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I have an old Win XP with Celeron processor. I have tried to install numerous flavours of Linux and the only one I can get to install from an iso on DVD is Puppy, but I want Ubuntu. Strangely I can install from the free disks given away with Linux magazines. (The problem isn't with my iso discs because they work on my Win 7 Laptop) On the PC I am having problems with, I get as far as the boot choices screen then it starts loading for a few minutes & then goes to black flashing screen with cursor. I have tried all the usual suggestions such as Nomodeset etc all to no avail, yet install is straight forward off a magazine disc. Any suggestions?

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If it fails to install by a "normal" ISO, you will probably be able to install it from an alternate installer CD. It is text based, but straightforward and, apart from the nice GUI of the "normal" installer, it works the same.

After that you will be able to use Ubuntu as if you installed it by the usual CD.

You can download the aternative installers here (not the network installers, but further down on the page)

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  • Thanks for that. I tried it and was full of hope as the installation went through to completion, however when it booted following the installation it stopped on the blank screen again. I would love to know why I can install from a cover disc with no probs. Unfortunately nobody is giving away 32bit UBUNTU at present.
    – user264500
    Apr 3, 2014 at 13:10
  • ai, I am sorry to hear that :( Apr 3, 2014 at 13:13
  • @user264500 I looked around a bit, there turns out to be an extensive post here (!!): askubuntu.com/questions/162075/… Is there anything you could use? (The brightness thing?) Apr 3, 2014 at 13:35
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If I remember correctly, they have the nasty habit of setting up monitor frequency to 85Mhz after each fresh install with the nouveau driver activated. Minimum setings for video card resolution are usually 1024x768. I suppose your monitor cannot handle 1024x768_85mhz settings, and this is the reason you get the blank screen.

You can still login by exiting to the terminal console (press Ctrl+Alt+F1), and login with your username and password. Next you can change your root password by typing in this code:

 sudo passwd

Provide your password, and enter a new UNIX password which will be your future password for root.

You can login as root next by typing this code in the console:

 su

And enter your unix password. Once you are logged in as root you can try activating one of the following video drivers:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-96     or

sudo apt-get install nvidia-173

After reboot you should see the login greeter thus being able to login as user with your username and password. Next step would be to blacklist the nouveau driver if it is not already blacklisted in the /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-graphics-drivers.conf file. If the file does not exist you have to create it, add the following lines, and save the file as 'nvidia-graphics-drivers.conf' without the quotes:

blacklist nouveau

blacklist lbm-nouveau

blacklist nvidia-current

alias nouveau off

alias lbm-nouveau off

Finally, after a second reboot you can run this code in a terminal to save your nvidia settings:

sudo nvidia-xconfig

If you have an Ati Radeon video card, you should check which driver is suitable for your card and activate it in the same manner, I mean try to install it from the terminal console.

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  • Thanks for all the trouble you have gone to. I will be trying this later but I need some time to get my head round some of the steps.
    – user264500
    Apr 3, 2014 at 13:12

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