Debian 3.0 Problem [Archive] - JustLinux Forums

Vm.

11-08-2002, 02:55 PM

I have some experience with RedHat linux. But this is the first time that I am trying Debian.

Everything went rather well during the installation and the system now boots into a GUI based Login prompt. I don't know how I can get a text based login prompt by default.

The mouse does not move. And the GUI is all too messed up. By pressing ALT+CTRL+F1, I got into a shell and tried to configure xf86 again. But there was no difference even when it overwrote the previous xf86config file.

Please do help me if possible.

Thanks for your time.

z0mbix

11-08-2002, 03:00 PM

You can use apt-get remove xdm to remove xdm if you don't want it. Easiest way, or you can just remove the symlinks that start/stop this on boot/shutdown with the update-rc.d program. The Debian way to reconfigure XFree86 is dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

Saptech

11-08-2002, 09:45 PM

I have the same problem and posted this yesterday. Glad to see the answer on removing xdm because just changing it in /etc/inittab did not make a difference.

Vm.

11-09-2002, 12:16 PM

I wanted to reinstall debian and so I did. And now x doesn't work at all.

I have attached the xF86 log file. Please see if you can help.

arioch

11-09-2002, 12:45 PM

If you wan't debian but don't want the nasty config probs try libranet 2.0 available at linuxiso.org it's exactly the same as debian 3.0 but 17 times more friendly when it comes to setup and general maintenance. As for your current prob, i was in the exact same situation as you. Try this as root: 'modconfig' then scroll down and locate the pointer module and give it a + for some lame reason the installation doesn't turn this on by default! secondly, my x also crashed because the wrong keyboard type was configured, i changed it from pc102 to pc105 and that did it,although i don't remember the command for that one.

Good luck

OliverW

11-09-2002, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by cheeky_zombie
You can use apt-get remove xdm to remove xdm if you don't want it. Easiest way, or you can just remove the symlinks that start/stop this on boot/shutdown with the update-rc.d program. The Debian way to reconfigure XFree86 is dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

apt-get remove xdm probably won't work it will probably remove your x-window-system (pseudo) package as well, which means you won't have any X at all.

Originally posted by arioch
[...] Try this as root: 'modconfig'

It's 'modconf' :)

z0mbix

11-09-2002, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by OliverW
apt-get remove xdm probably won't work it will probably remove your x-window-system (pseudo) package as well, which means you won't have any X at all

Worked for me! :)

knute

11-09-2002, 07:06 PM

What video card do you have?

Does it have the i810 chipset? Cause from what I see in the log that you posted, that's what you have it set up for.

Another thing you could do to try to get it to configure automagically iis to log into root, then use the following commands:
cd
XFree86 -configure
cp XF86Config-new XF86Config-4
mv XF86Config-4 /etc/X11/

After you do the configure part of it, you will get a black screen and some messages stating what it couldn't figure out.

HTH

Saptech

11-10-2002, 02:17 AM

Originally posted by OliverW
apt-get remove xdm probably won't work it will probably remove your x-window-system (pseudo) package as well, which means you won't have any X at all. It's 'modconf' :)
Well I tried it within X as root and it went through the process but then seemed to stall. I waited at least an hour or so before killing the process.

I still have xdm and I can't get to a text prompt. I need to try it at the text screen before X start.

What is the command to get into single user mode at the boot prompt?

Thnx.

Vm.

11-10-2002, 02:22 AM

OK. So I have tried all that was suggested here. But it still fails to work. I have been trying to get more information about how to get it to work from the net (thanks to google), but even that is not helping much.

Though all this seems buggy, I somehow like Debian more than Red Hat and I am willing to stick with Debian.

Though, I couldn't get one thing done, which was suggested above. I tried 'modconf', but I could not find the 'pointer module'.

Thanks for your time. :o Though, further help would certainly be appreciated. :p :rolleyes:

arioch

11-10-2002, 09:25 PM

If i were you i would really consider using the libranetflavour of debian 3.0 it is EXACTLY the same as debian woody but lot's more friendly. Either that or the ramdisk running knoppix, which is also debian It can be transferred to your harddrive relatively easy and is completely free. Visit the libranet forum and see what people are saying. I'm using libranet and wouldn't dream of changing. iv'e definately found my distro. no more RPM!:D :cool:

Vm.

11-11-2002, 02:32 AM

bah! I am just becoming jealous of you. :D

I'll don't know what I'll do. I want to stick with Debian. I don't want to go back to redhat! I need help! Because Google god is angry with me... it's not helping me.

Thanks again. :p

Saptech

11-11-2002, 03:24 AM

If you tired of Debian then try Slackware. It has a package manager but not as good as Debian.

And you may have to configure more manually also, but it's my main version that I use. I really like it. This was the first time I tried using Debian and I kinda like it also, mostly the apt-get stuff but I'm keeping my Slack! :D

teeitup

11-11-2002, 03:33 AM

Here is how to stop xdm, kdm, gdm from loading when entering run level 2.
Init level 2 is the debian default in inittab.

cd /etc/rc2.d
mv S99xdm s99xdm
mv S99kdm s99kdm
mv S99gdm s99gdm

Is you want them to start again automatically just rename them back.

