on Sat, Aug 25, 2001 at 06:01:53PM -0700, Mark Seven Smith (pampaluz@home.com) wrote:
>
> Sorry Karsten; I meant for this to go to the list, not only to
> you. (I HATE WINDOWS!!! This is Outlook Express, screwing up on
> where to send replies...)
Accepted.
I can send you a copy of SirCam if it will help expedite change ;-)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mark Seven Smith" <pampaluz@home.com>
> To: "Karsten M. Self" <kmself@ix.netcom.com>
> Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 2:06 PM
> Subject: Re: Problem with the installaion of debian locking up
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karsten M. Self" <kmself@ix.netcom.com>
> To: <debian-user@lists.debian.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 3:16 AM
> Subject: Re: Problem with the installaion of debian locking up
>
> >I presume this is in console mode, not X....or framebuffer. You
> >using that at all?
>
> Yep, the install program is a console screen, NOT X. I'm not
> sure what "framebuffer" is, but the screens are in color (if gray
> is a color), and no mouse, but you can scroll through lists with
> the arrow keys.
Color is just ANSI color in console or terminal. Framebuffer is...hmmm.
Let's just call it an advanced display mode. Don't think you're dealing
with it.
> >You also fail to specify what you've had on this box before and/or
> >whether you've had problems with other OSs.
>
> I can run Windows 2000 (but *why???* YUCK!) and I am currently
> running Windows 98 (at least it isn't destroying what's left of
> my archives). I can install and use Red Hat 5.2, 6.0, or 6.1;
> and SuSE 6.4 -- I've used them all, but I WANT to use Debian.
So: each of the above works properly with this system?
> >Sounds like you're in dselect when this happens.
>
> NOPE--I only got that far once! (I've been bashing my head
> against this problem for awhile now; I can get father into the
> install routine by limiting what I select; for instance by not
> scrolling any lists.)
OK. The question was asked to determine if there's any particular stage
of the install that's triggering the problem. Answer seems to be: "No,
the problem occurs at arbitrary points in the process".
> >It would be helpful to know which of the following have any effect:
>
> I'll try them. Sometimes I can get the other consoles (alt-F2,
> alt-F3, etc.) and sometimes, I can never get back to the install
> screen.
>
> Once the install routine bombs, there are NO keys which will
> work--not any alt-F-keys, not control-alt-delete, not
> control-alt-backspace, nothing.
OK. I'd suspect a bad driver somewhere, or bad hardware.
> >> Nothing can be done except to hit a hard RESET.
>
> >Define "hard reset". Is this:
> > - <ctrl><alt><del>, aka "three fingered salute"?
>
> NOPE--doesn't work.
>
> > - warm-boot reset button on your system.
> > - cold-boot (power-cycle) reset.
>
> BOTH of these will work.
OK.
> >I don't know if the installation kernel has Magic SysRQ compiled
> >in, if it does, you might care to try the following, in
> sequence:
>
> Kewl! I'll try those!
>
> I've even tried different kernels (going by what the online
> instructions for Debian are) when trying to install. This didn't
> help.
>
> >Have you tried another distro on this box?
>
> Yes.
>
> >I'd very strongly recommend trying the LNX-BBC bootable business
> card,
>
> Thank you *very* much; that sounds like a lot of fun! I have
> never heard of it, but I am going to d/l it now...
>
> Uh, just got to the page; I don't actually have to cut & mold a
> CD-ROM disc to "business card size", just to use this distro, I
> hope?! ;-)
No. I've managed to pick up...about three different copies of it in the
past few days. First was cut to a standard full-size CD. Works fine,
it just feels funny in my wallet ;-)
> >Strongly recommend Googling this card.
> ...
> >and/or that using
> >framebuffer may be a good alternative.
>
> AAAAAARGH! I've had a lot of trouble with VIDEO CARDS! Every time I
> get a new one, I first try to find out if it will WORK IN LINUX--then
> I find out that "oh, yeah well it does, IF you hold your mouth *just*
> right, and sacrifice your first-born, and burn incense daily to its
> ancestors" or *something* like that.
Problem with cards is that it's not safe to assume a card works just
because a similarly named card from the same manufacturer works.
Specific chipsets are critical to know.
> The ATI Rage 128 is a pretty nice card; worked well in SuSE but I can
> see that I probably should get something *ELSE*, (AGAIN!!!), the card
> didn't work right away in Red Hat 6.1, I had to d/l new drivers that
> supported it.
There's a no-name card under the SiS 6326 chipset that's A) dirt cheap
(about US$35 a month or so back) and B) works pretty well under
GNU/Linux (problems configuring with XF86Setup as it doesn't like the
SVGA driver), but there are workarounds. I checked up on another video
issues post yesterday and ran across a number of references to problems
with an ATI Rage 128 card. I don't do scads of hardware myself, so I
really have to punt on most vidcard and soundcard issues.
> So: what works well with Debian? Something that gives a pretty
> display, with lots of room on the KDE desktop (I like to surf the 'net
> with 1280x1024 resolution, I can have several windows showing this
> way). Something COMPATIBLE, relatively inexpensive, and did I say
> compatible?
Take a look at the SiS card I mentioned. It's dirt cheap at everyhere.
Linux Journal has had a few good hardware "dream machine" (coupled with
"down-to-earth" machine) issues.
> Oh and, BTW what's FRAMEBUFFER? (URL would be fine, thanx!)
Framebuffer HOWTO
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO.html
A framebuffer device is an abstraction for the graphic hardware. It
represents the frame buffer of some video hardware, and allows
application software to access the graphic hardware through a
well-defined interface, so that the software doesn't need to know
anything about the low-level interface stuff [Taken from Geert
Uytterhoeven's framebuffer.txt in the linux kernel sources]
> Thanks very much for the info; and thanks in advance for your
> reply! :-)
That's what they pay me for.
...now wait JUST a minute...
--
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com> http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand? There is no K5 cabal
http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/ http://www.kuro5hin.org
Free Dmitry! Boycott Adobe! Repeal the DMCA! http://www.freesklyarov.org
Geek for Hire http://kmself.home.netcom.com/resume.html
Attachment:
pgpiULhdS6vVH.pgp
Description: PGP signature