[mowersman]

i have a ubuntu disk and im trying to install it on a hdd
but i click on install/start and it just starts the kernel and then goes onto a orange screen and just stops not freezes

a think its not installing it just trying to start it i also have windows me on the harddrive but i want to scrap that
please help this is my first time with linux

[CouchMaster]

With windows ME it's possible that you have a very old computer and Ubuntu doesn't like it.
Some computer specs would be nice - type of CPU, size of RAM, make and model etc.
I'd try DamnSmallLinux or MepisAntiX first just to see if they would boot. If so, and you had the RAM you might move up to a full size distro. I just installed MepisBeta5 on a 600mhz computer with 384megs of ram (which I'm using right now) and it took a while - but once it was on there it started humming along pretty good...

[RobLinux]

Have you tried the "media test" (may be called CD test) option?
Does booting the Live CD work?

Check out the kernel options help screens.

Have you tried the option that disables ACPI (noacpi). If that still doesn't help, try it with DMA disabled to (nodma).

You may have problems if you have certain PCI ATA controllers, in these cases depowering uncessary disks & peripherals, putting the HD on IDE0 Master, and CDR as IDE1 Master may help, until you can upgrade the kernel and configure those devices post-install.

[ Installing Windows can be tricky to, particularly when you have to download drivers to get essential controllers working ]

[RobLinux]

Originally Posted by CouchMaster

With windows ME it's possible that you have a very old computer and Ubuntu doesn't like it.

True at first, but if you know the tricks, I installed Ubuntu on a 7 yr old dual Celeron A 300 Mhz system (overclocked to 450Mhz), and it runs fine once it's installed but have 512MB RAM.

DSL, Puppy etc are great if you have very small amount of memory. I think KDE is OK with 256MB system RAM, so long as you don't rely on Firefox, but use Konqueror as much as possible for browsing. Not sure about GNOME.

Personally I would have a go, if Ubuntu is sucking mud, then go lightweight, but an XP box should run Ubuntu fine.

[CouchMaster]

Originally Posted by RobLinux

True at first, but if you know the tricks, I installed Ubuntu on a 7 yr old dual Celeron A 300 Mhz system (overclocked to 450Mhz), and it runs fine once it's installed but have 512MB RAM.

DSL, Puppy etc are great if you have very small amount of memory. I think KDE is OK with 256MB system RAM, so long as you don't rely on Firefox, but use Konqueror as much as possible for browsing. Not sure about GNOME.

Personally I would have a go, if Ubuntu is sucking mud, then go lightweight, but an XP box should run Ubuntu fine.

All true - If you insist on Ubuntu though - depending on your computer specs - you might want to drop down to one of the 6+ versions instead of the newest 7+ ones. Even if you got Ubuntu 7.10 loaded by doing some of the above it may prove to be disappointing performance wise.

[RobLinux]

Why? I'm running it on an old machine, and it is fine.

The newer FireFox that's coming out is even trying to reduce it's memory bloat. I seriously have the impression that if a machine ran Linux OK in 2001, that so long as you bought RAM upgrade when it was cheap (if you didn't get some 2nd hand from dealers recycling biz pcs), that the system will be equally quick today, running the latest and greatest Desktop aimed at Businesses.

The fact is, the modern CPUs are waiting on memory access and disk most of the time, rather than "processing". Most Biz PCs tend to use integrated graphics, nothing special CPU, standard RAM, and not be the over-specified Gaming Monsters that enthusiasts (and PC Mags) tend to specify.

The $200 Walmart PC is Via C7 1.3Hz based and got pretty good customer feedback, gOS is based on Ubuntu, they just moved to Enlightenment rather than GNOME WM to be more lightweight. http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gOS...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

The Mobo + CPU developer kit is about for $60 + $18 for 1GB RAM, if you're not Windows encumbered, and can use a screw driver, it's hard to have a really slow PC these days.

