Booting Kubuntu 5.10 gets an "Out of Range" message

[Hodgins Family]

Good evening, Terry!

> 1. The default boot loads Ubuntu (with screen display too faint
> to read) and finishes with a blank screen with the message "Out of
> Range".  The message is in a similar form to the "No Signal" which
> the monitor displays before I boot the CPU.

Somewhere during the installation the vertical and/or horizontal 
frequencies of your monitor weren't set properly. Grab your monitor's 
manual and get these values (likely in the specifications section).

> 2. The recovery mode loads Ubuntu (legible screen display) and
> results in a command-line screen.  "login" enables me to login as
> a user but I do not know how to get the GUI.  "kdm" gets me the
> same "Out of Range" screen as the default mode.
> 
> What can I do to get the login manager?  Thanks (I hope).

Running off of memory here!

You don't need the GUI!
This can be done from the command line.
Once you have logged in (as a user) type:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

and hit enter. Give your user's password. You will be presented with a 
series of screens are used to build the Xserver configuration file. Most 
of the screens deal with things like your keyboard and other non-monitor 
related items. You already ran through these when you first installed 
Ubuntu, so you can accept the default values presented on these screens 
(click OK or next or whatever gets you to the next screen).

Near the end of the series will be some screens that ask questions about 
your monitor. Pick the advanced option and when asked, enter your 
monitor's horizontal frequencies and then the vertical frequencies. (If 
your monitor supports a range of frequencies like 31.5 to 38, enter 
these as 31.5-38). Once these have been entered, continue with the final 
set of screens until you are back at the commmand line (you'll know when 
you are there).

Then you can enter:

sudo shutdown -r now

and hit enter. Your machine should reboot and get you to the GUI normally.

HTH

Rob