Live USB stick hangs on the start screen

I am trying out DoudouLinux for the first time on a Samsung netbook (np-nc20) and regardless of the boot option I choose (persistence or no persistence), the start screen displays forever. It says Hello :-), Hyperborea version, and has the blinking toucan, and it never changes. I’ve left it for a couple of hours and it never progresses. Is there any way to see a console or error log? Is there something else I should try? I just want to get in so I can do an install onto the netbook harddrive - is there another way to install except through the live-cd?