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HD Knoppix Install Problems

  • 06-09-2005 06:03PM
    #1
    MrVestek
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,275 ✭✭✭


    Ok here's the deal. I used the Knoppix to HDD script that comes with 3.7 to install knoppix to the hard drive of my laptop. The problem is, for some reason, this laptop won't boot from the CD unless I use failsafe mode, must be some problem with hardware detection as the screen just goes blank, so I booted to failsafe mode from the CD but the problem is I think Knoppix just copied this failsafe state as it had been loaded into memory from that to the Hard Drive, and now whenever I boot up it doesn't recognise any hot plugged USB removeable disks or load up appropriate sound drivers. Is there a way to reconfigure the HDD Knoppix install to use full hardware detect mode when it boots up or is all hope lost?

    Your sugestions are more than welcome!

    Cheers.


Comments

  • #2
    niallb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,775 ✭✭✭niallb


    Stick in the CD, and have a read of the options listed when you press F2 and F3.
    Try booting the laptop by typing fb800x600 at the prompt.

    Next thing to try is booting with 'fb800x600 nodma' if you think the CD is a problem. More likely on an older laptop.
    If that works, you can configure the boot loader to
    use those settings from the HDD install too.
    Edit /boot/grub/menu.lst and add vga=789 to the append line. Test it from the loader first, but I think that'll help.

    You can interrupt the boot process by pressing escape,
    and then 'e' will allow you edit the boot line live.
    Gotta be quick!

    Get a copy of 3.9 though, the hardware support is even better.
    What model laptop is it? How much RAM is installed?

    NiallB.


  • #3
    MrVestek
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,275 ✭✭✭MrVestek


    Ok cheers will try those sugestions in a while. The HD install works fine on my PC it's just this laptop. It's a Compaq Presario 701FR with 368Mbs ram (available, other 16 is shared gfx memory). Will try downloading 3.9 but won't get it any time soon on this 30kbps wifi hotspot.


  • #4
    MrVestek
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,275 ✭✭✭MrVestek


    No tried those but to of no avail. Any more sugestions?


  • #5
    tomk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,067 ✭✭✭tomk


    Post your /boot/grub/menu.lst as it is now.


  • #6
    niallb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,775 ✭✭✭niallb


    Your laptop should be able to do 1024x768, which is the default,
    so you could leave out the fb800x600.

    I'd try adding noapic to the boot prompt.
    acpi=off is another idea, but leaves you probably without power management.

    I'm suspicious of the "shared video ram" note.
    Linux may be getting this wrong, and crashing when trying
    to allocate that memory. Try booting with mem=256M
    to get around it. If that works, raise it to 368.

    Boot it into text only mode by adding the number 2
    to the boot prompt. This will at least let you see the errors
    when the system locks up. If it launches completely to a prompt,
    then it's only X needs to be looked at, and it narrows things down.

    An easier download at 30kbs (4 times faster than me, stop complaining :-) ) would be damn small linux.
    A new release was made today, and it uses a different X server,
    so it might 'just work'. It's a really light distro and you'd be able
    to run completely in RAM with it to see how fast your laptop can
    really be.

    Post up your error messages, if you see them!

    NiallB


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  • #7
    MrVestek
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,275 ✭✭✭MrVestek


    I have DSL already just haven't checked it out yet. The only thing so far that I can use to get it booting from the CD in the first place is failsafe mode, anything else I try doesn't work, the screen just goes blank then the cd drive stops spinning. I've tried textmode already but that doesn't work either. Ohhh and I can't post my grub file because... erh... I use LiLo :P


  • #8
    tomk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,067 ✭✭✭tomk


    Let's have a look at /etc/lilo.conf then.


  • #9
    MrVestek
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,275 ✭✭✭MrVestek


    tomk wrote:
    Let's have a look at /etc/lilo.conf then.
    Ok I'll copy the file's contents to my pen drive the next time I'm home, as I'm in a net café at the moment.

    Cheers for the help tho, and am currently in the process of getting Knoppix 3.9 :-)


  • #10
    MrVestek
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,275 ✭✭✭MrVestek


    Found out what was wrong, I looked at my lilo.conf file and there were arguments when booting up linux such as nosound, nodhcp and nousb so I got rid of all these and now it all works fine, apart from the sound, but I'm sure I'll figure that out. Thanks for your help anyways guys.


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