Linux problem

[MrJim]

I've tried loading two distros onto my brand new laptop (HP i3 Win7): latest Ubuntu and Mint12. On both I initially got screens that simply shut off. On the Mint attempt I went to ASCI workaround mode and everything acted normal, got the Mint screen and everything started to load up, I paged through the intro and everything seemed fine. While it was loading I got up and went to the kitchen for about 10 minutes, came back and found the Windows login screen. Thinking maybe it restarted I restarted, chose the Mint option on the boot screen, tried both modes (normal & recovery) and got the same black/shut off screen again.

Googling around I'm not the only one with the problem; some say it has something to do with the intel graphics and there were some extensive command coding that some say could fix it. I didn't have any kinds of problems with any of my linux installs on the old desktops and I don't really want to fool around with command line coding stuff.

Do I just need to wait for a newer update or try another distro? Suggestions appreciated

***
Found my "black screen" issues had to do with the setting on screen brightness~they were there the whole time

 

[ChrisWiegman]

I would try a different Distro. I've seen similar driver problems over the years with new hardware and although they're almost always taken care of over time the only quick fix is to use something different...

 

[MrJim]

I would try a different Distro. I've seen similar driver problems over the years with new hardware and although they're almost always taken care of over time the only quick fix is to use something different...

any recommendations? I've used ubuntu and puppy; I know there's a boatload out there.

I'm downloading Fedora 64bit version; I think I've been trying to use 32bit versions maybe that's the prob?

 

[C-Man]

Arch is probably the most stable, but it also requires a great deal of setup on your part. If you want to give it a go, the Youtube user thisweekinlinux has a couple of great videos on installation.

 

[ChrisWiegman]

Frankly, on my Desktops I've gone all Mac and my servers are all Ubuntu. That said, I use Mint, Ubuntu and OpenSuse in VMs all happily. Have you looked at OpenSuse?

 

[MrJim]

Frankly, on my Desktops I've gone all Mac and my servers are all Ubuntu. That said, I use Mint, Ubuntu and OpenSuse in VMs all happily. Have you looked at OpenSuse?

Not yet. Something went wrong with my image of Fedora so I need to try that again. I use mac for my primary desktop but couldn't shell out the bucks for a mac laptop. So far I'm fairly impressed with Win7 but my natural paranoia knows something will happen.

...and I just started the OpenSuse dvd download

 

[MrJim]

Arch is probably the most stable, but it also requires a great deal of setup on your part. If you want to give it a go, the Youtube user thisweekinlinux has a couple of great videos on installation.

"great deal of setup" immediately intimidates

 

[ChrisWiegman]

Right on. I'm down to only one computer in the house which is how I can make it a Mac.

After have Win 7 for a while I don't think I could ever use Windows again. NTFS is ancient, too darn slow unless every file you have is bigger than 2GB, and fragments worse than a windshield that's been hit by a brick. Add to that a registry system that is impossible to keep optimal over any length of time and Windows has become nothing but a waste.

Before I switched away from Window re-formatting and reinstalling the OS was something I did every 3 - 6 months as a standard. Now, I watch others do the same thing while the OS on this Mac has never been replaced and my servers haven't need a reboot in months. Moving off of Win was one of the most productive moves I've ever made.

 

[Qyöt27]

Not yet. Something went wrong with my image of Fedora so I need to try that again. I use mac for my primary desktop but couldn't shell out the bucks for a mac laptop. So far I'm fairly impressed with Win7 but my natural paranoia knows something will happen.

...and I just started the OpenSuse dvd download

As a general note, the distros encourage users to download the ISOs through BitTorrent for a reason. The main reason is that it takes the bandwidth burden off of their servers, but the secondary reason is that the BitTorrent protocol integrates SHA-1 hash checking to ensure file integrity. What that means is that if the download completes successfully, you have the assurance that nothing is wrong with it (barring random filesystem corruption on the user's end or a faulty disc burn, but neither of those are download-related).

 

[MrJim]

I did a cd download of OpenSuse instead of the dvd~~I didn't have any blank dvds in the house. This and the Fedora didn't burn correctly for some reason~~the Mint did but when I load the cd back in it asks if I want to view photos through WMP or something...we used to have a Borders where there was always Linux magazines with DVDs in them to use..getting grumpy.

