installing linux problems
I recently installed Linux (Ubuntu) onto my windows 7 laptop - (E-machines E525, 900 intel celeron, 2gb memory, 250 GB HDD). When I boot up my system it gives me the option to run in either Windows, or Ubuntu (not side by side, one or the other). The only problem I'm experiencing is when i boot up in Ubuntu the screen goes dark, so dark i cannot possibly see, when i tilt the screen back with a light bulb behind me i can barely see the screen. after i realized my system was still working i entered the password for the system. tried looking through the settings, and went through every setting to deal with light or contrast i could find brightened all of them, nothing seems to help. i also tried using the function key on the laptop to brighten the screen, this proved useless as well. unfortunately because (I'm assuming) my internet has a wireless password, i cant access the internet.
if anyone has any suggestions it would be great help thanks in advance.
For your first concern, M$ windows and Linux do not run side by side, nor do they work well with each other. They are two completely different operating systems. If you are absolutely set on having them work with one another, you can check out Cygwin (www.cygwin.com) for windows, or you can learn more about Wine (www.winehq.com) for Linux.
I am aware that you are not running an Eee PC, but you might find this article helpful:
When you were installing it did you notice any problems, or was it only after your install?
Your other options are that you might take a look at your X.org settings, adjust them, and restart X.
Finally, you might need to just try a fresh install.
Let me know how everything works out.
when you drop down to CLI (alt+f(1-6)), do you have the same issue with brightness? If so, it's probably a hardware incompatability issue or improper install. If not, double check Xorg settings, then if nothing changes, purge xorg and your vidya driver and reinstall via apt-get.
Fresh install only once you've exhausted all possibilities. And as far as your linux/windows side by side concerns, VM or a proper partitioning scheme are the only ways you could run them side by side, and in the case of a proper scheme, only access to files, not executables.