problems starting xfree (total n00b alert)

[Zapfloch]

i have just installed mandrake 9, and during the installation, i chose for it not to boot up into a graphical mode. after i selected linux in grub and all the stuff loaded up, i logged in. Then, i typed startx, as ive seen done in many texts. the screen goes black, then comes back to the regular text only screen, and the last line of some new output was something like "fatal error ocurred (new line) no screens found" I tried typing in kde, and the same thing happened. i have 0 experience in linux, i mandrake 9 is my first distro. what am i doing wrong?

[JohnT]

During installation did you not configure and choose a screen? When the test screen came up did the picture appear normal and you chose, yes?

[Zapfloch]

well... i dont think so. i saw no "choose screen" during the installation, but i did see a test screen request, and i (for some reason) chose not to test. /me is a dumbass. Am i going to have to reinstall?!

[Zapfloch]

am i able to set it up from the command line after i login?

[JohnT]

At the commandline type:

xf86config



Your might want to look at one of many help files(nhf) onsite before you go this route,if your not familiar with setting up X.
http://linuxnewbie.org/nhf/X_Window/Your_XF86Config_Travel_Guide.html

[Zapfloch]

thank u very much. ill do this tonight after the nature conservancy banquet. i thought i saw that mentioned in some of the questions asked at mandrake's site, but it had alot of other commands, and i became intimidated.

[JohnT]

Yes, because if you attempt before the nature conservancy banquet you might find the speaker slightly distracting.:D

Do a search on http://www.google.com/linux for the term "configuring x server" for some excellent info if you decide to go this route.

Alternately if afforded the chance choose to re-install and select the latest XF86 version offered from the install screen, as this will give you the largest selection of drivers and options.

[Zapfloch]

how do i determine my horizontal and vertical sync ranges?

btw, i did choose the newest xfree

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
how do i determine my horizontal and vertical sync ranges?

btw, i did choose the newest xfree

Determine make and model of monitor, go to mgf's website and look for tech info on your model or consult documentation on you monitor. This info is important so keep it written down for future use.

[Zapfloch]

argh. hitachi discontinued monitor + sunday = headache. any idea if there is a utility for windows that can tell me all the monitor stats?

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
argh. hitachi discontinued monitor + sunday = headache. any idea if there is a utility for windows that can tell me all the monitor stats?


Post your monitor model and number.

[Zapfloch]

hitachi superscan elite 17 (thats all i could find on the monitorits just "plug an play monitor" on the advanced settings. i know its max resolution is 1024x768 @75hz before starting to look odd, though my geforce 4 says it can go to 1280x1024

Wait a minute, forget all i said there. After choosing to look at the back for the first time, i see that the model number is cm1711mu, which im guessing corresponds to "cm1711" on the hitachi discontinued monitors page ( http://www.hitachidisplays.com/support/discnt.htm ). do u agree?

[Zapfloch]

ARGH

i went through all of x86config. chose intellimouse, generic 101 keyboard, did my own monitor frequency settings, (24.8-82/50-120)chose generic video card cause i could only find nvidia geforce, but no specific one (should i have used the geforce?), did 128000kb of video ram. saved all stuff to the generic location. went back to command line, did start x, and... same error. what am i doing wrong? did i do a borked install?

[Zapfloch]

ok, i redid xf86config as root (did a su). now the problem is is that it saves it as xf86config, while, according to what im reading on the screen, startx loads xf86config-4. how do i solve this problem.

[JohnT]

It's not a problem. If you'll look at both side by side they both contain basically the same info. One in a more abbreviated form. It will look for the first loadable one. In the XF86Config-4 look for this section and edit it to conform to your specs. I use the GForce 2 card. Yours should have the "nv" driver. I've configured my XF86 hundreds of times(new installs of distros, new cards). Better get used to configuring it. Life's a whole lot easier when you learn how to set it up. Also what kind of mouse are you using?

Section "Device"
Identifier "device1"
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce2 DDR (generic)"
Driver "nv"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

[Zapfloch]

yeah, i did go in there with a friend and tried some stuff. im using an intellimouse explorer v3.

Section "Device"
Identifier "device1"
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce4 (generic)"
Driver "nv"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
it was more like that when i looked at xf86config-4

[Zapfloch]

my friend had me remove all the possible subsection display settings except the ones with depth of 24 bits (btw, why cant u choose 32 bit?). that did not work.

ok, maybe i can give some more of the message it gives me. before the fatal error, itll mention something like (EE) Device not found. ill be more specific when i recheck. this sounds more and more like i messed up the install and somehow something didnt install...

[JohnT]

Rather than go into a lengthy explanation on 24-bit and 32-bit, suffice it to say that they are the same, so don't be concerned on that part.

[JohnT]

im using an intellimouse explorer v3.
Is that a two button scroll mouse? Optical? PS/2?


Post your section on "Pointing Device"

[Zapfloch]

5 button usb optical. (2 buttons in thumb area, and u can press scroll wheel for another button.)

ill get the pointing device info tomorrow. working on paper. school can suck like that.

