I have 12.04 32-bit installed to a USB stick and tried it out on my elderly Advent QC430 (rebadged Quanta TW3M) ... Intel Celeron 430, 1.73Ghz, 1GB ram; MESA DRI Intel 945GM graphics. This machine has run Kubuntu 8.x through 10.04 in it's time, without hassles, and currently runs Knoppix 7.0. However, the startup for 12.04 has a peculiar sequence. On first boot, I get a blank grey box with a border at the bottom left of an otherwise black screen ... about 50 pixels H by 15 pixels V, 2 pixels border, on a 1280x800 display ... from which I can do two things. Either leave it alone until a timeout after about 30seconds, then the boot will run until I get the "Try or Install" choice screen; or press a return, which clears the box but leaves a black screen, no timeout that I have found up to 2 minutes, but a second "return" will start things going up to the same "Try or Install" choice screen.
However, in both sequences, there is an unexpected change whilst the Kubuntu gearwheel is displayed ... after a few seconds of the five dots marching enthusiastically, the dots stop progressing across the screen and a red LED lights up behind the headphone socket, after which the machine seems to go into molasses mode and everything takes an age to proceed. I have never known such a slow Linux USB on this system.
I have never seen the red LED before, running any OS, and a lack of info about the motherboard on this machine means that I have no idea what it signifies. It remains on all the time the 12.04 USB is running.
I am also puzzled as the the two "return" keystrokes required to get the boot running. Obviously a couple of questions need answers and I am probably selecting a default to each ... so has anyone any idea what the questions are and what the answers are that I select .. probably what the boot assumes for the timeout start but it would be useful to know ... but for that matter, why do I only get the small blank grey box instead of a text display? Or the black second screen? I am loath to try loading 12.04 to the HD on this machine until I am sure that it can cope ... old, tough, but maybe no longer able to run Kubuntu? It would be a pity.
Suggestions appreciated. Thank you.
However, in both sequences, there is an unexpected change whilst the Kubuntu gearwheel is displayed ... after a few seconds of the five dots marching enthusiastically, the dots stop progressing across the screen and a red LED lights up behind the headphone socket, after which the machine seems to go into molasses mode and everything takes an age to proceed. I have never known such a slow Linux USB on this system.
I have never seen the red LED before, running any OS, and a lack of info about the motherboard on this machine means that I have no idea what it signifies. It remains on all the time the 12.04 USB is running.
I am also puzzled as the the two "return" keystrokes required to get the boot running. Obviously a couple of questions need answers and I am probably selecting a default to each ... so has anyone any idea what the questions are and what the answers are that I select .. probably what the boot assumes for the timeout start but it would be useful to know ... but for that matter, why do I only get the small blank grey box instead of a text display? Or the black second screen? I am loath to try loading 12.04 to the HD on this machine until I am sure that it can cope ... old, tough, but maybe no longer able to run Kubuntu? It would be a pity.
Suggestions appreciated. Thank you.
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