I think it's a significant but rarely occurring problem with the 12.04
installation. I had the same problem with the 64 bit version on my
Gateway laptop. There is a way to get it started successfully and
download the drivers from within the new O/S. It involves interrupting
the grub process, changing something which will allow the system to
boot and then fixing it. Sorry I can't remember more but you should
find it with a search engine. I'm suffering from a severe case of
tendonitis in my leg at the moment and not really functioning very
well.