not played with the alternative cd's, so I can't really comment on
exactly what they do. Did you get any error messages when you installed
it? Is there any particular reason you opted for the alternative over the
standard desktop cd? Have you tried the standard desktop cd? That's
where I would start - grab a copy of that, and try running it from the cd.
If all looks ok, then install it from there.

Something else to consider: sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

The above provides an easy way to configure the xserver once the
corresponding software is installed. Entering the code without the
"-phigh" presents far too many options for the inexperienced user.

Attempt to install it using apt-get if you have network connectivity.
Example:

sudo apt-get install (whatever packages are missing)

If the above doesnt work, I would suggest going to the official Ubuntu
forums and reading up on the installation and configuration of the
xserver when using integrated Intel graphics.

Check out this web site to see if your gateway laptop has had linux
installed on it and if so what the installer had to say about the
experience.
http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/gateway.html

This looks vaguely familiar. I have a Compaq v2000z with an ATI
Radeon Xpress 200M card and until I got the proprietary driver working
properly, I had to use the Open 'ati' driver with no video acceleration.
You may try turning this option off in the xorg.conf file just to see if
that is the culprit. Let us hear back when you do!

Still having the same issues and have yet to really find any answers
i can comprehend (being a complete newb to Linux). are there any good
guides for Ubuntu that could help?

Do you mean that you haven't found help on the xorg file
or that you do not understand what to do?

When I first started with Linux, I had a horrible time just getting my
head around what it is that I was supposed to do on the file system. How
do I edit things and what do I edit? It was all crazy. What I did was
just keep asking question until I had some type of understanding.

Not that I'm very far along now because I still need help - and would
need help on an issue like yours!