I've never used BitTorrent; I some something else to learn about

 

[EphesiaNZ]

I've tried loading two distros onto my brand new laptop (HP i3 Win7): latest Ubuntu and Mint12. On both I initially got screens that simply shut off.

When using either of these distros you could boot it as normal, if the screen go blank try CTRL+ALT+F1 and you should get a terminal prompt. Log in and try running updates,

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

let any updates install and it might cure the issue (maybe). Reboot and see what happens...

 

[MrJim]

When using either of these distros you could boot it as normal, if the screen go blank try CTRL+ALT+F1 and you should get a terminal prompt. Log in and try running updates,

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

let any updates install and it might cure the issue (maybe). Reboot and see what happens...

Terminal? Log in? Does an option update show?

I never had to use terminal before~that's how spoiled I am with the distros I've used.

 

[EphesiaNZ]

Terminal? Log in? Does an option update show?

I never had to use terminal before~that's how spoiled I am with the distros I've used.

Yes all command line

Just try it if u get stuck again on a debian based distro such as Ubuntu or Mint

 

[C-Man]

The terminal is your friend.

 

[MrJim]

Ah success~~I stopped in at a pseudo-Borders bookstore and snagged two of those Linux magazines from England that has the distro dvds in them. And they worked, tried out Chakra and going to try out Mint and Puppy and Fubuntu (Fedora/Ubuntu creation) so looking forward to seeing what I end up installing.

The magazines themselves, well you smart guys would understand it but I think I need "Linux for Dummies" ~~I never learned how to use terminal or even what all the coding stuff is about..I learned about computers with Windows 2000 and XP and if I don't have a mouse and arrow I'm pretty much blown up lol. Still I think it would be interesting to learn some basics about some of this coding stuff, what would be a good starting point? I understand there is different programming "language" like python and perl.

Let me ask you this: Is this wiki article good? That's how much I don't know, it would take a bit for me to digest this...

Programming language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Qyöt27]

If I had to 'rank' them, it would probably look somewhat like this (easiest ones first; the order is pretty interchangeable for 'basic usage' entries):

Windows batch script (basic usage)
AviSynth script (basic usage)
Unix shell script (basic usage)

Unix shell script (intermediate usage)
AviSynth script (intermediate usage)
Windows batch script (intermediate/advanced usage)

AviSynth script (advanced usage)
Unix shell script (advanced usage; such as when used in build systems)

Interpreted scripting languages proper (Python, Perl, Ruby, etc.)

High-level programming languages (C and its variants, etc.)

Low-level assembly language




I included AviSynth only because of my own familiarity - I've been dealing with it since 2004. It's not general-purpose the way practically all of the others are, since it's meant for media tasks. It's also Windows-only, although it performs well under Wine on both OSX and Linux.

 

[EphesiaNZ]

Ah success~~I stopped in at a pseudo-Borders bookstore and snagged two of those Linux magazines from England that has the distro dvds in them. And they worked, tried out Chakra and going to try out Mint and Puppy and Fubuntu (Fedora/Ubuntu creation) so looking forward to seeing what I end up installing.

The magazines themselves, well you smart guys would understand it but I think I need "Linux for Dummies" ~~I never learned how to use terminal or even what all the coding stuff is about..I learned about computers with Windows 2000 and XP and if I don't have a mouse and arrow I'm pretty much blown up lol. Still I think it would be interesting to learn some basics about some of this coding stuff, what would be a good starting point? I understand there is different programming "language" like python and perl.

Let me ask you this: Is this wiki article good? That's how much I don't know, it would take a bit for me to digest this...

Programming language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glad you have taken a plunge into the Linux water

If you have never done any programming before then I would give the C programming language a go and in doing so pay homage to the master programmer who is no longer with us (see my signature). Some would say that C isn't easy but it's as easy as an language if you've never really done any before. C is the foundation of most modern programming languages today - if you know C then you will have a stepping stone into other languages.

 

[adrianmonk]

If you want to get into programming, I highly recommend starting with "Introduction to Algorithms" . Its about $60 on amazon.

Once you understand the concept, the language will not matter. It will be fairly easy to move from one language to another.

 

[MrJim]

Found my "black screen" issues had to do with the setting on screen brightness~they were there the whole time, just needed to "up" the brightness..