A7N8X configuration woes

[Wdy85]

the asus a7n8x deluxe motherboard is amazing. However, it's amazingness causes quite a configuration hassle under linux, simply because of the vast wealth of integrated pci components

Here's my question. I have a usb mass storage device (a twinmos mobile disk 64 meg to be exact) that is acting funny. on my old pentium II/mandrake 9.0 based system this device was easily mounted under /dev/sda. Now with A7N8X (2800+) and slackware 9.0 (running under the new 2.4.21 kernel with a supermount patch) /dev/sda dosent seem to exist. I tried installing devfsd to se if that would clear up the problem, but to no avail. ok. Reinstall everything. back to start. still no /dev/sda. Actually, the file exists, but not the device, know what i mean?

i've tried modprobe usb-storage. no help.

anyone have any suggestions? is this a kernel configuration issue? do i have USB controller IRQ problems? is there any way to manually set IRQs on this board? Please help.

also, if anyone has built a linux system around this board, if you could please send any pointers that would be great.

[Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379]

Try running /sbin/dmesg and posting the output here.

Maybe there's some kernel module slackware doesn't load by default that's keeping your device from loading. If you post those results, we can probably help you out more.

[Wdy85]

hey thanks anyway but i just got it working...here's how i did it.

I went into the bios and disables some stuff i wasn't using, like midi, firewire, and the gameport. THis must have freed up some irq's.

i am also now running my kernel with the option
pci=biosirq

but i'm not sure what effect this has. Thanks anyway guys!

[GigaShadow]

I am running the same board with mdk 9.0. The only issue that I have encountered is with the onboard sound. For the video loading the nvidia drivers was easy and they work. However, I have yet to get sound working properly....this weekends project (once I download the Alsa drivers). Other than that it is a great board...I am running it with an amd 2800.

[LA Smog]

Which video card are the two of you using? I am having a hell of a time getting SlackWare 9 to recognize pieces on this board and have a ton of configuration and kernel issues. I was pointed in a few directions but to no avail so far.

[GigaShadow]

LaSmog: I am running a GeForce 4.....no problems yet. I will probably be installing WineX in the next couple of weeks so I can play StarCraft..then we will see!! :D I am also considering changing to Debian...just because!! :)

[LA Smog]

The reason I ask this question is that the nvgart update for the kernel has been said to only work with nVidia products. I have an ATI 9700 Pro on my motherboard and have read that it will not function on this motherboard with the nVidia GART driver.

I am still hoping that I can get this working in the next week, but I am not expecting much for results.

[Wdy85]

Hey
here's some help,
the board uses the Intel i810_audio driver.
try commenting out the nvaudio part of the makefile for the board drivers
it generally screws up the audio...run the kernel's stock i810 module.

[miskatonic]

GigaShadow, a question: what kind of functionaliity did the drivers supply that the Mandrake 9.0 install didn't? I have the same board and a Radeon 7500, the graphics now are fine, but I wonder if the drivers on the mobo CD provide anything above and beyond what just kernel support does. Also, which RPM did you use, the one for SuSE or one of the Red Hats?