Lots Of Problems: Ubuntu 7.10/6.10 Installation on old system

I tried to install Ubuntu 7.10 on my friend's system with following Configuration

P4 3.00 GHZ, Intel 845G Mobo, 256 Mb Ram, 80 Gb IDE HDD.

Ubuntu main screen not loaded from live cd. System just freezed after ubuntu loading progress bar disappeared. I rebooted the system and this time i waited for ubuntu main screen to load. After odd 45 mins i got the screen n the shortcut to install. Clicked on it again the waiting session started. After around i had to reboot again as nothing seem to happen.
This time i choosed install in safe graphics mode. After the warning window(configure resolution) i clicked next n again black screen but this time with blinking cursor. Waited for long time and rebooted again.
I checked cd for defects and to my surprise it was ok.

Then i tried to install 6.10. Choosed default option to install ubuntu. Again progress bar came, disappeared and blank screen but this time with blinking
monitor light and nothing more.
Finally i choosed install in safe graphics mode in 6.10. This time i managed to install it . Now when i choose to boot from default option same thing happens again i.e. blank screen after progress bar with blinking cursor. It take some 3 0r 4 min to display login screen. But if boot in recovery mode then i type "exit " @ command prompt to start the graphics mode which is now only good way to srart UBUNTU 6.10
I have heard that 7.10 can work on 256 ram without any problem but here even 6.10 is not working properly. Also I am not getting the widescreen resolution 1680X1050. The maximum resolution i am getting is 1024x768. I installed 915resolution package to enable widescreen resolution on older intel chipsets but still not getting it. Also graphics performance is not so good.

I convinced my friend that 7.10 is way better than windows. Help me save my face. Please..................

M

Use alternate install cd, live cd requires min. 512mb of RAM. And go for Xubuntu rather than ubuntu.

CadCrazy said:
I tried to install Ubuntu 7.10 on my friend's system with following Configuration

P4 3.00 GHZ, Intel 845G Mobo, 256 Mb Ram, 80 Gb IDE HDD.

Ubuntu main screen not loaded from live cd. System just freezed after ubuntu loading progress bar disappeared. I rebooted the system and this time i waited for ubuntu main screen to load. After odd 45 mins i got the screen n the shortcut to install. Clicked on it again the waiting session started. After around i had to reboot again as nothing seem to happen.
This time i choosed install in safe graphics mode. After the warning window(configure resolution) i clicked next n again black screen but this time with blinking cursor. Waited for long time and rebooted again.
I checked cd for defects and to my surprise it was ok.

Then i tried to install 6.10. Choosed default option to install ubuntu. Again progress bar came, disappeared and blank screen but this time with blinking
monitor light and nothing more.
Finally i choosed install in safe graphics mode in 6.10. This time i managed to install it . Now when i choose to boot from default option same thing happens again i.e. blank screen after progress bar with blinking cursor. It take some 3 0r 4 min to display login screen. But if boot in recovery mode then i type "exit " @ command prompt to start the graphics mode which is now only good way to srart UBUNTU 6.10
I have heard that 7.10 can work on 256 ram without any problem but here even 6.10 is not working properly. Also I am not getting the widescreen resolution 1680X1050. The maximum resolution i am getting is 1024x768. I installed 915resolution package to enable widescreen resolution on older intel chipsets but still not getting it. Also graphics performance is not so good.

I convinced my friend that 7.10 is way better than windows. Help me save my face. Please..................

Do you have a AsRock MoBo? I also have that brand's mobo with AGP and it stucks with the AGPGART of any new Linux Distro.

If you want to know about AGPGART solution, then specify it in reply post. :grin:

debsuvra said:
Do you have a AsRock MoBo?

No its intel mobo

debsuvra said:
If you want to know about AGPGART solution, then specify it in reply post.

yes wana know more

mehulved said:
live cd requires min. 512mb of RAM.

Ok but also tried on another friend's system with AMD 3000+,ASUS M2N Mobo,512 MB Ram but almost same thing happened

mehulved said:
And go for Xubuntu rather than ubuntu.

No No can't do without eye candy

M

CadCrazy said:
No No can't do without eye candy

What do you mean? What more eye candy will GNOME give over XFCE, specially with just 256MB of RAM?

i have heard that it is very light on resources with less eye candy

M

*xubuntu.org/tour
*xubuntu.org/press#screenshots
*www.xfce.org/about/screenshots
*lunapark6.com/overview-of-xfce-44.html
Just a few examples. Google can show you more about the how good XFCE can look while using less resources.

i dont think RAM is sufficient enough for GNOMe 2.2 if u can get your friend an older version like 6.06 with the repositories

6.06 will work fine, its will be supported for 5 years. Go for it if you want to install ubuntu. 7.0x will need atleast 512MB RAM.

