[Tfug] hardware issue?

[Matthew Patenaude]

Dear TFUGers,

I wrote several weeks ago about trying to get a friend going in Linux, and
if you remember, my question had to do with the fact that he had no working
optical drive and I was trying to install via an external DVD drive through
usb...

Well, I also mentioned that he was having a new computer built for him (by
his brother), and wanted Ubuntu installed. His brother finished his computer
and tried to install Ubuntu and ran across the following problems: I have
pasted the info from him below. It looks like it is a problem with the
graphics card, but do any of you have any idea how to get his graphics card
to work? His brother swapped out a different graphics card and the whole
system loaded like normal.

The info is as follows: I have pasted his email texts below:

"""

Nick wanted me to email you to see if you had any ideas as to why his
computer won't fire up.  Here is where I'm at right now.  I put his SATA
250g into my computer (replacing mine) and installed Ubuntu Gutsy Gibon just
fine.  I then take the hard drive out and put it on his computer.  When I
turn the computer on it says "Grub" something real quick, and then goes to a
blank screen.  When I take the drive out and put it in my computer, it works
fine.  Also, when I take the hard drive out of my computer (loaded with XP)
and put it into his computer, it starts up just fine.

Here is what happens when I try to install a copy of Ubuntu with the hard
drive in his computer (from a disk).  I turn the computer on and it loads up
the Ubuntu CD.  I click on "install" and it says "Loading Linux Kernel" and
then goes to a blank screen and does nothing.  If I hit "check this CD for
errors" instead of "install"  it goes to a blank screen and does nothing.
I've also tried to install Hardy Heron 4.0 and get the same results. """

I requested he send me a hardware list... returned as follows:

"""
1.  ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD
Motherboard - Retail
2. RAIDMAX Smilodon Extreme Black ATX-612WEB SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower
Computer CaseNo Power Supply - Retail
3. EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express
x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
4. Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC ATX 430W Power Supply - Retail
5. AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core
Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail
6. G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual
Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
7. Koutech IO-RCM620 USB 2.0 3.5"/5.25" Card Reader - Retail
8. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Hard Drive - OEM
9. Logitech 967557-0403 Silver/Black USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Slim
Cordless Desktop S 510 Mouse Included - Retail
10. LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe
Technology Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DH-20A3H-06 - OEM
11. LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2P-08 - Retail

"""

I told him I suspected the graphics card, and he swapped out a different one
(his own), like I said before, and Ubuntu installed as expected. Do any of
you know a way to use the graphics card listed above?

Thanks,
Matthew Patenaude
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