Ubuntu 16.4 gnome

[silverwing65]

Hi
I have decided to install Ubuntu gnome onto my old HP ZD8007ea, but it does no want to go on. It starts ok and seems to load onto ram but then all I get is a blank screen with just the curser which I can move but there is nothing to click on.

Anyone have any ideas

Thanks

 

[pete.i]

I would try Linux Mint rather than faff about with Ubuntu (any flavour). Mint just goes on, finds the correct drivers (well it does on the 3 machines that I have tried it on) and just works. I have tried Ubuntu a few times and whilst I haven't the same problems as you I found that it didn't work as well as Mint and didn't find all the drivers specifically Wi Fi drivers. I know I will get shouted down for saying the above from the Ubuntu officiandos but just try other distros they don't all work on all machines. What about running the distro from a live cd or usb stick have you tried that? I'm not saying that is the way you should run Linux but it does give you an idea of whether it will actually work on that particular machine. You will have to change the boot order in the bios of your machine and I doubt that it will support booting from a usb stick but it will boot from a cd (it could be a live dvd I suppose I haven't used CDs or DVDs for years) and you can make a bootable live cd from the Mint or the Ubuntu (and others) distros.

 

[Dngrsone]

Just a quick note which probably won't help, but it's bit me a few times: If you have anything plugged into the USB ports on your machine (aside from the drive you may be booting from), this can interfere with the installation process of any OS.

Especially Logitech wireless dongles.

I've used both Ubuntu and Mint, and my personal preference is Mint for the past few years. Considering Mint is a fork (kind of a 'child of') Ubuntu, both distributions work similarly, but I'd agree with @pete.i that Mint is a bit easier to get the hang of.

 

[silverwing65]

Hi
Thank you pete.i and Dngrsone.
I think I will try without any thing plugged into usb first if that does not work I will try to install mint.
I'll let you know what happens

Thanks

 

[strollin]

Instead of installing different Linux distros to see which you like or which will work, why not take advantage of the "Live CD" feature that many distros provide? The "Live CD" lets you boot the OS from the CD (or DVD) and run the OS without installing it. After you've played around with it and determined that it works with your hardware and you like that particular distro, then you can install it.

 

[pete.i]

Instead of installing different Linux distros to see which you like or which will work, why not take advantage of the "Live CD" feature that many distros provide? The "Live CD" lets you boot the OS from the CD (or DVD) and run the OS without installing it. After you've played around with it and determined that it works with your hardware and you like that particular distro, then you can install it.

Thought I had suggested that.

 

[silverwing65]

Hi
Well I have installed MINT and it is working fine, whether it is any better than windows ----time will tell
Thanks for advice
Pete

 

[pete.i]

Glad it works for you. Linux Mint is the most forgiving of any of the Linux distros that I have tried and I have tried most of them. I will admit it does depend on your computer, specifically, the hardware but Mint just works for me. Having said that it is a steep learning curve that you are embarking on especially when it comes to installing software. The version of Firefox that is included with the latest version of Mint, which is 17.3 Rosa, does not work that well especially with Flash based apps such as You Tube. I am no expert when it comes to Linux and, for sure it aint Windows. Neither is it in any way as easy as Windows to work with but it's free, it isn't Windows and some say that is a plus and it is improving. So go for it and have fun. You can always do a dual boot and have the "best of both worlds."