I will really appreciate if someone can help me here.

I downloaded the latest release of Debian (7 CDs), installed it, and when I configure Xconfig, I have to answer a zillion questions. I've tested most propabilities, and they don't work

Here is the error that I receive:

i810: Driver for Intel i810 chpset: i810, i810-dc100,i810ce,i815
Primary Device is PCI 00:02:0
No match: Device section for instance (BusID PCI:0:2:1) found

I've installed SuSE and Mandrake in this latpto, and they configure the device automatically, I even install those distros with a graphical installation.

In mandrake, my Intel Chipset uses the i830 module. I try loading that module in the Debian installation, and I receive an error (module i830, insmod failed) or something like that

In other words (I tried instlaling both the 2.4 and the 2.2 kernels, and in the 2.2 kernel that module wasn't even listed, in the 2.4 one it didn't worked)

Any suggestions?

Could you post the output of lspci and lsmod?

One common problem is that you may have to load the agpgart module manually first.

Something of note is if you're using Debian woody then it comes with XFree 4.2.2 which doesn't support the intel onboard chipsets. You can either get a driver update from dri.sf.net or the Intel site or upgrade to 4.3.0 (what I did).

Woody is a bit old now. Try the new Sarge beta installer instead:

http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/

Using the Sarge installer, some of your problems should disappear (newer kernel, newer XFree86). In the XFree86 version that Sarge uses, i810 is the correct driver for the Intel 830 graphics cards -- XFree86 will auto-detect that your actual chipset is 830. (I'm not sure, but it's probable that the XFree86 version in Woody doesn't have much support for i830.) Other important values that you need to get right in X configuration are the horizontal and vertical refresh rates for your monitor.

To make things a bit easier, you can install the "discover", "mdetect", and "read-edid" packages which will offer some auto-detection options during X configuration. So first install these packages and then do (as root) "dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86".

Hope this helps!

Xavier: there are more ways to skin a cat. The advices from adz and Dead Parrot are solid advices.

Hilux is a Woody installer with the latest:
http://oss-us.sns.ro/Hilux.html

Codename: Hilux
Releasedate: 13.06.2004
Version: 0.99
Audience: People who need to install a up-to-date version of Woody, with better hardware support and newer software packages.
Note: The installer comes in two flavours, with some common features:

Kernel version 2.4.26
XFS, ReiserFS
extra modular device drivers
LVM, RAID
file: .config-hilux-099
Installer
ext2, ext3, XFS, ReiserFS
parted
LVM, RAID utils
vi, bash
postfix as the default MTA

MiniCD Version
Note: This image can be written onto a Mini CD. It contains all the packages on the Business Card Version. Also it has some backported packages and can be used to install a server, desktop or development machine.
Size: 187M
Package list: packages-minicd-099.list
Download: ftp.lug.ro (mirror0) or ftp.iasi.roedu.net (mirror1)
MD5SUM: hilux-minicd-099.md5
Important packages:

bzip2, hdparm, iptraf, less, links lsof, ltf lvm10, netcat, raidtools2, reiserfsprogs, ssh, strace, tcpdump, traceroute, unzip, vim, wget, xfsprogs
postfix, thttpd
Important packages:
aptitude, bzip2, cdcd, debfoster, hdparm, iptraf, less, links-ssl, lsof, ltftp, lvm10, lynx-ssl, mc, mpg123, mpg321, mtr, mutt, netcat, patch, perl, python, raidtools2, reiserfsprogs, ssh, strace, tcpdump, traceroute, unzip, vim, vorbis-tools, wget, xfsprogs
build-essentials, kernel-package
apache, apache-perl, apache-ssl, bind9, dhcp3-server, mysql, openvpn, php4, postfix, potgresql, proftpd, samba, squid, swat, tftpd-hpa, thttpd
aterm, eterm, icewm, xchat, xmms, xserver-xfree86
flashplugin-nonfree, gaim, j2re1.3, mozilla-firefox, mozilla-thunderbird, flashplugin-nonfree, mplayer-386, mplayer-fonts
For the backported packages, use the following sources.list entries: sources.list-hilux-minicd-099

OR

if you have the woody version already installed with the 2.4 kernel and can't get unto X:
and assuming you don't want to stay on woody, from the console do a 'su' at the prompt and as root, do:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

install vim or use vi

vim /etc/apt/sources.list

press the key 'i', INSERT will appear at the bottom of the screen
edit the lines to read 'sarge' or 'sid', in sid you can comment the security lines.
To save and quit: press the key Escape and type

:wq

that means write and quit

back at the prompt and still as root:

apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade

after some time you will answer some configuration questions, mostly take the
defaults and the maintainers versions and you will be in Sid or sarge, everything will be upgraded.

then as root:

modconf

look for your driver answer yes to install
and voilá, reboot and you should be in X, don't forget to install a window managter. Otherwise, use the other options explained by Dead Parrot and adz.

