Installing Ubuntu 10.04 (Lynx) x86_64 Server on Dell XPS 630i

Recently, I needed to install Ubuntu on a Dell XPS 630i.  There was one irritating problem: the installation cd would consistently freeze just after selecting "Install Ubuntu" from the main menu, leaving me with a blinking white cursor and the inner turmoil that can only be experienced while wondering whether your computer is actually doing anything

I've never had these kinds of problems installing Ubuntu before, and I wasn't really sure where to start troubleshooting.  A number of forum websites with postings similar to my own situation recommended changing some of the install parameters, such as noapic, nolapic, noacpi, etc.

None of this worked.

I finally found this post on a Dell community forum, which ingeniously suggested to:

1. Install Ubuntu 8.04 (Heron) x86_64 Server



2. Check for updates in the package manager.  Install all UPDATES (NOT distribution upgrade)



3. Restart



4. In a terminal, sudo update-manager --devel-release



5. Check for updates one more time.  THEN click on the button at the top of the package manager window to install the distribution upgrade to arrive at 10.04 (Lynx).

I never would have thought of that.  I followed the post instructions exactly.  Success!  Everything appears to be working just fine.  Here's to you, jakeman66.