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Let me start off by saying, I've been trying to run Ubuntu on my custom PC for about 2 years. From 10.04 to 12.04, this problem persists.

When I try to boot Ubuntu from either a USB stick or a CD, I see the normal Ubuntu splash screen. It looks like it's working, orange dots are moving, but then the screen glitches and freezes.

I'm assuming this happens because there are no drivers for my graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 8800, I think). My motherboard has no onboard graphics, nor does it have a VGA out.

So, how can I get this working on my system? Can I somehow put the drivers along side the .img on the USB stick?

I can boot from my Ubuntu USB stick on my MacBook. In case that helps anyone...

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similar question asked and answered here askubuntu.com/q/129116/71679 –  damien Jul 5 '12 at 1:23
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2 Answers

I had a similar issue with the same graphics card years ago. The fix turned out to be pretty simple; as your pc boots, press escape to get into the Grub menu. Once there, hit e to edit the highlighted boot option. Add nomodeset after or in place of the words quiet splash. That should get your card to work. If that doesn't do it, repeat the steps to get into Grub. This time, select the Recovery option instead. Choose run is safe graphics. Hopefully that'll get you sorted out.

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I dont think that gpu is up to running unity try xubuntu or lubuntu they are the same os but with diffrent desktops.

or try one of the many lightwaight linux distros like puppy linux etc

there are millions of distros on google or www.distrowatch.com has many reviews

sorry if that dose not help much but its worth a try just so you know your exact problem.

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