I currently installed Ubuntu 6.10 on his system . Tell me how to enable 3d/transparency effects. I have searched in synaptic with word compiz and installed all the packages under the search but still i am not getting the compiz configuration manager.

Also even 6.10 is not working properly through default boot option. I had to boot through recovery mode to get it working. Any possible cause/solution to this problem

M

6.10 won't have compiz fusion. But luckily it has beryl. But, what graphics chipset does it have? And believe me go for xubuntu over ubuntu.

Gnome is so damn sluggish on 256megs,
Go for xfce dude.its a lot better considering the low RAM.
Besides you wont feel any loss of looks either.
But on 256 megs Ubuntu itself feels sluggish.
Try something based on slackware if u really want speed.

Regards,
ray

mehulved said:
But, what graphics chipset does it have?

Intel 845G
Oh XUBUNTU haf to downlod it .

Nah,Xubuntu isnt much but Ubuntu base with a set of apps for lower end machines,
Install Ubuntu and then remove
ubuntu-desktop and install
xubuntu-desktop.

Might be wrong names,used ubuntu quite some time ago.

Regards,
ray

is it
install xubuntu-desktop and then remove ubuntu-desktop
or vice versa

M

Yeah. xubuntu-desktop should be around 50MB package at the max. So, you can add it to your ubuntu install and thus have both GNOME and XFCE in the install.

CadCrazy said:
is it
install xubuntu-desktop and then remove ubuntu-desktop
or vice versa

I think if u select xubuntu-desktop for installation it automatically selects ubuntu-desktop for un-install.
Anyways its better to do this in init3 IMO.

Regards,
ray

^No.all co-exists/be it kde or xfce(xubuntu)

Yes,If you install the DE.
I think in Ubuntu only one desktop type package is available at once.
You can install the rest of the packages to make the DE available but if u install the desktop package its made the default DE and the previous Default DE is removed.
That's as i know in Ubuntu 6.06
Havent really used ubuntu after that.

Regards,
ray

hey xfce is only a 14.3mb of download!!!
i have both gnome and xfce coexisting.

Do not want to hijack this thread, but 256 + 512 (two RAM modules) MB Ram will be OK for Ubuntu 7.10 ? I mean smooth running of desktop version.

Hell yes.
What do u think Ubuntu is Vista?

For needing gigs of RAM

Ubuntu 7.10 should run smoothly with all compiz effects turned on.

Regards,
ray

M

rayraven said:
I think if u select xubuntu-desktop for installation it automatically selects ubuntu-desktop for un-install.
Anyways its better to do this in init3 IMO.

Regards,
ray

It shouldn't really do this but I believe it's a bug in gutsy which is causing this. AFAICR it was the person nicknamed slytherin on irc.freenode.net #ubuntu-in who had faced this too. Just try asking this there if anyone of you face it.

Hmm,i dont know.
But i havent used gutsy.
Last i used ubuntu was version 6.06.
And i remember it selecting ubuntu-desktop for removal on selection of xubuntu-desktop for installation.
Might be wrong as it was some time ago.

Regards,
ray

din said:
Do not want to hijack this thread, but 256 + 512 (two RAM modules) MB Ram will be OK for Ubuntu 7.10 ? I mean smooth running of desktop version.

More than enough!

Actually one of my fren runs 7.10 on 256MB DDR (some amount shared for vram), intel 865 comfortable widout compiz fusion. At least with the prev. release hafing GNOME 2.18, he was using beryl without much problems.

din said:
Do not want to hijack this thread, but 256 + 512 (two RAM modules) MB Ram will be OK for Ubuntu 7.10 ? I mean smooth running of desktop version.

Like rayraven said. 512 is just enough for a smooth experience. You can enable the Desktop Effects and get all the effects available too. (Depending on your Graphic Chipset)

And it'll all run smooth, right from startup to playing videos, etc and even Shut-down. :))

M

rayraven said:
Hmm,i dont know.
But i havent used gutsy.
Last i used ubuntu was version 6.06.
And i remember it selecting ubuntu-desktop for removal on selection of xubuntu-desktop for installation.
Might be wrong as it was some time ago.

Regards,
ray

I had xfcd + kde + gnome + ratpoison + fluxbox + xfwm + gnustep together on 6.10.

