Blue Screen

[Arak]

Hello, i've used other linux distributions before but this is my first time trying mandriva. I am still rather new at linux (windows free for 3 months) so i'm by no means an expert.

 

Mandriva 2007 installs just fine. When i reboot, it will show it's little screen asking me to select:

 

Linux

linux-nonfb

failsafe

 

If i select the first two options, it will end in the same place (the first doesn't show text), which is a blue screen. I've let it sit for five minutes and still, nothing.

If i choose the failsafe option, i get this message:

 

Telling INIT to go to single user mode.

INIT: Going single user

sh-3.1#

 

I have reinstalled this program, probably, over a dozen times selecting different options. I have selected high and low resolutions, KDE and Gnome. I have 3 hard drives, 2 maxtor 100 gig SATA drives (i've installed it with them raided, non-raided, and completely removed) and another hard drive that is about 250 gigs. I've installed it and each time it's the same thing. I have no idea what it could be. Here is what i have in my system.

 

Athalon 64 dual core +3800

A8N-SLI Premium

2 Nvidia 7800 GT cards (SLI)

Creative Labs Audigy 2 zs platinum sound card

 

That's what i can remember off the top of my head. Please, any help would be appreciated.

[ianw1974]

Have you tried pressing ESC, it will give you verbose mode and hopefully tell you where it got stuck at. Normally a graphic covers the loading process with a progress bar, but you can press ESC to view what is actually going on.

[Arak]

Have you tried pressing ESC, it will give you verbose mode and hopefully tell you where it got stuck at. Normally a graphic covers the loading process with a progress bar, but you can press ESC to view what is actually going on.

 

I have tried the verbose mode. It will scroll through everything and then the screen will go blank for a moment and then turn to a blue screen.

 

However, i suspected that my dual video cards might be causing the problem so i removed one of them. Oddly, i was able to get just a little past where i had gotten before. Now instead of a blue screen, i get a blue screen with garbled text in a white box. If i choose the second option i get a login screen (which looks kind of buggy). I can type in my username and password but that's as far as it gets. I made just a little bit more progress. I imagine i am close to getting into Mandriva.

Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

[kephra]

Have you tried pressing ESC, it will give you verbose mode and hopefully tell you where it got stuck at. Normally a graphic covers the loading process with a progress bar, but you can press ESC to view what is actually going on.

 

I have tried the verbose mode. It will scroll through everything and then the screen will go blank for a moment and then turn to a blue screen.

 

However, i suspected that my dual video cards might be causing the problem so i removed one of them. Oddly, i was able to get just a little past where i had gotten before. Now instead of a blue screen, i get a blue screen with garbled text in a white box. If i choose the second option i get a login screen (which looks kind of buggy). I can type in my username and password but that's as far as it gets. I made just a little bit more progress. I imagine i am close to getting into Mandriva.

Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

Have you tried adding nopinit and noacpi to your kernel options before you boot? I have to do this with my system, or it hangs.

[Arak]

Have you tried adding nopinit and noacpi to your kernel options before you boot? I have to do this with my system, or it hangs.

 

 

How do you do that?

[Arak]

Have you tried adding nopinit and noacpi to your kernel options before you boot? I have to do this with my system, or it hangs.

 

 

How do you do that?

 

I think i added those two options right. I found where i can add them but it still does the same thing. Once i enter in my username and password, a little ring appears around the mouse pointer (which i can still move) and then it sits at the blue screen.

 

Any other suggestions?

[ianw1974]

When you get the blue screen, press CTRL-ALT-F1 then login as root and enter the password you put for this during install.

 

Then type:

 

mcc

 

and reconfigure your display for vesa, and see if that makes a difference. You can then look at choosing the correct driver after you've got the basics running. You may have the wrong one selected right now. Or it just might not work good with your card, and require you download their driver.