[Zapfloch]

it says its an input device on my config
(note; am not doing cases very well, can remember them all)

indentifier "mouse1"
driver "mouse"
option "protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
option "Device" "dev/usb/mouse"
option "Zaxis mapping" "6 7"

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
it says its an input device on my config
(note; am not doing cases very well, can remember them all)

indentifier "mouse1"
driver "mouse"
option "protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
option "Device" "dev/usb/mouse"
option "Zaxis mapping" "6 7"

That config doesn't look as if it will present any problems with X starting.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
ok, i redid xf86config as root (did a su). now the problem is is that it saves it as xf86config, while, according to what im reading on the screen, startx loads xf86config-4. how do i solve this problem.

Rename XF86Config-4 to XF86Config-4 .bak and then rename XF86Config to XF86Config-4. Due to the fact if you use the newest version of XFree it reads the -4 one first.

[Zapfloch]

ok, i backed up the original file created by the mandrake install. i did a new config as root. i tried it with the nvidia driver; same error. i tried the generic vga driver; error, but because i had the depth set to 24 bits. I went through 1 more time, with generic driver, and 16bit res. I got a new error:

Addscreen/Screeninit failed for driver 0

[Zapfloch]

ok, lets assume my install was borked. do i have to go delete the partitions it made before i reinstall? or can i do "upgrade". Will it know where to stick the stuff; it made 3 logical partitions, a / one (i think), a /home one, and a swap file one.

[JohnT]

You can keep the partitions you made. The install should recognize them as "Linux". I would format them as to erase existing files, but not necessary. You might want to investigate partioning a little further. This would be a good read as to make you more informed of your choices and why.

http://www.olemiss.edu/helpdesk/itnews/200003/linux.html

[Zapfloch]

ok, that was a good read. does this mean u cant figure out whats wrong with my install?

also, what version of GRUB should the mandrake be installin? i chose grub (there was a graphical lilo, regular lilo, and grub for install) and it the version said .98

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
ok, that was a good read. does this mean u cant figure out whats wrong with my install?

also, what version of GRUB should the mandrake be installin? i chose grub (there was a graphical lilo, regular lilo, and grub for install) and it the version said .98

I would suggest just a re-install at this point using the the install option of choosing your screen at the end of install. If you have an Nvidia GForce make that choice, if you don't let the install choose for you. Any settings your not sure of let the install do the choosing. At the end you can test your screen and choose to keep the configuration or try another.
As to bootloader, are you dual-booting? If the answer is yes, is it with Windows fat32 or NT?

[somebitch]

hrm. you should get the nvchooser program to tell which version of drivers you need. i was going nutz trying to make my video card work, then i ran the chooser and it turned out i had downloaded the wrong drivers for my kernel.

also, you can run Xconfigurator to help with any video issues, it will edit the XF86 file for you. i know i had to edit that file to make the nvidia files work too but it was clearly explained in the docs.

[Zapfloch]

yes, i am using windows xp professional as well. I share this comp with a few brothers and my dad, though i make sure the comp is up and running on xp before letting my brothers on. I was just wondering if lilo (graphical lilo) would look more like xp's new version of the login screen, with icons instead of a list. Its just a "to appease my father" thing; he insisted on the windows xp user select screen as opposed to the nt style login.

[Zapfloch]

hmm. i do believe i noticed 2 geforce4 options when choosing video card. is xconfigurator something on the net or a program within linux?

[somebitch]

i dont know what it comes with and what it doesnt but the command is capital Xconfigurator

try: whereis Xconfigurator

it used to be called XF86Setup but no one calls it that anymore.

[Zapfloch]

are u reffering to xf86config? cause ive been tryin that

[somebitch]

oh sorry.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
yes, i am using windows xp professional as well. I share this comp with a few brothers and my dad, though i make sure the comp is up and running on xp before letting my brothers on. I was just wondering if lilo (graphical lilo) would look more like xp's new version of the login screen, with icons instead of a list. Its just a "to appease my father" thing; he insisted on the windows xp user select screen as opposed to the nt style login.


How do you boot into Linux now?

[Zapfloch]

Grub

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
Grub

If you want to keep GRUB......................................
Make a /boot partition. Can be small (10mb's or less)
Put GRUB in the first part of /boot instead of in the MBR.

To get everything working right, here is what I did (all as root):

Boot into linux and get a command prompt (you have to use a boot disk to boot
into linux at this point).

Type the following command, replacing "/dev/hda5" with the partition you made
/boot:

dd if=/dev/hda5 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

This copies the first 512 bytes of the specified partition into the file
bootsect.lnx

You will need to copy this file to your windows system drive root folder, in my
case C: You can do this very easily if you have mounted your windows drive(s) in
linux. Otherwise, copy it to a floppy, then boot into windows and copy it from
the floppy to your windows system drive root folder..

