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Background:

Please excuse bad grammar. English is not my first language. Also explain the answer like I am five because i also know nothing about linux.

I'm a complete linux noob and I wanted to get it and try it out for my work. I don't know any coding languages except for a bit of Java. So i downloaded the windows installer version of Ubuntu. It asked me to reboot and I rebooted.

The problem:

Once it powered on, it gave me the option to select windows or ubuntu. I selected Ubuntu right away and a black screen popped up and it kept running some lines of code I didn't understand. The lines kept running until it said

signal 9 terminated (killed)

and things like buffer error and medium error. This kept happening whenever I tried to boot. Then after I shut it down enough times a command screen popped up called grub. I typed help and it gave me a full list of commands and what they did. I typed boot and it said something like

you need to load the kernel first

What help I need:

So basically I know nothing about linux and it won't boot up and I have no idea what a kernel is or how to load it in grub. Please explain like I am five how to load the kernel and boot up linux.

Thank you

EDIT: heres my hardware since alot of you were asking.

Alienware m17x R4 gaming laptop 12 gigs of RAM 1 terabyte of harddrive space AMD radeon 7970M video card intel core i7 processor.

so basically its a brand new 2,300 dollar gaming computer that i picked up a few months ago. its got all the newest hardware and i can run skyrim perfectly on ultra with roughly 15 graphics enhancing mods.

Mughead
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    I think you rather want some help in booting your system. It is good to know what a kernel is etc, but that knowledge will not help you boot your system probably. (I know what a kernel is, and I know you should load it first but I do not know how to fix your system with above info). I would rewrite your question with target "how to fix my system", maybe add more of the actual errors :D (btw: don't worry about your english, it reads just fine) – Nanne Feb 20 '13 at 15:36
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    Perhaps you would like to run Ubuntu Live from a CD or DVD (see http://askubuntu.com/questions/227666/can-i-boot-ubuntu-from-dvd/227674) and try to find out more about the errors you encountered. General specifications of your computer and operating system, as well as the operations and procedures you followed, might assist the community in trying to help you out. – carnendil Feb 20 '13 at 15:47

2 Answers2

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I don't think that it is possible to help you understand Linux, Ubuntu an the especialy the Kernel by typing some lines here. I know, this is not what you want to hear, but you should start by reading to get the knowledge you want. Something about the Kernel and GRUB2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_GRUB

I would recommend to install Ubuntu on a separate, not-used computer or in a VM unter Windwos for the first time, so you can't damage your files and your productive Windows System.

Furthermore, problems and making your own research, are the best way to learn anything about Linux.

prophecy201
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If you have a new alienware pc then you will have the UEFI/EFI hardware. In this case then, you will need to install in UEFI/EFI mode: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI

Or as stated above, it can be a good idea to use a virtual machine since you have appropriate hardware.

Connor Blakey
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