[jaraeez]

I think i added those two options right. I found where i can add them but it still does the same thing. Once i enter in my username and password, a little ring appears around the mouse pointer (which i can still move) and then it sits at the blue screen.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Maybe try CTRL, ALT and Backspace which should drop you to a terminal. Login as normal user then issue su & password for root. Then you can either try

startx

which will try to start your X window & then you will be able to see any errors which you can then post back here if still stuck...

 

HTH

Edited November 18, 2006 by jaraeez

[ianw1974]

If you're at runlevel 5, which it normally is, the CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE will just restart the X server, so you get a login screen again. You need CTRL-ALT-F1 to get a terminal screen ;)

 

Of course, it can do this if the X server won't run, then it'll automatically drop you to the command prompt, which doesn't seem to be the case here.

 

If he does login normally from the console prompt, he'd have to do this first if the X server is running:

 

su (enter root password when prompted)
service dm stop
exit

 

which will return him to his normal user that he logged in as and then:

 

startx

 

to see if it runs any better after this. Sounds like a wrongly chosen driver, or the opensource one doesn't seem to be any good for his card.

[Arak]

If you're at runlevel 5, which it normally is, the CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE will just restart the X server, so you get a login screen again. You need CTRL-ALT-F1 to get a terminal screen ;)

 

Of course, it can do this if the X server won't run, then it'll automatically drop you to the command prompt, which doesn't seem to be the case here.

 

If he does login normally from the console prompt, he'd have to do this first if the X server is running:

 

su (enter root password when prompted)
service dm stop
exit

 

which will return him to his normal user that he logged in as and then:

 

startx

 

to see if it runs any better after this. Sounds like a wrongly chosen driver, or the opensource one doesn't seem to be any good for his card.

 

 

Thanks for the help! I tried to do all of that when the screen was blue but there was no response. I can still move the mouse around, though. The only way i was able to enter in the 'mcc' command was when it asked me if i wanted to try the failsafe method. It took me to a command prompt and from there i was able to enter into it. There was nothing about changing it to vesa but i tinkered with a few things with the video card settings. Now instead of a blue screen i have a gray screen (i can move the mouse here as well).

 

The text goes by so quickly that there is no way for me to see it. I don't see anything that says failed. Just so you know, once i enter in my user information and password (and it will only let me on the second option when it boots because the first is garbled), that's where i get stuck. Ctrl-alt-backspace doesn't work at all nor does CTRL-ALT-F1. I personally believe it does have something to do with a video driver because when i removed the second video card, i was able to at least see something.

[ianw1974]

Once in MCC, I forgot to mention, you choose Display, which should let you change it to VESA. It will be in the list, you just got to find it :P

[Arak]

Once in MCC, I forgot to mention, you choose Display, which should let you change it to VESA. It will be in the list, you just got to find it :P

 

 

I must be blind. I've searched it from top to bottom and i cannot find it. Is there another way?

[jaraeez]

oops sorry I need to remember to read the whole post before replying & not to reply when I'm in a rush ;)

 

you could run

XFdrake

 

as root then choose graphic card from the options

Edited November 18, 2006 by jaraeez

[Arak]

Once in MCC, I forgot to mention, you choose Display, which should let you change it to VESA. It will be in the list, you just got to find it :P

 

Thanks for the reply, i appreciate all the help i can get.

I did as you advised and changed my video card (many times) and each time i got the same result. When i hit the test button it went to a grey screen (where i had control of the mouse). I'm wondering if i should download the nvidia driver, burn it to a cd then physically copy it from the cd to the hard drive and then install it from the command. Is that possible? I had to do that with Mephis and i can do it. I just don't know how to copy from a cd to the hard drive. Well, that's assuming it works. Let me know, I can't wait to get this up and running.

 

p.s. What is the difference between the free versions of Mandrake 2007 and the ones you can buy?

[Arak]

Someone also suggested adding some words (don't recall what they were) to the boot. Would that help and if so, how do i do it?

 

Thanks