Help - black screen on loading - newbie

[nacmama]

Hello all, need some help. I am new to linux and have been using ubuntu via flash drive and also from live cd. they have worked great on my CQ60, so I decided to try on my HP Pavillion DV5 2155dx - it starts to load but after the first sceens with script?(a bunch of lines of text) I get a black screen without a prompt or anything.(occassionally I get the sound) HELP!! Do I need some sort of drivers? I am not totally computer illiterate, but don't have a clue where to start. I do know how to get into my bios and make changes, just don't know what they should be changed to, beyond the boot order
(I am wanting to go pure linux and get rid of windows)

Ubuntu 11.10 desktop i386
Here is what I have: (currently has windows 7 on it)
HP Pavillion dv5
i3 CPU m370 2.4 ghz
4GB ram
64 bit
440 GB Hard Drive

what else do you need to know to help me

THANKS

[nixblog]

I'm assuming you are just trying it as a Live CD on the HP box. If you say your hearing sound as in the login sound then it may be that Ubuntu has loaded but for some reason switched the tty used. You could try pressing CTRL+ALT+F1 and cycle through CTRL+ALT+F2 etc to F8 - F8 (tty should be the standard screen output, F7 (tty7) may give you some info to on the boot process and the other tty's should give you a console login.

[nacmama]

Yes, I thought I would try running as a LiveCD first. and yes, that login audio

THANKS! Will try - in the middle of a memory test right now as soon as that is done, will let you know what happens, thanks again!

(also, I tried with Fedora as well and same thing happens right after it starts to load the screen goes black- that's when I decided to do the memtest)

[nacmama]

ok, I hit ctrl+alt and started to hit the f1 when "language" option came up. along the bottom says:
f1help f2 language f3 keymap f4 modes f5 accessibility f6 other options

I have a screen that says:
try ubuntu without installing
install ubuntu
check of defects
test memory
boot from first hard disk

I clicked "try without installing"

screen black again - wait....yep still black,
trying the ctrl+alt+fkeys again

ctrl f5 i get a screen with this ^@^@_(the underscore is blinking)

I backspaced until that was all off screen and left with a completly black screen again

went up and down ctrl alt fkeys and on the way back down when I got back to F1 I now have a screen:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$(blinking underscore)

Hit enter, this appears to be command prompt???

I typed "ls" :
got this
Desktop Documents Downloads Music Pictures Public Templates Videos

I typed desktop:
said no command

NOW what

DRAT - battery died! Now to start the process over!

BLESS YOU!! I got it!! it was simply the brightness function. I just happened to figure it out, for whatever reason at some point in loading the setting goes dim, i happened to hit my f2 by itself when navigating one of the ubuntu submenus and my screen went completely black. i figured out i could get it back by hitting the f3 which happened to be the key for making the screen brighter and viola! it's all there!! THANKS!!!! (well, I'm at the screen to "try or install" so we'll see YES!! it works!!! THANKS SOOO MUCH!!

[nixblog]

Glad your working it out

I sometimes get the issue when I install Ubuntu that I have to go to tty1 to carry on the install as the normal tty output just disappears!