Mandrake 10.0 on laptop

[Guest krocks]

I installed Mandrake Linux 10.0 Official PowerPack on laptop Toshiba 1405-S171. At the end of installation the graphic entrance in system was not adjusted. I see the black screen and a pair of slightly appreciable badges on a desktop.

I already established on this laptop ASPLinux 9.0 and RED HAT 9.0. All worked wonderfully! But in ASPLinux I adjusted 9.0 monitor manually, and in RED HAT 9.0 monitor has been determined automatically.

Tried to select different parameters, but it is ineffectual.

Video: S3 SuperSavage/IX C 1173.

The monitor: TOS......., TFT, 1024x768, (31-48, 50-70)

Half-year ago established Mandrake Linux 9.1 back. The result was the same.

Please, prompt what to do?

[mtaylor57]

Try using the S3 Savage (generic sw) graphics card driver. I have a Tecra 8100 that had issues setting up screen resolution for. I'm running 1024 x 768 at 16 bits right now, and it works fine for me. I also told it to set up Toshiba TOS5082 monitor...I don't know what yours is though...I hope that helps.

 

[Guest flor~]

hi, I have the exact same problem with similar settings:

Video: S3 SuperSavage/IXC 1179

The monitor: TOS5082, 1024x768

 

my mandrake installation went ok, except for testing the graphical display part which gave me a black screen and the X cursor (where, from google, I gather should've displayed a rainbow or something)

 

my text mode linux works fine, but when I try to boot into KDE, all I get is a black screen.

 

I guess this is an issue with configuring the graphics driver? ideally, I want to be able to just modify some configuration from text mode to fix this problem

but, if someone has a solution to krocks' problem which involves re-installing mandrake, I would be happy to do the same (it is just that I have re-installed 3 times and it still doesn't work)

 

thx!!!!

[Guest flor~]

I've been aggravating over this problem for weeks and done much googling, some suggestions I've came across are:

 

- install the 2.4 kernel instead of the 2.6 <---no idea how to do this

- get the right driver <---no idea how to install drivers in linux either

- simple graphics configuration problem

 

I have no idea which (if any) of these is the problem??

<desperately hoping its the 3rd>

 

does anyone know? =(

---newbie in distress

[mtaylor57]

I can tell you that I'm running 2.6 kernel, and all of my drivers, screens, etc. were detected by MDK. I think it is your 3rd option, and you should play with the settings until you get it right. FWIW, I never did see a rainbow when I tested my screen settings, but I can boot into GUI mode. Maybe you should run xf86config (somebody jump in if there's a better way) and make sure that you put in your refresh rates, and all of your information properly. I'm very new to Mandrake, and don't know all of the different CLI programs to help with your screen problems (coming from SuSE where they use Sax from the command line). I would google your computer, and make sure that you find all of your information (as mentioned above) just so you get the right parameters in the system.

[Guest flor~]

hi, thx, i'm going to try use xf86config to play around with the configuration

 

how does one start x from text mode though? is it "startx" or....?

and when i run into this black screen problem again (which will be frequently because i'll be testing many config combinations), how do i escape back into text mode without rebooting?

 

thx again~

 

ETA: sorry dumb question: what exactly is the difference/relation between X and the 2 graphical environments that came with the mandrake installation (KDE and Gnome)?

Edited September 16, 2004 by flor~

[Guest flor~]

update on my trial:

I used XFdrake and tried all sorts of combinations with the S3 Savage generic/3/4 drivers and resolution (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, and the resolution above that, i forget what the dimension is)

 

my results:

switching the driver does not seem to have any effect on anything

switching the resolution does something weird---

 

with the 640x480 setting, when I select to test, the screen fills with vertical blue and black lines that merge into yellow lines (like a screensaver or something) BUT there is no cursor

 

with the 800x600 setting, when I select to test, utter black screen, no colour, no cursor, no nothing

 

with the 1024x768, when I select to test, black screen but I do see my mouse, which is first an X but becomes and arrow

 

 

hoping that XFdrake's "test" does not reflect the real thing, I have tried "startx" with each of the above. 640x480 and 800x600 both result in the non-responsive blue-black-yellow and black screens as in the test

 

with the 1024x768 setting, something graphical finally shows up: a thin strip of light blue background with white words saying the progress of KDE loading up

after kde loaded, the strip disappeared and I am left with a black screen again.

