all N ones

[misswham]

I purchased a Lenovo all in one and tried to put mint on it but it messed the system up. Does ANYONE know of or do any of you have Mint on an all-none and if so, what type? I REALLY like the concept of the all n one on my kitchen table but the OS mate didnt do well. It made the screen go dim and then black and had to restart every 5 mins. I did some research and this model DIDNT have certain drivers for linux. Are computers today NOT able to have linux on them? I need a new one but I wont use anything except mint.

[SurfaceUnits]

Did you try using the Live DVD a bit before instaling? Which Mint version are you trying?
Which model do you have?

Various Lenovo AIO chip sets

AMD RadeonTM HD 6450, PCI Express® x16, 1GB memory, DirectX® 11
Intel H61 Express Chipset

NVIDIA® GeForce® 615 1GB
Intel® HD graphics (integrated)

NVIDIA® GeForce® GT650M 2GB

AMD Radeon HD 7450A graphics

Intel® Integrated HD Graphics

[misswham]

I used MINT MATE 13 64 BIT AND MATE 14. I tried both from a flash drive and they worked fine until I installed mate 13. I got this black screen that had a lot of codes on it when i tried to install. I stopped and started over and the installation went fine but during the installation, the screen went dark and i could barely see it but it did install, so i rebooted and it was working fine until about 5 mins and it went dim first then after 3 mins it went dark and no clicking of the mouse or keyboard would brighten it back up. So when i restarted (instead of totally shutting down) it never brightened back up. So I shut it DOWN and went back into windows 8 and it worked fine until 5 mins and the same thing started again. So i returned it and got another and when i let the new one go into hibernation on both windows 8 & the live version and I clicked and it came back to norm. So i waited and let it do it about 2 hrs THEN i was comfortable with the install again but before the install actually started, i got that black screen with the codes again so i just stopped. Didnt want to mess the 2nd one up. The 2nd time I tried to install 14 and the same screen popped up. Here r the specs]

This Lenovo IdeaCentre B540 - 57310400 all-in-one


Intel® Pentium® processor G645

Features a 3MB cache and 2.9GHz processor speed.
Intel® Pentium® processor

Features classic 2-way processing performance, letting you run multiple applications simultaneously, so you can browse, send instant messages, download music and transfer photos all at once.
23" high-definition widescreen 10-point multitouch display

With 1920 x 1080 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning detail.
All-in-one design

Features internal speakers for quality sound. A USB keyboard and USB mouse ensure comfortable use.
4GB DDR3 memory

For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.
Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive

Create custom DVDs and CDs.
500GB hard drive

Offers spacious storage.
Intel® HD graphics

For lush images.
Built-in 720p webcam

Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.
6-in-1 media reader

Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, SDXC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and MultiMediaCard formats.
2 USB 3.0 and 4 USB 2.0 ports

For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)

Connect to the Internet without wires.
Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet LAN

For quick and easy wired Web connection.
Windows 8 64-bit operating system preinstalled

Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more.

[misswham]

just tried to boot in compatibility mode and this is what i got.

Failed to start the X server (your graphical interface). It is likely that it is not set up correctly. Would you like to view the X server outut to diagnose the problem?

[SurfaceUnits]

Load up the live dvd/flash drive and see if you can use that first

OK your model uses

NVIDIA® GeForce® 615 1GB
Intel® HD graphics (integrated)

If you can successfully use the Live media, then it is a graphics driver issue

[misswham]

Just returned it and spoke with a guy from the geek squad and he was a linux expert. He told me that intel graphics dont have drivers for MINT. He told me to find an AMD processor with an NVIDIA graphics card and that will work. He found me one that was a refurb and he suggested that one was perfect. He seemed to be an expert on Linux. He also said that dual booting sometimes doesnt work well with linux on devies preloaded with windows 8. So he said that the one I had wasnt going to work and yes it was the graphics card that was the problem. So i will see. Thanks for your help.

[misswham]

This is the graphics card thats on the one I bought. Does this sound ok?


NVIDIA GeForce 610 graphics

Feature 1GB DDR3 dedicated video memory and up to 2793MB total available video memory as allocated by Windows 7 for lush images with stunning detail.

[SurfaceUnits]

The GeForce graphics will work fine

[misswham]

Thank you so much for your help.

[bigj231]

I normally don't like to butt into threads unless I feel I can provide useful, relevant information, but I feel like i need to say two things:

1) That Geek Squad employee doesn't know **** about Linux if he told you that your system wouldn't work. Intel graphics drivers are included in Mint/Ubuntu. In fact, I am running a Intel system with no issues as I type this. There are many users (on this forum even) who use Intel/ATI systems with both Intel and AMD graphics on the same system. You would have to either disable the Intel graphics or the ATI graphics, but the system would be completely usable.
2) It will be infinitely easier to install Mint on a system that has Windows 7 instead of 8 though. For one, you won't have "secure boot" to deal with.

If you solved your issue, could you mark the thread as [SOLVED]?

[misswham]

Well im confused. Does my problem sound more like a problem with windows 8 instead of the graphics card? Well i just want an all n one that isnt too expensive that will allow me to install mint or any distro of linux on it. Ijust purchased a sony vaio with an nvidia graphics card but IF i can take it back and get a cheaper one that doesnt necessarily have the graphics issue with the screen going dark and not being able to come back unless i turn completely off and start over that would be wonderful.

[bigj231]

That issue with the screen might be related to the graphics card. It would be best to start a new thread in the appropriate section to get advice on that.
The problem with a windows 8 PC is the extra steps required before installing anything other than Windows. If you can get your current PC to work and you like it, then by all means, keep it. If there's another reason you don't want it, look for one with Intel graphics. If you aren't doing any gaming (or just light gaming) they are perfectly fine, and are much easier to setup.
Also, I don't care for Sony computers. There's nothing wrong with them, I just don't care for them. If you don't mind having a tower, I recommend building your own. But that is a completely different topic for another day (and thread).

[misswham]

The lenovo I bought had Intel Graphic card and when I took it back and got another, i got an error message when i tried 2 install it also. I bought a sony and been using it for 5 days with the live usb drive and it works fine but im afraid to INSTALL mint 14 in fear of messing it up like i did the lenovo but the sony has an NVIDIA G FORCE graphics card. I REALLY didnt want 2 spend 800 dollars on an all in one but i was told that the NVIDIA graphics cards usually always cause no problem and all the other pcs i have put linux on in the past, had NVIDIA graphic cards. Im contemplating taking it back once the check clears. DONT KNOW WHAT 2 DO.

[misswham]

AND most pcs that i see that r under 1000 dollars dont have NVIDIA graphic cards they have intel.

[bigj231]

Nvidia cards are generally more powerful than the Intel cards. Go ahead and install Mint. You shouldn't have any major issues. There's usually an extra step with Nvidia/ATI/AMD graphics, but there is no reason to worry about it. Like I said, if you are happy with the computer, keep it and use it. If you don't like it, then get a different one. If it works fine with the Live USB, then install and troubleshoot whatever problems arise. There are lots of people here that are willing to help with that. Notice "help" is not the same as "do it for me."

and ALL of the PCs I've built have been under $1000, and they all had discreet ATI Cards (4870, 5770, 5650) or discreet Nvidia cards (6600GT, 9800GT EE). None of them are all in ones, as the seperate monitor and tower is much cheaper and more customizable. All of the AMD computers will not have Intel graphics, they will have AMD/ATI or Nvidia, but there are not many (any?) AMD all in ones.

[misswham]

Is Mint 14 UEFI?

[bigj231]

Yes, I installed 13 on a UEFI system. The search function on this site can answer a lot of your questions.