Latest kubuntu laptop install issues have left my Dell unable to boot

[Jon Grant]

hi, just trying to install latest kubuntu on laptop external USB2
drive. unfortunately it has locked up in KDE. the "Install" window
does not update, and neither does the popup "instlaling system"
progress bar.  the "ubiquity" process was still using 95% of CPU! any
ideas?

Maybe I shouldnt have dared to click the "skip" button on the
Formating dialog? what exactly does that skip then?

Rebooting it after several hours of inactivity has left me with a
broken dell laptop now as it has wiped the MBR :(

my other question was about the grub installer. it offered to install
that on sda, not my external USB2 drive.. so is it going to mean my
windows sda drive will not boot unless USB2 drive is plugged in now..?

When i start the laptop, with or without the USB2 external drive in I
get this display:
=====================
GRUB Loading stage1.5

GRUB loading please wait...
Error 5
_

=========

I've also had Error 21. Now why don't they give a text description of
the error? A word or two wouldn't be that hard.

Does anyone know how to fix the MBR so Windows will boot again?   and
also how I can get Kubuntu to boot using Grub ? as it obviosuly cant
work with the MBR being on sda, and the Grub on an unavailable sdb

I'm stuck with only the live CD to use now. no access to any of my
data i still need to use from windows.. so any help much appreciated!

the installer seems to have other issues:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: /proc/misc: No entry for device-mapper found
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: Is device-mapper driver missing from kernel?
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: Failure to communicate with kernel
device-mapper driver.
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: /proc/misc: No entry for device-mapper found
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: Is device-mapper driver missing from kernel?
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: Failure to communicate with kernel
device-mapper driver.
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: Incompatible libdevmapper 1.02.20
(2007-06-15)(compat) and kernel driver
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity:
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: Command failed
Nov  7 19:49:42 ubuntu ubiquity: /proc/misc: No entry for device-mapper found

and why is it doing this before asking my permission?

Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: ntfsresize v1.13.1 (libntfs 9:0:0)
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Device name        : /dev/sda2
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: NTFS volume version: 3.1
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Cluster size       : 4096 bytes
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Current volume size: 56696852992
bytes (56697 MB)
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Current device size: 56696855040
bytes (56697 MB)
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Checking filesystem consistency ...
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Accounting clusters ...
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Space in use       : 52784 MB (93.1%)
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Collecting resizing constraints ...
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: You might resize at 52783878144
bytes or 52784 MB (freeing 3913 MB).
Nov  7 19:50:25 ubuntu ntfsresize: Please make a test run using both
the -n and -s options before real resizing!

these in the dmesg output dont look good either.

[ 4751.104000] bcm43xx: Error: Microcode "bcm43xx_microcode5.fw" not
available or load failed.
[ 4773.132000] bcm43xx: Error: Microcode "bcm43xx_microcode5.fw" not
available or load failed.
[ 4895.156000] bcm43xx: Error: Microcode "bcm43xx_microcode5.fw" not
available or load failed.
[ 5017.324000] bcm43xx: Error: Microcode "bcm43xx_microcode5.fw" not
available or load failed.
[ 5139.396000] bcm43xx: Error: Microcode "bcm43xx_microcode5.fw" not
available or load failed.

Kind regards,
Jon
-- 
linkme: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jongrant
weblog: http://jguk.org/