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Getting to a live session while installing Kubuntu

us flag

I have a Dell Inspiron and my Windows partition is unusable. I want to repartition the machine so that I can use the Dell recovery image, which is supposed to be bulletproof but isn't.

I plan to do that by starting a live Kubuntu session, operating from memory, which will enable me to apply gparted/kparted to the disk. (You can't apply gparted to the disk during an ordinary disk-based session. even as root.) The problem is that when the machine boots up, the font for the installation is unreadably tiny. If I could get the live session going, I could use xrandr to fix it. But I haven't found a point during the installation where I can get to a shell prompt. Is it possible during Kubuntu installation to fix the font problem?

us flag
You probably need to enable fractional scaling. Alternatively, decrease the resolution.
us flag
At what point during the installation dom I have an opportunity to do that?
ChanganAuto avatar
us flag
As above. But before you proceed a warning is in order: Messing with the partition will **definitely** render any recovery tool unusable. Unless what you want is simply install Ubuntu and delete everything else, do NOT proceed with that plan. *I want to repartition the machine so that I can use the Dell recovery image* is nonsense, if you "repartition" you destroy the recovery image for good. If you intend to recover Windows then you may do so by booting Windows installation media depending, of course, on the extend of the "damage".
us flag
The problem is finding an opening in the sequence of events where I can issue the xrandr command.
us flag
The recovery partition is already clobbered and the damage is already severe. I've been looking for a bulletproof strategy that does not in any way depend on the contents of the machine, since there's nothing on it that I need to preserve. It ought to be possible to recover somehow even if memory has been zeroed out.The image I was referring to is the downloaded image available in the Windows website. I've tried to recover using various images on the Windows website.
us flag
I think two different issues that I'm dealing with have somehow gotten mixed up: recovering from a sick unto death Windows installation and modifying a Kubuntu installation so that the messages are readable.
us flag
There is nothing on the machine that I need to preserve. And the image I was referring to is one downloaded from the Dell website. not the one in the recovery partition.
Score:0
ca flag

Two things to try. Firstly, when booting the live disk, choose the safe graphics option. If you have an nvidia card, that should get you a usable display.

If the small fonts are your only issue, you can try this instead. Once you are booted into the live installer you should get a screen with two buttons. One will say Install Kubuntu and the other Try Kubuntu. Choose Try Kubuntu. That will drop you into a live session. Click on Settings (should be in the tray next to the application launcher), find "Display and Monitor" and reduce your resolution (changing the Global Scale won't help much because most components won't resize until they are restarted).

Then you should be able to click on the application launcher in the bottom left, search for and run Konsole or KDE Partition Manager or whatever else you need.

Caleb McKay avatar
ca flag
This is what the initial screen should look like right after you get past grub...https://linuxhint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/k15.png
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