Re: video cards, the mouse, Xfree86 and Debian installation.....
Thanks for responding,
mikef
From: M-L <rose_snug@bigpond.com>
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: video cards, the mouse, Xfree86 and Debian installation.....
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:42:25 +1000
On Tuesday 17 October 2006 21:10, Michael Fothergill shared this with us
all:
>--> Dear Debian folks,
>-->
>--> I have installed Debian on my PC here.
Which Debian? Sarge, Etch or Sid?
*****I am using Debian Sarge 3.1 release three.
>It runs a 1200MHz Athlon CPU and
> has --> one 20GB disk on it with Fedora Core 5 on it and now after
deleted
> Windows a --> second disk (primary) which is 40GB in size has now got
the
> Desktop Debian --> installation on it.
>-->
>--> At least I think it does.
>-->
>--> I have a few questions about the installation process.
>-->
>--> I spent quite a while downloading the 15 or so CD iso images from
mirror
>--> site using wget and bittorrent (bittorrent was a waste of time - not
> enough --> fellow downloaders).
>-->
>--> I then burnt them to CDs and checked them for integrity one by one
with
> the --> Debian installer.
>-->
>--> I installed the OS a number of times but I got problems getting the X
>--> windows to work.
As root:-
apt-get install x-window-system-core
or
apt-get install x-window-system
>-->
>--> At the moment the OS is there and boots etc but only in command line
> mode. -->
startx
>--> But before talking about this I have some other queries.
>-->
>--> When I loaded up the installer it automatically found and configured
mu
>--> cable broadband. It looked as though it made use of this to download
> some --> security upgrades while installing from the CDs.
>-->
>--> After I got through the partitioning and base install (it never has a
>--> problem with this) I got to the reboot and the tedious entering of
> passwords --> for root and the user.
Booted?
>-->
>--> I then rebooted and fired up the OS.
Why reboot again?
>At this stage it tells you to put
> the --> first CD in. It scans through it for what it calls index files.
> It then --> comes at you with a cryptic instruction that says something
> like "If you --> have another CD in your install set please put it in
now
> and get it --> scanned". Well, I've got 15 of them......
Lucky, I have 19 and had a friend download them about 6 weeks ago, maybe
longer, because I am on dial up.
Gee that's tough. I can download an iso here in about an hour and a half or
so in wget.
>-->
>--> We are not talking feather linux here.
>-->
>--> So I experimented with this in a number of installs. I found that if
> you --> scanned three of the fifteen CDs it seemed to be able give you
the
> option of --> installing the Desktop install and the other five or so
> installs webserver, --> print server, donut server, Ronald Reagan
neocortex
> server etc, and it then --> seemed to be able to finish the rest of
install
> with some bugs in the font --> installation and some other quirks but
> basically it seemed to work. -->
Depending what you want as a window manager etc.. You have to scan 10
OK......... I will now reinstall and scan the pants of the entire
distribution.
apt-cdrom add
>--> But if you tried to only scan one disk it then omitted the Desktop
> install --> option and only presented you with a choice of the remaining
> five. If you --> tried to install then it worked ok but of course there
> was no XWindows at --> all just the command line.
>-->
>--> I then tried instaling again and this time I made a mistake of
scanning
> the --> first binary twice before the others. Then there was a problem
> with the apt --> get installation which was fatal and it had to be
> abandoned.
>-->
>--> How many of these CDs should be scanned at this stage for index
files?
>-->
>--> All fifteen?
Would be good, but at least 10
I now think I really need a DVD on my machine.
>-->
>--> I wish I had a DVD player on this machine.
>-->
>--> I installed again and scanned the first four of the CDs this time and
> then --> installed the Desktop. My video card is an SiS 630/730
according
> to Fedora. --> I put SiS in at what I think was the video card
> manufacturer choice --> setting in install.
What comes up as default? Try vesa?
Vesa came up as default. I will try it.
>-->
>--> There was then some stuff about Power PCs and video card bus
> identifiers. I --> do not know what the bus identifier is for the video
> card on this machine --> and I am not sure how to determine this.
>-->
>--> But it seemed as though it only wanted the video bus identifier to
be
>--> entered if you were using an Apple PowerPC not an ordinary PC like
mine.
>-->
>--> So I left it blank. Please let me know if I was wrong here.
>-->
>--> I got to the mouse autoconfiguration bit. I tried this but maybe it
> didn't --> work properly. It sounded like it thought I had a serial
mouse
> but I think --> I have a 3 button PS mouse.....
psaux or something like this?
>-->
>--> I think I should reinstall and then choose manual configuration of
the
>--> mouse. But maybe there is a way fire up the mouse installation
routine
> from --> the command line interface in my current install which does
boot
> and run (if --> you think this install is OK based on scanning only the
> first four of the 15 --> CDs for index files).
Nope..... probably enough for the mouse
>-->
>--> If you could give me the CLI command for this this would be useful.
>-->
>--> I also did what I could do configure Xwindows but was not successful
it
>--> seems.
as root:-
dpkg-reconfigure x-window-system
>-->
>--> The monitor I use is a 15 inch CRT Belinea device. Belinea is not a
>--> manufacturer that X seems to know much about. But I have got X work
OK
>--> with it in Fedora.
>-->
>--> I don't know the horizontal and vertical refresh numbers for it. But
> maybe --> I could use Fedora to tell me them and then put high quality
> information --> into Debian when configuring Xwindows for it.
>-->
>--> Suggestions here are welcome.
Select reasonable resolutions during the above reconfigure
>-->
>--> When I tried startx I got a little cross and a little box in the
middle
> of --> the screen that said things like "Xsession unable to start X no
> home/mikef --> .xsession file or Xsession file, no window manager, no
> terminal emulators --> found; aborting.
>-->
>--> Comments welcome here.
apt-get install [window manager]
to discover which are available
apt-cache search window-manager
or something like that
>-->
>--> The log messages before X tried to start contained things like"failed
to
>--> acquire AGP,AGPdisabled, xf86 open serial cannot open device" etc....
>-->
>--> Comments welcome.
>-->
>--> How do I run the Xwindows configuration again using the CLI in the
> install I --> have if it is good enough?
dpkg-reconfigure x-window-system
>-->
>--> Do I have to reinstall again and then configure Xwindows again there
to
> get --> it to work?
>-->
>--> Where can I get Fedora to remind me the mouse type I have precisely
for
> the --> aid of Debian?
>-->
>--> Regards,
>-->
>--> Michael Fothergill
HTH
--
Registered Linux User:- 329524
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent
him. ......................Voltaire
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Linux Debian Etch
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