Ubuntu
ubiquity package

Ubuntu 12.04 installer fails to come up

Asked by Sergey Oboguev

Hi!

I am trying to install Ubuntu Desktop 12.04 to a new machine.
Installation fails.

Hardware configuration:

    processor: i7-3770S
    motherboard: Intel DQ77MK
    8 GB RAM
    PCI Express video card: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 (2GB)
    Dual-Link DVI connected to 30" monitor 2560 × 1600
    two SATA HDD drives
    USB CD drive
    USB mouse and keyboard

Memory had been tested with MEMTEST86+ for many passes with no errors indicated.

Machine has Windows 7 installed off the same CD drive few days ago.
Windows 7 installed fine, boots and works fine.

When trying to install Ubuntu, the following happens.

When computer is booted off Ubuntu installation CD, initially messages "Starting" are flashed for a brief instant and then a logo is displayed at the bottom of the screen picturing the keyboard and human figure. After short time the logo display is replaced with totally black screen with cursor blinking in the top left corner. Computer continues reading CD for few minutes, as indicated by CD drive noises and blinking light. Then all activity ceases and nothing happens anymore. Screen is still totally black with cursor blinking in the top left corner.

I have waited for about 7 minutes in each case after CD activity ceases.

Symptoms are the same for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Ubuntu.

I also tried two CDs burned (each with verification) on two different computers for each of the editions, 32 and 64-bit (so altogether I tried 4 installation disks), to ensure the problem was not CD media error. Burning speed on the second computer was 10x, the lowest the drive would go. ISO files were downloaded to each computer independently. Media is Maxell CD-R Pro. Symptoms are the same in each case irregardless.

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Revision history for this message
Sergey Oboguev (oboguev) said : 		#1

After hitting F6 and selecting nomodeset and "Install Ubuntu", "Ubtuntu 12.04" 4-dot screen comes up and there is some CD and ink-dot activity for 2 or 3 minutes.

Then messages are briefly flashed about "checking battery state" and "change run level" and screen goes completely blank (black). No cursor. CD activity ceases.

After approx. 1/2 minutes there is some short CD activity.

Then everything ceases.
Screen stays black.

Revision history for this message
actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#2

Try the boot option:

nomodeset

I assume you MD5 tested the ISO you downloaded and burned the CD as slowly as possible. As you have a dual display system (The CPU has an Intel GPU built into it), it can cause issues in Linux.

Revision history for this message
tifoefs (tifoefs) said : 		#3

If I try a clean install ubuntu 12.04 I have exactly the problem described from Sergey.
When I boot the installed ubuntu 12.04 with MSI NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 (2GB) I have a distorted video and no way to get further.
I haven't tried yet to disable the onboard card from the BIOS and boot with the MSI NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 (2GB).

Revision history for this message
gregory a hill (hillfamilytree) said : 		#4

have you tried the live cd?if not try it and let us know what happens.

Revision history for this message
Eric Cloninger (3-ericc) said : 		#5

The solution offered by actionparsnip in #2, to use

nomodeset

worked for me today under almost identical circumstances. New PC with Nvidia card and Windows already installed and working fine. The install would hang after the inital low-res prompt to choose install/use. Pressed F6, chose nomodeset, and install went through cleanly.

Thanks!

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D. Hugh Redelmeier (hugh-mimosa) said : 		#6

Summary of my (similar experience). Ubuntu 12.04.1 won't fire up installation without nomeodeset. After installation, it still won't work without nomodeset. If you install proprietary drivers, all is well.

Won't work == halts with a black screen with blinking text cursor.

I imagine what is going on is that nouveau thinks it can handle to GT 610, but cannot. Specifying nomodeset prevents nouveau from running. So this is a nouveau linitation (cannot handle GT610) and a bug (system doesn't know nouveau cannot handle the hardware).

On Fedora 18 beta, there is a similar problem but it is handled more gracefully. In particular, nouveau falls back into a non-accelerated frame-buffer mode. See <https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=768197> comment 3.

(Nouveau wiki says that if we are running distro code we should report errors to the distro. So that is what I'm doing.)

Can you help with this problem?

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