Failsafe install?

[Theodore Ruegsegger]

I have a laptop with some hardware quirks. The Ubuntu live CD won't
start properly unless I select the "failsafe" install.

I have installed Ubuntu from the installation CD, only to have
numerous problems--the desktop doesn't come up properly, the sound
doesn't work, some things are very slow, etc.

How can I duplicate the live CD's "failsafe" configuration in an
actual installation to the hard disk?

I love Ubuntu and want to make it the default desktop on all my
machines, but this isn't the first time I've had trouble getting it
installed.

In case it matters, the laptop is a Sony VAIO PRC-FR130 (Athlon
XP2000+). It has an nVidia Geforce 4 graphics card and a VIA
VT8233/AC97 audio chipset.

TiA,
Ted Ruegsegger