[CouchMaster]

Kind of like putting a Volkswagen engine in a Ferrari,,,
Like I said, I'm running Mepis on a 600mhz computer and it's OK - but I can really tell a difference from this computer and running the same OS on my 2.8gig machine...
Linux is about choice - if it will go on his computer then by all means have at it - he's not having any luck at the moment and I'm trying to help by suggesting downgrading the distro a little. He still hasn't posted his specs so maybe he's already got it running...
However, I've been stuck at that orange screen he's talking about on numerous occasions and went with another distro, thats all!

[mowersman]

thanks for all the replys
it is a 1.6ghz p4 machine with 1gb of ram (i have problems)
also i tried it with a 700mhz celeron with 192 mb of ram
is there any way i could use it without the live cd option i mean just install it by copying files
thanks again

[CouchMaster]

With those specs Ubuntu should run great on it. Just so I understand you then the live cd won't run and it won't install? Or the live cd will run but it won't install? Have you tried the cd in another computer to see if it's a good cd? Last but not least, try a different distro - Linux is free you know!

[mowersman]

hi ive just spent ages trying to get it working
i think ill stick with windows

[RobLinux]

Originally Posted by CouchMaster

Like I said, I'm running Mepis on a 600mhz computer and it's OK - but I can really tell a difference from this computer and running the same OS on my 2.8gig machine...
Linux is about choice - if it will go on his computer then by all means have at it - he's not having any luck at the moment and I'm trying to help by suggesting downgrading the distro a little. He still hasn't posted his specs so maybe he's already got it running...
However, I've been stuck at that orange screen he's talking about on numerous occasions and went with another distro, thats all!

Understand your thinking. The problem is those X based distro's are unlikely to appeal to someone used to Windows, that's part of my concern.

Linux ain't like Vista!

All my old boxes run the latest OS'es surprisingly well, once I've got it installed. If it was a fast WinME machine, nevermind Win2000 I think it'd be fine, so long as the memory is decent size.

Well I see it was a whimsical install attempt, wonder why they don't just try the Live CD's first?

[RobLinux]

Originally Posted by mowersman

it is a 1.6ghz p4 machine with 1gb of ram (i have problems)
also i tried it with a 700mhz celeron with 192 mb of ram
is there any way i could use it without the live cd option i mean just install it by copying files
thanks again

As you had trouble on both machines (presumably different CD reading drives), a CD problem is not unlikely.

There are ways to install "manually", but actually it's a lot more effort. You have to know what you're doing, and type the commands yourself and get them right; rather than be guided by an installer. For Debian you can still use boot floppies, or network boot and then do a network installation.

Distro's used to have a net boot floppy option, where the floppy could be written on a DOS / Windows box, but there's far too much different hardware around now to do that, it could never fit in 1 disk with a 2nd one for less common modules.

Today's eqiuvalent is the minimal boot CD's, or the light distro's CouchMaster mentioned that can fit in Biz cards.

[mowersman]

my first machine (the p4)is only recognizing 32mb of ram from the 1gb stick
so ill try borrowing 512 mb of ram for my celeron machine and put the hard drive from my p4 machine into it and install there
ill post if it works

[RobLinux]

Having more RAM in your Celeron, would be nice but it probably won't get you beyond the orange screen if that's what you saw on first booting. The point where an install needs a lot of RAM tends to be later, and you can reduce RAM requirements with text installs. Installers may also be able to use swap space on disk, if a disk is pre-partitioned and swap formatted.

There's an article I've just seen someone intalling a distro on 192-256MB 450Mhz PCs "BLAG" http://blue-gnu.biz/content/just_glance_blag
you'll recognise some of what he found as advice contained in this thread.

The P4 thing sounds bad, especially if your box uses the more expensive RDRAM type, rather than DDR memory. Try reseating, and if the BIOS sees 1GB, I'd boot with a memtest86+ option, which is a small program running without the OS, that you can probably put on a boot floppy (and is component of many rescue CDs).