but Ubuntu hung at login (I was able to enter the login name and password and it then got stuck and stopped responding).
Rebooted (had to cut the power to do so) and it then stopped botting into the Ubuntu login prompt (Windows XP still works)
Tried to rescue it using the alternative disk in repair mode to get a shell and install the Nvidia driver to see if that would help (get-install nvidia-glx). It said it got the driver and installed it.
None of the other reinstallation options seemed appropriate (it looks like they would overwrite the whole install) so I chose reboot.
It still didn't boot.
Then tried reinstalling from scratch into the 80GB disk from the alternate CD. Installation proceeds until it's 47% done "unpacking system", then stops responding.
Cut power and tried to reinstall again this time using liveinstall CD. It progresses for a while, then the orange progress bar stops moving. I thought it was completely dead, but after a few more minutes I came back and it had spewed a few pages of white text on black background and stopped again.

Near the end there were many repeated lines of:
/etc/init.d/rc/: 317: sed: not found

and then at the very
init: Unable to execute "/bin/sh" for rc-default: No such file or directory
init: rc-default main process (6916) terminated with status 255

with a blinking prompt at the end.
You can type any command you like at this blinking prompt (I tried "reboot", "boot", "pwd") and nothing happens other than it scrolls down one line after each command followed by Return.

What do I need to do to get past all this and complete the reinstallation?

Thanks!
James

[jrdecastro]

More info - have just managed to complete the installation process using the alternate CD, and am back to dual-boot.
Win XP still works, but the Ubuntu 8.04 still doesn't.
It does its usual logo-and-moving-orange-bar thing, then breaks out into a black screen with lots of scrolling messages which say things like:

init: tty1 main process (5319) terminated with status 1
init: tty1 main process ended, respawning
init: tty3 main process (5320) terminated with status 1
init: tty3 main process ended, respawning
init: tty4 main process (5321) terminated with status 1
init: tty4 main process ended, respawning
init: tty2 main process (5322) terminated with status 1
init: tty2 main process ended, respawning
init: tty5 main process (5323) terminated with status 1
init: tty5 main process ended, respawning
init: tty6 main process (5324) terminated with status 1
init: tty6 main process ended, respawning

It does this for tty1, then tty3, then tty4, then tty2, then tty5, then tty6, then cycles back to tty1 and so on many times over, then shows a few lines of other text relating to a "trace", then begins all over again wit tty1 etc.
Help appreciated!

[Tankerdog2002]

JR,

Just curious....you seem to have a good grasp on IT. Have you by any chance installed the Nvidia Server Settings in Synaptics?

nvidia-settings

You will need these for dual monitors....just like using a projector.

I know some have used the envyng drivers with some succes also.

I wish I could help you more. I know it's frustating.
There are two pages in the Ubuntu forums with this tag.
http://ubuntuforums.org/tags.php?tag=dual+monitor

Here are some other post regarding dual monitors with Nvidia cards:

http://my.opera.com/sjosul/blog/ubuntu-8-04-dual-monitor-setup

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=221174

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/dual-monitors-with-nvidia.html


http://geek2live.blogspot.com/2008/05/dual-display-on-ubuntu-hardy-haron.html

[jrdecastro]

Thank you very much for tying so hard to help me.
I had already successfully set up dual monitor some time back on an Nvidia card on my other machine (home not work) which has a more modern Intel motherboard (Intel DP35DP), so I have decided to throw in the towel, give up, and just upgrade the work machine to a new motherboard and CPU that I know are compatible - I think I have already gone well past the point of diminishing returns on the machine which started ths thread, and switching to something I know works will save me a lot of valuable time
So my old machine will just stay single-monitor (I know it works perfectly OK on that) and become a server, and the new motherboard/new CPU machine will become my new work machine with the Nvidia card, and I will get my sanity back...

One thing which would be very helpful is to know the best way to clone an existing "known good" setup from one machine to a new machine with similar hardware, so that basically only the hostname, IP address, and any hardware-specific data like MAC addresses of the ethernet card, disk and CPU serial numbers etc... are updated, but the rst of the machine is setup identically. Do you have any pointers on how to do this?