Re: Cannot connect to network now...
"Kent West" <westk@acu.edu> wrote in message
news:33uon-40z-51@gated-at.bofh.it...
> Brian Coiley wrote:
>
> >Here is the story so far:
> >
> >1. Installed Woody dual-boot on my W2K box
> >2. Couldn't get Nvidia card to work
> >3. On the advice of this NG, upgraded to Sarge
> >4. Tried to install a 2.4 kernel. Need to change LILO config, but I'm
> >not using LILO, I'm using NTLDR...
> >5. Figured out how to change from using NTLDR to LILO, and tried again
to
> >install the 2.4 kernel.
> >6. 2.4 kernel would not boot (interrupt failures on hard drive)
> >
> >
> Odd.
Strange but true. Boots OK with the 2.2 and 2.6 kernels, but not the 2.4.
>
> >7. So, installed a 2.6 kernel.
> >8. Still can't get Nvidia card to work with nv driver.
> >9. After much fiddling around with configuration, managed to get
startx
> >to do something using VESA, but just shows a grey screen with a black
cross
> >in the middle, and entire system is locked up.
> >
> >
> That means your X server is running, but it's not running any clients
> (like an xterm, or more commonly, a window manager (like icewm or
> wmaker) and/or window environment (like KDE or Gnome).
>
> Try "apt-get install icewm" and then restart your X server. That should
> be a bit more comfortable. For more bells and whistles, try "apt-get
> install kde".
>
I've actually done apt-get install gnome, and I now get something that looks
vaguely like a GUI. Unfortunately, as noted in an earlier post on this
thread, my (USB) mouse does not work, and the GUI pops up a rather
grim-sounding error (but does not actually crash).
> >10. Hit the big power button and booted again.
> >
>
> Almost certainly not necessary. Just hit Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to kill X.
> Or press Ctrl-Alt-F1 to switch to the first Virtual Terminal (VT1);
> Ctrl-Alt-F2 will switch to VT2, etc. Ctrl-Alt-F7 will (most likely)
> switch back to X, although since you don't have any X clients running,
> that's fairly useless in your case.
>
I have since discovered Ctrl-Alt-Backspace!
> > Result...
> >
> >Linux is now completely unable to see my network.
> >
>
> My gut instinct is that you're not loading the correct module for your
> NIC. In the 2.2 kernel, it was probably built-in. in the 2.6 kernel, I
> believe it's a module. You can run "modconf" to select the correct
> module for your NIC (there are other ways as well, but this is probably
> the easiest).
>
modconf also appears to be broken. When it says "Please select the category
of modules", there is no list of categories. The only option reads "Exit
Finished. Return to previous menu." Which takes me right back out to the
command prompt. There's also an OK button, and a Cancel button, both of
which also simply quit. And that's it.
> You also might need to install "discover" (I believe that's the package
> name), which will do some automatic hardware discovery and load up the
> necessary modules. I believe this is the way of the future, rather than
> manually loading modules via modconf, etc.
>
Installed it. It said, among other things, "Skipping module sis900. It's
already loaded." As noted in an earlier post, the problem appears to be
unrelated to the NIC, and entirely to do with obtaining a DHCP lease. USB
mouse still doesn't work.
> > Fails to get an IP
> >address from the DHCP server, doesn't work, nix, nothing! This is NOT a
> >hardware problem: it works fine if I boot to Windoze. And it was working
> >fine for 2 days, up to an hour ago.
> >
> >I have not got the foggiest idea how to begin diagnosing this latest
> >problem. Something has clearly gone wrong with the NIC/driver setup in
> >Sarge, but I don't know where to begin.
> >
> >Please help! Windoze is beginning to look like considerably better value
> >than the £3 I paid for the Debian CD's, which will shortly become a set
of
> >nice shiny coasters!
> >
> >
>
> I understand your frustration. However, once you've gotten over the hump
> of the learning curve, you're going to know a lot more than do your
> peers about Tomorrow's operating system.
>
Unfortunately, unless it gets one hell of a sight easier very fast,
tomorrow's operating system is going to remain the preserve of a few very
determined digit heads. I have 20 years' software development experience
and a degree in mathematics, and if I'm having all this trouble, how the
hell is the average Windows user supposed to manage?
> And I gotta admit; Microsoft makes it easy on the end-user, at least at
> first.
>Until the viruses hit,
Never had one, just need to be sensible. Good virus checkers are free these
days.
>and the license fees,
My lost earning time on this stuff already amounts to more than twice the
cost of a Windoze licence.
> and the
> inflexibility,
???????
> and the gradual creep of slowdown that occurs over
> several months,
That really isn't true any more, W2000/2003 servers are capable of running
indefinitely.
> and the single-user mentality when a multi-user
> mentality is called for,
I think you'll find that it's people who have a mentality, not software ;-)
> and the lack of being able to _control_ your
> own box, etc.
Yes, well, as someone who's tried working with the latest MS revolution in
"managed" code (the .Net framework), I've got to agree with that,
particularly since, apparently, the next version of Windoze itself will be a
..Net app.
> There's a trade-off, but as a former Microsoft fanboy, I
> can say that it's well worth it.
>
As you can tell, I'm needing some convincing here, but thanks for trying!!!
Brian
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