Saptech

11-11-2002, 03:38 AM

Hey thnx for the reply...VM & I been having this problem and couldn't get it to stop working. So I will try it when I get home. Hopefully VM will let me know if it works or not! :D

z0mbix

11-11-2002, 06:45 AM

Originally posted by teeitup
Here is how to stop xdm, kdm, gdm from loading when entering run level 2.
Init level 2 is the debian default in inittab.

cd /etc/rc2.d
mv S99xdm s99xdm
mv S99kdm s99kdm
mv S99gdm s99gdm

Is you want them to start again automatically just rename them back.

The update-rc.d package does this for you, but it also removes the symlinks from runlevel 0 and 6 so that it doesn't try to stop *dm when halting/rebooting. man update-rc.d for more info, as it's very easy to use.

mrBen

11-11-2002, 07:08 AM

Originally posted by Vm.

The mouse does not move.

When I had Debian 2.2r2 I found that the installation prog didn't bother to create the symlink at /dev/mouse but was still trying to use it. Just create a symlink from /dev/mouse to the correct device (in my case /dev/ttyS0, but I have a serial mouse).

Vm.

11-11-2002, 01:39 PM

Er... um... I am sorry, but I am now trying to install Gentoo. If I can install that, I will stick to it. Otherwise, I'll get back to *shudder* Debian.

ferreter

11-14-2002, 01:32 AM

Just out of curiosity why the heck isn't a text logon an option with the debian install? Or maybe I missed it some where along the line... oh well :)

z0mbix

11-14-2002, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by ferreter
Just out of curiosity why the heck isn't a text logon an option with the debian install? Or maybe I missed it some where along the line... oh well :)

Probably because with one simple command or removing a few symlinks this can easily be done. The Debian installation does not aim to compete with the systems that Mandrake, SuSE, RedHat, Caldera etc have.

ferreter

11-14-2002, 12:53 PM

Well all I'm saying is that Debian is supposed to be a mature distro. You would think that a text boot prompt would be an option. I also noticed that if I choose not to install the X system on initial install that if I want to do a netselect-apt stable that it gives me a wget error. What package is wget part of anyways? Also, runlevels 2-4, what are each of them for? I know that they are various multiuser modes but can anyone tell me anything more than that?

Thanks.

Hayl

11-14-2002, 01:07 PM

apt-get install wget

:)

fyi, if you don't know a package name, the packages page on the debian web site is excellent. you can search for package name or you can search by package contents (i.e. you know the name of an executable you want but are not sure what package it is in).

http://packages.debian.org

the runlevels (2 - 5) are for whatever you want to make them into. in the "debian gnu/linux bible" by steve hunger, they are defined as "Multi-user customizable"

even though debian is a mature distro, the install process is not great. currently, they are working on a nice GUI installer (based on the PGI installer i believe).

ps - i have found that netselect doesn't do anything to make downloading packages any faster. this may not be true for people on dial-up though.

z0mbix

11-14-2002, 01:13 PM

Originally posted by Cybr099
apt-get install wget

:)

fyi, if you don't know a package name, the packages page on the debian web site is excellent. you can search for package name or you can search by package contents (i.e. you know the name of an executable you want but are not sure what package it is in).

http://packages.debian.org

Also, to expand on that, you can use the command apt-cache search <packagename/keyword> to find packages.

ferreter

11-14-2002, 01:37 PM

hmmm.... That was the first thing I tried, "apt-get install wget" with no package found. I find it curios that a simple (and rather old if I'm not mistaken) file transfer program is not installed by default if you don't install X. Alas, I'm a GNUbie and it shows hehe..

I'm on my 8th (or so) attempt at installing Debian and I WILL get it to work for the apt system alone. But your help is always appreciated. I have one more question, how do I install a usb ms intelimouse? Whats the /dev/???? for usb devices?

z0mbix

11-14-2002, 01:44 PM

Originally posted by ferreter
hmmm.... That was the first thing I tried, "apt-get install wget" with no package found. I find it curios that a simple (and rather old if I'm not mistaken) file transfer program is not installed by default if you don't install X. Alas, I'm a GNUbie and it shows hehe..

I'm on my 8th (or so) attempt at installing Debian and I WILL get it to work for the apt system alone. But your help is always appreciated. I have one more question, how do I install a usb ms intelimouse? Whats the /dev/???? for usb devices?

From here (http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch-install.en.html):

3.3.2 USB mice

Make sure you have:

* "Input Core Support" and "Input Core Support/Mouse Support" enabled in the kernel or as modules.
* "Support for USB", "Preliminary USB device filesystem", "UHCI or OHCI", and "USB HID Support" enabled in the kernel or as modules.

