Comment 5 for bug 156341

This is to do with Usplash and it's a stupid problem to have released Gutsy with in my book... Anyway the Release Candidate didn't do this for what it's worth.

My solution was slightly different to the one raised in #155711.

Usplash.conf gets incorrectly set up to use 1280x1024 which your laptop cannot display. So boot it, do the Alt + F1 and then Alt + F7 thing as described above, log in when X and login screen appears and when in load a terminal and enter:

sudo nano /etc/usplash.conf

This will edit that usplash.conf file

Inside it'll probably say:

# Usplash configuration file
xres=1280
yres=1024

Change this to:

# Usplash configuration file
xres=1024
yres=768

Save (Ctrl + O) and Exit (Ctrl +X) nano.

Then at the terminal prompt enter:

sudo update-usplash-theme usplash-theme-ubuntu

Then when done (this will take a while) reboot and all should be well again. I wrote more about it here: http://lilserenity.wordpress.com/2007/10/20/ubuntu-710-gutsy-gibbon-review-first-thoughts-3/

For what it's worth my Dell Optiplex GX240 with a Geforce 5200FX also boots Usplash with 1280x1024. It's almost as if Usplash has been fixed to take a 1280x1024 value which not every screen can display.

Tons of people have this problem and a new ISO needs to be put out with this fixed because for many trying Ubuntu will be stumped by this and give up. I know I was bamboozled as I can used Gutsy on a spare hard disk since Tribe 2, right up to RC without a hitch from fresh install, and Feisty to Gutsy upgrade was fine but a clean install of the final version just didn't work.