Installing Ubuntu 13.04 on a Toshiba Satellite C55-A laptop

[Jim Byrnes]

Just got the above mentioned Toshiba laptop yesterday.  Would like to 
install Ubuntu on it next to Windows 8 without activating Windows 8.

Downloaded and burned the Ubuntu 13.04 DVD and verified that it works on 
another machine.  Changed the bios on the Toshiba so it boots from the dvd.

It booted but not to the normal screen.  I saw a non-graphical screen 
with 3 selections Install Ubuntu  -  Try Ubuntu & Test media. I choose 
Try Ubuntu and it booted to a command line:

Welcome to Ubuntu 13.04 (GNU/Linux 3.8.0-19-generic x86_64)

* Documentation: https://help/ubuntu.com/

ubuntu at ubuntu:~$

As a test I tried to run firefox and got:

(process;3019): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_slice_set_config: asserttion 
`sys_page_size == 0` failed
Error: no display specificed

Obviously a graphics problem.

Specs say: Processor and Graphics
            AMD Quad Core A6-5200 Accelerated Processor with AMD Radeon™
            HD 8400 Graphics
            2.0 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache

Googling on the HD 8400 and linux produced this hit:

http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/AMDCatalyst13-8LINBetaDriver.aspx

Which talks of a beta driver that supports this chip.

So it seems there is no way to test Ubuntu on this machine before 
installing it. Is that correct?

Which leads to the question: Can Ubuntu even be installed when Windows 8 
is on the disk but not activated?  All the results I see from googling 
seems to assume that Windows 8 is active.

Thanks,  Jim