Once in windows, use notepad or another text editor and open C:\boot.ini

Windows will try and hide the file from you, but it is usually there.
Add the following line to the end of the file:

C:\bootsect.lnx="Redhat 7.2 Enigma"

Note that you can replace the text in quotes above with whatever text you want
to appear in the windows bootloader menu list. Save your changes and close the
file.

Open Start>>Settings>>Control Panel>>System. Click on the advanced tab, then
click on Startup And Recovery. In the dialog box, you can choose the default OS
to boot, and the timeout. Make any changes, then close the dialog box and
reboot.

Choosing windows from NT's boot menu will load windows, and choosing linux will
load GRUB. You can change GRUB's defaults (like you just did to windows) by
editing the grub.conf file. Note that in GRUB, your menu choices are a
zero-based list, meaning that the first menu item is #0, the second is #1, etc.

Set Default=N where N is the number of the OS you want to load by default.
Set Timeout=N where N is the number of seconds to wait before loading the
default OS.

This solution worked for me; your mileage may vary.
If you want to use LILO let me know as the instructions are similar.

[Zapfloch]

im not sure u understood what i wanted. I really dont need the nt bootloader, unless that would be a more friendly bootloader to my dad than grub. Im completely fine with GRUB. I just wanted to know if lilo was a more graphical bootloader than grub. right now, grub does a list thing with the available stuff. Im looking for something with icons, in case my brothers or dad have to boot the system.

another question. is grub going to be removed if delete the partition that linux is on? i was planning on deleting that partition, boot into mandrake installer, install it in the free space (the unformatted 10 gigs that i just deleted), and then, instead of the GRUB bootloader, do LILO. they had 2 lilos to choose from, regular, and graphical. I was wondering how one chooses the os from the LILO bootloader. is it a list? will i have to type the os? or is it an icon based one, which might possibly (though this is not required) be mouse compatible.

[JohnT]

The method I'm going to give you circumvents any LILO boot screen for users only wanting to use XP. It will give you at boot time a screen with two lines of text.(This is the safest and easiest to repair if something goes wrong.) MAKE A LINUX BOOTDISK

Windows XP
Mandrake 9.0 Dolphin

(or what ever you decide to put in C"\boot.ini)

The Lilo graphical boot has changed just about every incarnation. In my install of MDK 9.0 I get a graphical boot screen that has a nice background (colored blue) with a lighter blue overlay with the start up progression scrolling by within this. NO ICONS.

(1)During install make a /boot partition, besides any other partitions you might make (12-15mb's)

(2)Install Lilo to this /boot partition

(3)Make a boot disk when prompted


For reference, during linux install, I chose to use LILO instead of GRUB and to
put LILO in the first part of /boot instead of in the MBR.

To get everything working right, here is what I did (all as root):

Boot into linux and get a command prompt (you have to use a boot disk to boot
into linux at this point).

Creating a boot sector image for linux:
- Insert a blank (dos/windows formatted) floppy disk.
- Mount the floppy (type "mount /mnt/floppy")
- Create the image (type "dd if=/dev/hda1 bs=512 count=1
of=/mnt/floppy/Bootsec.lin") This is used later to configure linux to boot from the NT boot loader.
Then boot into windows and copy it from
the floppy to your windows system drive.(C:\)
Once in windows, use notepad or another text editor and open C:\boot.ini.
Windows will try and hide the file from you, but it is usually there. Add the following line to the end of the file: C:\bootsect.lnx="Mandrake 9.0 Dolphin"
Note that you can replace the text in quotes above with whatever text you want
to appear in the windows bootloader menu list. Save your changes and close the
file.
Open Start>>Settings>>Control Panel>>System. Click on the advanced tab, then
click on Startup And Recovery. In the dialog box, you can choose the default OS
to boot, and the timeout. Make any changes, then close the dialog box and
reboot.
Choosing windows from NT's boot menu will load windows, and choosing linux will
load LILO. You can change LILO's defaults (like you just did to windows) by
editing the LILO.conf file.

DID YOU MAKE A LINUX BOOT DISK?

[JohnT]

Do this step before Linux install.

To remove GRUB from the MBR, boot up with your XP cd and choose the "repair" option. Choose to repair with "console". When in console and at the prompt type in :

fixmbr

This will remove GRUB and reinstall NT bootloader.

[Zapfloch]

ok, thank u

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
ok, thank u

Your welcome.
Write down the partition designation for the /boot partition. Such as /dev/hdc1 or whatever. You'll need it later.

[blakelock]

Hello there,

I had the same error when trying to startX after my recent Debian3.0 install. The complete log file (found at /var/log/XFree86.0.log) showed that my video card (ATI) was identified properly but I was stillg getting the "no screens found" error. I ended up reconfiguring X a couple of times which is what you've tried (I think). What finally fixed the problem was disabling something called "kernel frame buffering" or something like that. I don't really know what it does but during the install it was recomended, so I used it. Disabling it cured my "no screens found" problem.

[Zapfloch]

argh! you should have told me that before i deleted the partition.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Zapfloch
argh! you should have told me that before i deleted the partition.

So be aware of it on install. Learn by doing.:p