jael Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 I am definitely new to Linux and need a lot of help. I would appreciate any suggestions that you can provide. Below is my first message that I sent to Mandrake Linux expert. They suggested that I look for video configuration and go through the wizard to solve my problem. That didn't solve it , I had the same problem. The second message is the one I just wrote to see if there might be any other kind of problem besides video. -------------------------------------------------------------- Question # 1 I purchased the powerpack 9.1 and I can't get it to install correctly. I did have Windows 98SE working well on this Pentium 200MMx with 96Ram and 6.4 gb. I have tried several different combinations of installing Mandrake Linux. On about the second try, I erased Windows98 so there would be more room. I think the problems have something to do with my video configuration. The closest that I can get to a gui is a blue screen with 2 icons at the bottom, and the mouse arrow showing that it is still installing.(even though nothing is happening) Every combination I try notifies me that the video is not configured correctly. I tried vgalo and vga16 for 640 x 480 and 16 colors but this didn't work. Most of the time when I go through the whole install process,(a little over an hour) everything is going smoothly and then it freezes when I click"configure" at the video configuration. The best I have gotten it to work is where I get to the shell and then put in my name and password. ------------------------------------------- Question #2 I am still having problems installing Mandrake 9.1 I've tried several times to use the video configuration wizard but I am having the same problem that I wrote about earlier.Sometimes it freezes right at the Post-install configuration right when I click on the configure button next to graphical interface. Other times it lets me go all the way to the end and tells me I have successfully completed and lets me go through the Welcome First Time Wizard. I successfully go all the way through it and it tells me to reboot. When I reboot, it goes through a lot of information and finally gets to a two tone blue screen with a wavy line at the top and a wavy line at the bottom. This is completely blank except the two small icons at thel lower right corner. (one is a clipboard). The mouse arrow is frozen as a clock. If you click on one of the icons, the icon disappears. Maybe I did something wrong in my installation selections. Here are the things that I wasn't sure of 1. X Free 4.3 or X Free 3.6.6 -I tried both but I usually tried X Free 3.6.6 2. Install boot strap, First sector of drive MBR or First sector of root partition -Again I tried both, but I usually tried First sector of drive MBR 3.FDisk shows that I am partioned into the following 1 A Non Dos 3451 56% 2 Ext Dos 2698 44% This resulted from selecting erase all to install Linux 4. When I did the final reboot and lots of info was scrolling by, I saw one error message finding module dependencies "1dm_validate_partion_table ( ) Disk read failed Please give me some suggestions about what to try. Thanks. Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowFoxLSU Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 Please list out your computer's hardware Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 Here is my hardware I have an old Packard Bell 680 that I am using for Mandrake Linux -6.4 gb drive -96 mb ram -Compaq 151 Fs monitor -S3 86C325 Virge graphics card 2mb -Rockwell sound card? -modem card (not sure of type) jael/Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 I forgot to add that I have a Pentium 200MMX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 -S3 86C325 Virge graphics card 2mb does someone know if that's the one that ML is buggy with? Isn't there a fix with a floppy for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 (edited) If you can please do a normal install with out passing any kernel commands. Go ahead and just accept the vidio settings that Mandrake gives you during the install. Let the Mandrake installer do all the partitioning using the whole disk since you no lionger have M$ on it. Make sure you make a 'user' for the system during the install. If you got to a screen with only two icons on it then that sounds like root is running the GUI and you shouldn't do that yet. After all that please post back what happens and any error messages you get. This 'should' get you a workable system just maybe not a GUI one yet. Edited January 3, 2004 by Pzatch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 Okay, I did a normal install and let linux pick everything. When it came to the configuration summary, and it said graphic interface not configured, I just went on without manually configuring it. I got a message that the installation was successful.When information was scrolling by, I saw the same error message as before - finding module dependencies "ldm_validate_partition table(): Disk read failed" Then I got to the place where it said Mandrake Linux release 9.1 Bamboo for 1586 Kernel 2.4.21-0.13mdk on an i586/tty1 local host login: I typed "claire" password: I typed it in {claire@localhost claire}$ What do I type in next to get the GUI ? jael/Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 startx when/if it fails what errors are on the screen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 When I typed "startx" these are the error messages that I received execve failed for /etc/x11/x (errno 2) giving up xinit: No such file or directory (errno2): unable to connect to x server xinit: No such process (errno 3): server error Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 Ok now that you have a base line to start from try xf86config this will give you a basic vidio configuration for the x windows system. Make sure you know what vidio card chipset you have and what you monitor vidio settings are. The monitor settings (refresh/resolutions settings) are the important ones because you can always use the vesa or svga drivers to run a basic GUI. Try picking a vidio chipset/card thats as close to your as possible. If not on the list then choose the vesa one. Retry startx after and tell us the output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 I typed in xf86config and went through the questions I tried it twice since I wasn't sure about some of my choices. But I got the same error message, both times, like I did before. When I typed "startx" these are the error messages that I received execve failed for /etc/x11/x (errno 2) giving up xinit: No such file or directory (errno2): unable to connect to x server xinit: No such process (errno 3): server error I'm not sure of some of the video choices that I made -31.5: Standard VGA 640x480 @60 HZ then 31.5- 35.1 Super VGA 800x600 @ 56Hz - I tried 8 bit/256 colors and I also tried 4 bit/16 color Please let me know what to try next. Thanks Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannonfodder Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 "ldm_validate_partition table(): Disk read failed" Don't think you can ignore this.. Do the install again, and when you get to the partitioning screen, select custom. There should be a clear button for clearing your partition table. You can also try getting a utility floppy from the hard drive manufactorer to do disk drive checking. Then click auto configure to let Mandrake make partitions for you. Might want to consider getting a faster machine. Make your linux experience more fun. They are cheap enough nowadays.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 "ldm_validate_partition table(): Disk read failed" in the past that was determined to be zip drives w/o a disk in it, if I remember corectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jael Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 I have a usb zip drive plugged in maybe that is why I am getting the error message. I cleared my hard drive and the mounted and formatted it I have 14% hd 2 / 8% swap 45% usr 32% hda 7 /home I reinstalled 9.1 and still came out to the shell interface where I logon as local user-claire I really think this machine aught to be able to run Mandrake Linux. It was working perfectly with Windows 98SE before I wiped it, 2 days ago, and put on linux. It's not like I don't have other computers, but I am hesitant to put Mandrake on my other two. I have them networked wirelessly and working well. I don't want to f___k that up. So I want to learn on my older computer, which right now has been rendered useless to me. I've spent a lot of time, these last 2 days of may vacation, trying to get Linux installed on my Pentium 200mmx. I want to learn and am willing to try any suggestions. I have bought several books, Linux for Dummies :),which comes with two red hat linux install disks. But I paid good money for this Mandrake 9.1 and manual, so I don't want to try red hat yet. I also bought an 1000 page book called The Complete Reference Linux. These books are pretty much useless to me until I get linux installed. I feel like I haven't even got "my foot in the door". Please help with any suggestions, I really want to get this installed. Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquidzoo Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 "ldm_validate_partition table(): Disk read failed" in the past that was determined to be zip drives w/o a disk in it, if I remember corectly. That's the reason I got the error, and it seems pretty harmless...just annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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