ubuntu 8.04 won't boot - newbie

According to ubuntu.com

"System Requirements
Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit PC and Intel based Mac architectures. At least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the alternate install CD (384MB of RAM is required to use the live CD based installer). Install requires at least 4 GB of disk space. "

you properly wont be abel to run the installer from within windows. But booting from the CD should be no problem, but you need to set the right boot order in BIOS. (here are some examples of how to do that: http://www.hiren.info/pages/bios-boot-cdrom) and then you should be able to start from the cd, but you might have to install in text-mode.

Thanks for answering- I checked my boot sequence per the screenshots-link;
the CD drive is the initial boot selection. When I boot up, the CD activates
and lights up, but then shuts down as if there is no "execute", then Windows
boots as usual. I'm trying this on 2 PC's (XP/98), both with the same
result.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lasse Luttermann" <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 7:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Question #44300]: ubuntu 8.04 won't boot - newbie

Your question #44300 on Ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/44300

    Status: Open => Answered

Lasse Luttermann proposed the following answer:
According to ubuntu.com

"System Requirements
Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit PC and Intel based Mac architectures. At
least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the alternate install CD (384MB of
RAM is required to use the live CD based installer). Install requires at
least 4 GB of disk space. "

you properly wont be abel to run the installer from within windows. But
booting from the CD should be no problem, but you need to set the right
boot order in BIOS. (here are some examples of how to do that:
http://www.hiren.info/pages/bios-boot-cdrom) and then you should be able
to start from the cd, but you might have to install in text-mode.

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If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
know that it is solved:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/44300/+confirm?answer_id=0

If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
following page to enter your feedback:
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subscriber of the question.

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AM

Some suggestion and tips to solve install issue...

- Minimum system requirements to install Ubuntu 8.04.1 https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements

Download the standard Ubuntu 8.04.1 32 bits iso image from here:
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/8.04.1/ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-i386.iso
or better using a torrent file:
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/8.04.1/ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-i386.iso.torrent

- Please check the md5sum of your downloaded Ubuntu .iso image file, here the https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM howto, and compare with http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04.1/MD5SUMS

- Burn it on a cd rom, be sure to burn your cd at lower speed you can do usually 4x here an howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

- Please also check the md5sum of your self burned cd. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM

- Boot your pc from self-burned cdrom, if it don't start from cd please modify your pc BIOS settings by accessing to it usually pressing CANC or F2 or other keys (check into your motherboard paper documentation or watch carefully the screen, usually there are tips to access BIOS, when you switch your computer on)

- then to be sure your ram is ok, boot from Ubuntu live cd main menu and at first showed menu, select the item "Memory test" to test your pc ram memory

- Here the steps to install Ubuntu 8.04.1 https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall

- Watch this video that show howto install Ubuntu on a pc with Windows: http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/Installing_Ubuntu_with_Windows_Dual-Boot

- if something go wrong at startup of Ubuntu live installation when you see the first cd menu like this http://i18.tinypic.com/6tzzndc.jpg pressing F6 you can put useful startup kernel boot parameters as showed here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

Try to perform the "Memory test" and the "Check cd for defects" to be sure the cd is read without errors by the destination pc cdrom driver

- Booting from Ubuntu live install cd:
 * if you are in trouble with screen graphic user interface
   (usually the screen is black with a blinking cursor or screen out of range message):
- first try to dynamically change screen resolution please the press CTRL + ALT + "+" and/or CTRL + ALT + "-"
- Try to restart the graphic layer press CTRL + ALT + BACKSPACE
- Here the basic step required during install process http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-ubuntu-8.04-lts-hardy-heron

If you are still in trouble... please reboot your pc and starting with Ubuntu live cd please try to put some common Ubuntu kernel live cd options you can find the boot options howto here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions

Remove the "splash" and "quiet" options to see more boot infos message and/or errors.
Then try some commons parameters by putting them one by one or together:
noacpi nolapic nodma all_generic_ide

If this don't work i suggest you to download and burn on a cd at lower speed you can do (4x), here an howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto, the Ubuntu alternate install cd iso image ( ubuntu-8.04.1-alternate-i386.iso ) you can download this cd from here: http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04.1/

If you are in trouble to download you can try to install and use a torrent client Deluge http://www.deluge-torrent.org/downloads.php to get your desired Ubuntu iso image http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/8.04.1/ please select a .torrent file

*** if you are installing in dual boot mode Windows + Ubuntu

Please make sure you Windows partition have no errors on it.

Booting in Windows force an a complete hard disk check.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
Then reboot again in Windows and make a clean shutdown.
Be sure to boot in Windows twice and to get a clear Windows shutdown.

***

Always useful is the online Ubuntu doc https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/

Hope this helps

Ron, when you state that you downloaded and loaded on CD, did you unpack the iso file before burning?

You will have to use Windows burning software to create your Ubuntu CD.

If you insert the CD into your player in Windows and it says that it is an .iso file then all you have done is copied the iso file.

I burned the CD with NERO, checked the integrity with MD5sum; in the Ubuntu documentation files, I saw mention of potential virus blocker issues, so I shut down AVG and Windows firewall; still the same. The system req's indicate that I should be able to operate- might try the lighter system if I don't get this one working.

Not sure about "unpacking"; I downloaded to My Documents, then loaded onto CD; in properties, it shows a full disc- 6.94 mb, labeled ubunto-8.04.1-desktop-i386.iso, mouseover label: Type:ISO File, date, etc. Did I miss a step?

Please read:

Check the md5sum of your self burned cd. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM

Burn it on a cd rom, be sure to burn your cd at lower speed you can do usually 4x here an howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Then you can also try the alternate iso http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/8.04.1/ubuntu-8.04.1-alternate-i386.iso

Hope this helps

Ron,
The file you burned is an iso file = "ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-i386.iso, mouseover label: Type:ISO File".

You will have to try that again. Check Nero on how to do this.

The last time that I used Nero was 3 years ago but from memory this is the way I did it way back then:

Load your ISO file into Nero. Then select "New" from the front screen. Then select "File-Open" and then select "Files of Type - Image Files (NGR ISO CUE), browse to your ISO file and open it. Then click on "Burn" in the window that appears. This will unpack the files and folders contained in the ISO file and burn them to your CD.

Checking the md5sum shows that your download matches the original and you have already done that.

Good Luck.

Hello again- here's where I am now- obviously the problem is in knowing how to properly open and burn the OS software. My Nero software is an express version packed with my burner, not capable of opening the package; I found ISOBuster, a free-to-try program; opened w/ ISOBuster, then burned with Nero Express; now the system tries to boot, but never gets past DOS. The final line is an A prompt, to which I can't figure out the proper response. Is there a more automatic program to open and burn the software- if there's a tough learning process here, I can always buy the software.

Bingo ! Problem solved / I am now using Ubuntu for the first time; thanks Marcobra and Andre Mangan for the assistance. Looks and feels like a good system. By the way, I tried a number of programs to open and/or burn the ISO file. CDBurnerXP.se is the one. Download the image file as is, and this program takes it from original form to CD in one action.

Thanks Andre Mangan, that solved my question.