 

I believe kde does successfully load, because as I move the cursor around, the cursor becomes a hand over where the start button would be (bottom left corner)

 

I tried booting the linux-fbd (??) and 237 (??) modes (sorry, I forget what the names are, I am referring to the other 2 boot modes under plain linux in lilo)

I forget which of the two, but for one of them, when I startx using that 1024x768 setting, I press the invisible "start" button and I actually get the start menu popping up.

The icons are there, but the title of the icon only show up when the mouse is over that item. The menu, as is everything else on the screen is black.

 

 

another thing is: (not sure if this is related to the graphic problem), everytime I run startx and then ctrl-alt-bksp to stop x, I get a slew of these:

Warning: Symbol map for key <...> redefined // where <...> are keys like ESC

Using last definition for conflicting fields

 

and then at the end:

Errors from xkbcomp are not fatal to the X server

xf86kbdEvents Resource temporarily unavailable

 

I have done a google on the above, seems to be some sort of keymap problem? if it is not related to the graphic problem, then I don't really care about it for now...

 

any ideas? Thx~~

[devries]

If the graphical install worked there must be a driver for your notebook that works. I remember someone posted a similar problem like you a couple of weeks go and the solution was to use the same driver as Mandrake uses for the install (a very generic, not very good driver I have to say). I've been looking for this post but can't find it. Sorry for that but there is a solution somewhere on this board.

 

PS KDE and GNOME are to different Desktop Environments. X is the graphics server. The DE pass information to X and that in turn draws the windows, widgets etc etc on the screen (it's somewhat more complicated than that but you ge the idea)

[Guest krocks]

I want to answer my question. After long tortures I have established Mandrake 10.0 on laptop Toshiba 1405-S171.

I do not know as, but I have done the following:

1. Has downloaded from the Internet last driver for Savage 3/IX http://www.probo.com/timr/xf43sav-27t.tgz

2. Then I installed Mandrake 10.0 in English

3. Has established the graphic interface: 1024?768, Savage3, the monitor has taken selectively 31,5 -48,5 and 50-90

4. Did not test, it was reloaded.

5. Few times I have tried to be reloaded. But on the screen was a pair of badges and when I moved a mousy that it was observed that the system was started. The screen on - again was black.

6. Then I have come in a mode failsafe. Has entered a login and the password as root.

7. Has typed mc command

8. I have corrected a line in XFConfig-4: FontPath "unix: /-1" both has written FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/truetype" and it was reloaded

9. Do not ask me whence I it has taken. Any more I do not remember. Probably it also is not necessary!

10. It was reloaded has given startx command. The screen some times blinked and again has left nothing.

11. Then I again have returned file XFConfig-4 in an initial status

12. Enter again in ?? I has removed a file savage_drv.o in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/

13. Then I unrar a new file xf43sav-27t.tgz on floppy also have copied it in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/

14. It is possible to not delete and at once to copy. If will ask to rewrite, the answer yes

15. Reboot! About a miracle! Below I see the panel and more even clock are not present anything. But all this is quickly adjusted. And then has certainly adjusted to the language. And my language Russian!

I want to ask all to not laugh in fact I it made itself. As made and has written. But the fact in that that all works except for the modem, and it already other question! I shall be glad if it will help even to one. Good luck all!!!

I ask to excuse me for my English!

[adamw]

devries: graphical install uses framebuffer access. in almost all cases if graphical install works than the vesa or vesafb driver will work for X, but it'll be slow.