Re: Problems with XF86Config
On Fri, Aug 11, 2000 at 04:07:09AM -0700, jamesdoyle_new.uk@excite.co.uk wrote
>
> I want to install Linux on two HDs, one is an old 850 MB Conner, from which
> all traces of Gates & Co.have been banished and this will be pure Linux, and
> a new 6.5 GB HD which is dual-boot Win95 and Linux. I downloaded Star Office
> in both Win95 and Linux forms, and have been using it under Win 95 for
> several months and I never want to have MS Office on my box again!
>
> Gates does not like Star Office, and the PC goes bananas regularly, but Star
> is crash-proof and always saves correctly, and nothing gets lost.
>
> I have tried SuSe and Red Hat ( Mandrake), but I much prefer the Debian
> basic installation. Dselect on the Conner is OK.
>
> The problem: Debian can't find an XF86 config file, the result is that
> X-Windows cannot start, although Dselect has installed everything else.
> Unlike Suse "YAST"
> Debian never asked me anything about my monitor, and never mentioned setting
> up an XF86 config file.
>
> Please say how I can create the missing file, how I get it into the correct
> directory and let startx work?
>
Debian doesn't configure X for you, but it does provide two tools that walk
you through it: XF86Setup (in the "xf86setup" package) and xf86config (in
the "xserver-common" package). XF86Setup uses 16 color VGA mode, so that's
probably not an option for your system.
Run the command
# apt-get install xserver-mono xfonts-scalable xfonts-75dpi
to install an appropriate Xserver and some fonts, and run
# xf86config
and tell it about your hardware. Be sure to choose the
mono Xserver when it asks you which one to use (it'll probably
recommend XServer-SVGA, but that doesn't do mono).
You'll probably also want to run a command like
# apt-get install icewm wmaker xterm
to install some other window managers and xterm, if you haven't
already done so.
> Monitor: Triumph-Adler monchrome 14"
> Video Bandwith more than 30 Mhz analog
> (80x 25)
> line frequency 31467 Hz
> frame frequency 60-70 Hz
> Video card - Venus VGA
> Tests
> Actual mode (3h Text) 80 x 25
> V H
> 70.00KHz 31.43Khz
> mode 12h (graphic 640 x 480)
> 64.08Khz 31.54 Khz
>
> I hope you can help!
>
>
> As I have no Internet connection here at home, I have to prepare this
> message at home under Star Office and then cart this on diskette to the
> public library and load it under *** MS-Office to send it under Netscape
>
This all supposes that you have a Debian CD or some other medium
that you can use as a source of Debian packages, and that you have
configured apt to use it. If you haven't, then this will involve
a *lot* of to-ing and fro-ing with *many* floppy disks.
John P.
--
huiac@camtech.net.au
john@huiac.apana.org.au
http://www.mdt.net.au/~john Debian Linux admin & support:technical services
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