If you're not using devfs, create a device node /dev/input/mice with major 13 and minor 63 as follows:

# cd /dev
# mkdir input
# mknod input/mice c 13 63

For typical 3-button USB mice, configuration combinations should be:

/etc/gpm.conf | /etc/X11/X86Config-4
=========================+======================== ==============
device=/dev/input/mice | Section "InputDevice"
responsiveness= | Identifier "Generic Mouse"
repeat_type=raw | Driver "mouse"
type=autops2 | Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
append="" | Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
sample_rate= | Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
| Option "Buttons" "5"
| Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
| EndSection

You need to use /dev/input/mice

ferreter

11-14-2002, 01:49 PM

I must say Cheeky that you have been most helpful and quite active on this site in general. Thank you. What version of Debian are you running?

z0mbix

11-14-2002, 01:58 PM

Originally posted by ferreter
I must say Cheeky that you have been most helpful and quite active on this site in general. Thank you. What version of Debian are you running?

Thanks :D I just hate to see people struggle with the Debian installation and then give up and go to something else. The installation isn't as easy as many other distros but, as I think was previously mentioned, that is being worked on, but once you get your system installed, you should never have to reinstall again other than due to unstoppable problems like hdd failure etc.

Don't give up :)

I run unstable/sid.

Hayl

11-14-2002, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by ferreter
hmmm.... That was the first thing I tried, "apt-get install wget" with no package found.

that is strange. have you done:

apt-get update

lately?

what does your /etc/apt/sources.list look like?

z0mbix

11-14-2002, 02:08 PM

Yeah, I presume you are using Stable/Woody? It's definately a package:

http://packages.debian.org/stable/web/wget.html

ferreter

11-14-2002, 02:19 PM

I don't have access to my sources.list file right now but I'm fairly sure that the mirrors I have selected work as I used them to do the base install. ?!?! :confused:

One of the reasons I want a Debian install is that the apt database is so huge. I currently run Gentoo on another machine and when I install a package the dependancies are met with the portage system, how do I do the same with the apt system? You can feel free not to answer that If your sick of my crap ;)

Also, are there any caveats to installing XFree86 with apt?

And lastly, are my questions too broad?
:D

Hayl

11-14-2002, 02:23 PM

you should report that wget didn't get installed as a dependancy for netselect. it should be a dependancy if it is required.

normally, apt-get install foo will pick up all the dependancies for you automagically.

regarding X and apt. none that i know of / can think of.

ferreter

11-14-2002, 02:29 PM

That's what I initially thought. And in the first couple of installs it worked just fine (when I opted to include the X system on install). With my last install w/o X that is the error it gave me "could not find wget". What do you mean by report that in? Who would I contact and how certain can I be that I'm not just an idiot? I did a whereis wget and it is nowhere on my system. Perhaps I'll look at my sources.list file one more time and try a few other mirrors first.

BTW: If I do an apt-get install netselect again it downloads and installs flawlessly, go figure.

Hayl

11-14-2002, 02:35 PM

http://www.debian.org/Bugs/

but only if it (the dependancy) is broken and not just your system :)

Saptech

11-17-2002, 04:55 AM

When I'm using XDM and while my computer is idle, it seems to log out and close all open applications while at the XDM login screen. I don't want that to happen.

How come it does that and what is the best way to stop it?

Thnx.

knute

11-17-2002, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by ferreter
Well all I'm saying is that Debian is supposed to be a mature distro. You would think that a text boot prompt would be an option.
[...snip...]

Thanks.

Actually, the only times that debian boots into a gui login is if I decide to install like xdm, or gdm or kdm. My system has always booted into the text mode when I chose not to install thos packages. :)

knute

11-17-2002, 02:22 PM

Originally posted by Cybr099
apt-get install wget

:)

fyi, if you don't know a package name, the packages page on the debian web site is excellent. you can search for package name or you can search by package contents (i.e. you know the name of an executable you want but are not sure what package it is in).

http://packages.debian.org

[..snip...]

apt-cache search <executable>
is another way to find it as well.
I've used it with great success. :)

Vm.

11-17-2002, 07:32 PM

I coundn't get Gentoo... I'll get back to Debian now.

How come I seem to be the only newbie around here? :s

BTW, a question, does Debian support Ext3 fs?

arioch

11-17-2002, 07:41 PM

If you use the flavour named bf2.4 you can get ext3 or reiserFS as you please. It also has extended USB support. It's the one i used before i switched to Libranet 2.0.

Vm.

11-18-2002, 07:52 AM

H'm...

I've got another question. :)

How do I find out which port my mouse is connected to?

Thanks. :)

ferreter

11-18-2002, 01:05 PM

Not sure on the port thing, usually its /dev/psaux. Mine is a usb which I still cannot get to work. I figured out it must be that usb support is not compiled in the kernel...ok...so I get everything for working with the kernel in debian but when I do a 'make menuconfig' I get an error message relating to missing ncurses. So I say bummer and go and get every package I can find relating to ncurses and I still get the same problem when trying to do the kernel configuration. Any ideas what I could have missed?