I tried to install Debian 2.1 on my old laptop IBM Thinkpad 760xl.

Manage to install on 2nd attempt

I formatted the HDD with win98 bootup disk, copied the root.bin, linux, resc1440.bin, drv1440.bin and base2_1.tgz, install.bat and loadln.exe into the HDD and install from the HDD.

However, when I try to run startx, I get the msg "Command not found".

So thinking that it could be due to path problem, I do a search on the whole harddisk, and I discovered that I don't have the startx file at all.

Any ideas what goes wrong during installation?

How do I install the startx?

I am thinking of using Xfce as my window manager as I read the GNOME and KDE is heavy. My laptop is only a 166MHz with 32MB Ram.

How do I install the Xfce??

Thanks in advance.

I have downloaded the following

xfce4-4.2.1.1-installer.bin
gtk2-xfce-engine-4.2.1-installer.bin
xfce-goodies-4.2.1-installer.bin
Terminal-0.2.4-installer.bin

but I am not sure if these are enough?

Can I install Xfce without startx?

Wait a minute.... OK so you did a HD install... How did the install go?
When you boot up, do you get a login prompt, are you able to login with a user and PW? Unlikelly that startx is not in your path... try:

whereis startx

should get something like:
startx: /usr/X11R6/bin/startx /usr/bin/X11/startx

Try:
startx Xfce
startx kde
startx gnome

KC

Yes, I completed the installation, and can login using the new user created and root user as well.

I did not check the path, but when I run the command

find ./ -name startx -print

it did not return me any findings.

Have you tried "startxfce4" instead?
Here's a howto which I used: http://www.os-works.com/view/debian/

I'd suggest buying more RAM -- the more, the better.

Hi,
Probably a stupid question, but..did you install the X environment at all..? You know, Xfree...

In case it is installed you must run : dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86 to generate your

config file, then you'll be able to find a startx command that works ! this problem happened to

me, I ran the above command (lots of questions asked I warn you, have info ready !) and I

finally got it to work. Fluxbox is also a choice to consider for a window manager : very low in resources.

Cheers

Yeah! I'm begining to think X services were never installed. You can certainly install without it but its just more hassle adding it later. To answer the question a couple of posts back, NO you can't install XFce without X services.

KC

Just to agree with the above poster, I don't think you installed X. You can always try:

apt-get install x-window-system

This is definitely not a stupid question.

I am not sure if I install the X environment. How do I make sure? Also, how do I install the X environment if I do not have access to internet? I have re-installed the laptop with Woody using the 20-floppy disks installation method. Is the X environment package in the 20 floppy disks?

If not, I understand that Woody have 7 CDs. Which CD should I download such that I can install the X environment.

Can I says that after installing X environment, I can install Xfce or Flusbox?

I think you did not install the X environment, limboolee.

try what Draygo suggests : apt-get install x-window-system

I don't know which CD is X on.

I see you can download. It is not a matter of downloading a CD. If you have apt-get running

and an internet connection, just type in as root in a console : apt-get install x-window-system.

You will have to set up your sources, though. Do that : in your favourite text editor, open the file :

/etc/apt/sources.list , then add your sources(to be found on debian.org), such as : (example) : ftp.fr.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free

Then, once you have configured it with the command I gave you in my previous post, you'll

be able to do that with Xfce or fluxbox, also using apt-get.

Read the Debian documentation on install on Debian.org : that is the VERY FIRST STEP.

Hope it helps

Look like I hit a similar problem just like the rest of the newbie.

I cannot start my X. When I run startx, the lcd screen become a big 'snow storm'.

I am lucky to see the mouse, so I left click and can see some shadow of the menu, and click exit. I am able to get back to the command prompt.

I have get my XF86Config-4, the defaultdepth from 24 to 8.

What other parameter can I set?

I tried to run the dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86. but it is asking me some parameter about the PCI of the video card????

I will try to get the exact error output, but at the mean time, does anyone encountered the same problem and managed to get it working.

To refresh, mine laptop is a IBM Thinkpad 760XL.

will it help if I tries to setup the pcmcia network card so as to install sarge instead of trying to figure out how to get the X working?

Will sarge helps in the X environment?

It seems that Sarge supports a better hardware detection, so it might not be a bad idea to try that

instead. I couldn't tell about previous Debian versions, because Sarge is my first install of Debian.

Provided your hardware is not too "exotic", meaning very unusual video cards or sound cards, it

should detect it better than the version you are currently installing. But I think Debian does not

detect hardware as finely as some distros, because I have a fairly recent computer and trying to

install Sarge on it was impossible via netinstall : it did not detect my Ethernet card.. I installed

Slackware 10.1 instead and it was immediately detected...

To see if yours would be detected, you can go to the Libranet site and check the hardware requirements there :

they seem to be the same as for Sarge, because Libranet is based upon it.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Quite busy, so no time to try to set up.

I read from a lot of threads that XFree86 4.1.0 does not work well for Trident driver, and the recommanded version is 3.3.6.

So I download all the 3.3.6 version into the hdd.
Then I uses "dpkg -p " to remove all the XFree86 package.
And when I tries to run the "preinst.sh" from the 3.3.6 version, is throws an error message similar as below:

This is an a.out system. This version (3.3.6) does not install on a.out system.

Any one encounter the same error messages?