So guys what you say Xubuntu 7.10 will work on system with 256 mb ram. I recently installed xubuntu-desktop on ubuntu 7.10 but it is still sucking. Take too long time to start.
Will the standalone xubuntu 7.10 be better or should i settle for some lower version of it .

Ubuntu is a bit slow on 256 megs as i said before.
And a stock xubuntu install wudnt speed things much either.
If u want a really speedy boot go for a slackware based distro like Vector or Zenwalk.

Btw,did it select ubuntu-desktop for un-install on selecting xubuntu-dekstop for installation?
I'm kinda confused and a clarification would help.
Thanks.

Regards,
ray

rayraven said:
Btw,did it select ubuntu-desktop for un-install on selecting xubuntu-dekstop for installation?

I am not sure as started installation in the night and found xubuntu installed in the morning

M

This is strange. XFCE was really fast till 7.04 surely. Though the machine I am running it on has 512MB of RAM, but it shouldn't go down drastically with 256MB of RAM.
I am sure of couple of people reporting a welcome change after using xfce on 256MB of RAM.

Mehulved is right,
I use xfce on 128 megs.
And its darn fast.
But i think CadCrazy's complaining about startup times rather than using xfce.

Regards,
ray

Guys hurry please suggest me 7.x or 6.x as i am going to download it. My friend will beat me as his system is in my room since last two days

Also @ startup i do nt see the progress bar, the screen turns blank for 2/3 min and then user name screen appears

rayraven said:
Mehulved is right,

But i think CadCrazy's complaining about startup times rather than using xfce.

No not just startup time but xfce is also sucking. Mouse moves very slowly some time stops for a second, choosing menu items all sucks

Hmm,Looks like 7.10 needs more than 256 megs.
But 6.06 worked quite smoothly with 256megs if i remember correctly.
You could try install 6.06 as it a LTS edition.

Or if u like to learn and arent afraid of fiddling around,
try something based on slackware.

Regards,
ray

I will try it on my system but for my friend i have to use ubuntu.

T

@ a bit Offtopic: 7.10 installs and uses Compiz by default if it detects supported card? I got a 8600 GT which is supported by Gutsy as per their included driver specs.

never succeeded in using compiz on my 7.04 so far. It goes all white.
My rig is in my siggie.

M

Tech_Wiz said:
@ a bit Offtopic: 7.10 installs and uses Compiz by default if it detects supported card? I got a 8600 GT which is supported by Gutsy as per their included driver specs.

never succeeded in using compiz on my 7.04 so far. It goes all white.
My rig is in my siggie.

Did you follow some howto? Maybe from ubuntuguide.org or from help.ubuntu.com?

some tips from nvidia forum may help.as 8600 are just supported in linux.

T

I checked ubuntu forums for howto enable Compiz.

The command suggested was

compiz --replace

This makes my screen go blank [White] and returns to normal after 15-20 secs.

@OP
I'd suggest Xubuntu 7.04. Its really snappy.

@Tech_Wiz
Just check if any restricted drivers need to be installed.

Only 6.06 and 7.10 of XUBUNTU are listed on website

M

CadCrazy said:
Only 6.06 and 7.10 of XUBUNTU are listed on website

Cos the support for the intermediate versions has ended. 6.06 is still there as it's a Long Term Release.

^^
Support for 6.10 and 7.04 are till 2008/04 and 2009/10 respectively.

Edgy Xubuntu > *mirror.internode.on.net/pub/ubuntu/xubuntu/6.10/release/
Feisty Xubuntu > *mirror.internode.on.net/pub/ubuntu/xubuntu/7.04/release/

(I've just listed one mirror, there're flavors of those two still available in the rest too)

But now i downloaded and installed xubuntu 6.06. Windows partitions are not automounted means not displayed on desktop and not accesible through file system . How to automount the partitions everytime i start the system

Please read the ubuntu guide here.
Its discussed very clearly.

*ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper#Windows

Regards,
ray

^have to edit /etc/fstab and add mount entries of ur windows partitions.if ntfs partition,u need to install ntfs-3g for write enabled which may be there for dapperdrake.
u can post here ur o/p of "fdisk -l" as root(su -) as i suppose 6.06 doesnot use sudo by default

Dapper uses sudo just as fine

^afair from edgy eft 6.10 onwards only ubuntu moved to sudo.

Nope, I've never used su - in my life of Ubuntu since 5.04

*ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper#Windows shows the use of sudo too.

Dapper is an LTS classic release as well

^may be bcoz i use debian sid.debian does not endorse sudo afaik.

it is almost two months my feisty install is sleeping in hdd