Brand new Kubuntu 14.04.1 install refuses to boot

[ratmage99]

I just completed a fresh install of Kubuntu in order to fix a windows problem on the other part of the hard drive, and I got through the install, and it restarted, however, I am unable to boot up Kubuntu, as it goes through slowly, taking about fifteen minutes until it gets to the loading-type screen (the one with the pictures of the hard drive and such,) and after it shows the picture of the hard drive, it stops for a while, then after about ten minutes, it crashes to a black screen with the mouse on it. nomodeset doesn't seem to make it work either, and I am at a bit of a loss. Do I have to make the entire HDD a Kubuntu partition or something? I am sorry I can't provide any logs or anything, but seeing as I can't access the computer affected, that is a non-option.

[Snowhog]

First, welcome to KFN.

We need more information on your PC hardware and which Windows OS is already on it, and how you obtained and installed 14.04.1.

[ratmage99]

As far as hardware, it's a six year old computer I got from my dad a while ago, so all I really know for sure is that it's an ASUS computer, any more information is kind of lost with the time due to faded labeling and such, other than the fact that the graphics card is a nVidia GTX 250. I installed it alongside Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition on a terabyte internal HDD using an install CD burned with Mac disc manager with the Iso acquired from the Kubuntu website. Other than everything running very slowly, the install seemed to go fine and reported no problems. Hope this helps.

Edit: When left for about an hour to try to boot "glitchy" white lines and dashes like when there's a graphics glitch appear on the bottom of the black screen with the mouse.

[vinnywright]

will your install cd boot to a live session ?

VINNY

[ratmage99]

I think so. You mean the "Try Me" thing on the install CD, right? If so, I can get into that, although it does run painfully slow, at least accessing files does.

[vinnywright]

boot the cd to a live session ,,,,,,,,,,,post the output of "lsmod" ,,, "sudo parted -l" and "free"

then open dolphin click on the kubuntu drive at the bottom of the left hand places pain and then get the output of "df -h" + once you have clicked(mounted) the kubuntu drive you can get to the log files......... /var/log

VINNY

[DoYouKubuntu]

As far as hardware, it's a six year old computer

Its age may be the problem. It needs to be pretty robust to handle K14.04, and your comments about even running a live CD kind of reinforce my gut feeling. How about trying to install an older version? See if that solves the problem.

Or--and I know this is shocking on a Kubuntu forum!--you could try a more lightweight Linux distro, such as Bodhi. I put that on an older laptop a while back--a laptop that became PAINFULLY slow after upgrading its Kubuntu to a recent [at the time] version--and it totally resurrected that sucker.

[millusions]

I think this might be a X issue, but just having a stab in the dark here..

try Ctrl-Alt-F1 see if you can get a login there

[Silent Observer]

Its age may be the problem. It needs to be pretty robust to handle K14.04

Yes and no. I'm running Kubuntu 14.04(.1 update received days after installing) on a motherboard I installed six years ago; it was an emergency repair, so I got what I could afford locally, rather than the better performing stuff I'd been planning on (but which would have taken most of a week to arrive from California). During the intervening time, however, I've upgraded from the 2 GB RAM I started with to 4 GB and pulled the Core2Duo 2.5 GHz and replaced it with a 2.7 GHz Core2Quad (I'm still running the nVidia GT520 that was $60 then, though). All that to say, if it was a top end computer six years ago, it should handle current Kubuntu pretty well (the terabyte drive and Win7Ultimate point that direction).

If it was run of the mill, however, built to XP spec and has just had the TB drive swapped in and Windows upgraded, it might be time for some hardware surgery...

[jlittle]

Yes and no. I'm running Kubuntu 14.04(.1 update received days after installing) on a motherboard I installed six years ago; it was an emergency repair, so I got what I could afford locally, rather than the better performing stuff I'd been planning on (but which would have taken most of a week to arrive from California). During the intervening time, however, I've upgraded from the 2 GB RAM I started with to 4 GB and pulled the Core2Duo 2.5 GHz and replaced it with a 2.7 GHz Core2Quad (I'm still running the nVidia GT520 that was $60 then, though). All that to say, if it was a top end computer six years ago, it should handle current Kubuntu pretty well (the terabyte drive and Win7Ultimate point that direction).

IMO your computer should run Kubuntu 14.04 really well. I type this on an 8 year old box, that I have replaced everything in it except the CPU, a dual core Athlon, and the CD/DVD. I was running on 1 GiB RAM for a while and it was not enough. Conceivably the GT520 is too old, or is giving problems (my motherboard replacement gave me an nForce 630a integrated graphics, in theory equivalent to some kind of Geforce 7.

When did you do the nomodeset? My computer wouldn't install precise (12.04) or run trusty from the DVD at all without doing the nomodeset very early on; with trusty, it would boot to the Try or Install choice, and if I clicked Try it behaved as you describe. When I first boot from the Trusty DVD the first thing I see is a little man in a circle icon with a little keyboard; I have to press something to get the low res screen where I can press F6 to choose nomodeset. Then Kubuntu can run and install in what I think is VGA mode, then I log in and do the proprietary driver thing (I get the 304) then it's all good.

[vinnywright]

with trusty, it would boot to the Try or Install choice, and if I clicked Try it behaved as you describe. When I first boot from the Trusty DVD the first thing I see is a little man in a circle icon with a little keyboard; I have to press something to get the low res screen where I can press F6 to choose nomodeset. Then Kubuntu can run and install in what I think is VGA mode, then I log in and do the proprietary driver thing (I get the 304) then it's all good.

correct .

VINNY