The Hilux page doesn't say anything about the XFree86 version. If it's the same as in Woody (4.1.0), then it doesn't play well together with the i830 graphics card.

Here's a snippet from my laptop's /var/log/XFree86.0.log file:

(II) I810: Driver for Intel Integrated Graphics Chipsets: i810, i810-dc100, i810e, i815, i830M, 845G, 852GM/855GM, 865G
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 00:02:0
(--) Chipset i830M found

I use Debian Sid and XFree86 4.3.0 (Sarge has also XFree86 4.3.0). So the I810 driver is just fine for i830, provided you have XFree86 4.3.0.

Thanks for all your suggestions:

Hilux (MiniCD Version) does has a better kernel and xfree86-common

So are you ppl telling me that the OS I downloaded is old?
Is it supposed to be the latest Debian Linux OS? One of the best Linux versions out there . I've ready it's pretty secure, and that it's designers tried making an OS that's as nice as Macintosh and Windows together (graphical interface)

Is that true?

So are Hilux and Sarge "official" add-ons for Debian?
Sarge seems to have some debian support.

I am downloading both of them

What about Memphis? (ok I'm not sure if that name is right)

Why doesn't Woody includes some better version of Xfree?

One Sily question

I am doing a lot of effort to get Debian

Is it worth it?

I mean, most distros only differ in it's control panel, and some packages they have

However, I really enjoy using Mandrake, I think it's much better than RedHat and Suse

What is Debian good at?
What are it's bad parts? (execpt for the horrible installer, which is obvious)

if you can't use it or don't like it use something else...

Personally, i think Debian is the best, when compared to other distros i have tried.

IMHO, with the other distros, you either have to spend your weekend compiling packages or fishing for dependencies. It's like 'pay me now or pay me later'.
Yes, their installation is easier, but that is only a small part, later and for the rest of the time you will be using the other distros, you have to deal with dependencies hell or bugs not being fixed. Usually you end up with bloated systems that move slow and tons of stuff you don't need; Debian gives you the choice of doing what you want.

Debian is hard to install because nobody takes the time to read the articles out there, they think it's a graphical installer with eye candy and little birds titillating in the sky. Debian is built by developers, they don't waste time in niceties, they go for the jugular. it takes me 45 minutes to install Woody and 30 more to dist-upgrade to Sid, but i have done this many times out of necessity.

Assuming you got broadband, insert CD 1, on the first screen at the prompt write

bf24

to get the 2.4 kernel and net-install the kernel, you will end up with kernel 2.4.18, otherwise, you will end up with kernel 2.2 . Follow the instructions from:

The Very Verbose Debian 3.0 Installation Walkthrough
http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2016

if you follow these instructions to the letter, you will learn to partition with cfdisk, install a lean installation with only the apps you want, it will teach you how to use apt-get. You will learn a few things that most people don't know about debian, like framebuffer and why not install it,

If you also download CD 5 (it will install kernel 2.4.18), start with it, switch to CD 1 and follow the instructions from the article.

If you go the Hilux route, you will have kernel 2.4.26, it's identical to the official woody, so the article will help you. At the end, stay on the console, don't have to get into X, as root install Fluxbox or IceWM, with your favorite
editor, edit /etc/apt/sources.list change the word 'stable' for 'sarge' or 'sid'
save and quit, back at the prompt, still as root do an:

apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade

and it starts upgrading to sarge or sid

more modern apps, etc
answer the configuration questions, stick to the defaults and voilá.

In sarge or sid, you can install gnome or kde.

Hilux is not official but it works great, done by the developers to remedy the old apps. The Sarge installer is beta, but it will be the defacto debian installer. MEPIS is a good distro, it's debian sid IIRC, and Libranet 2.8.1, is excellent.

Debian is civilized, everything has a reason, but you have to read the docs.
debian.org > documentation > manuals > apt-howto. It also has something 8500
packages in the repositories.

Take the time and go to www.debian.org, read about debian, the different versions (woody, sarge, and sid) their packages, and everything you can in order
to understand what is all about.

i started with mdk 8.2, but when i discovered debian apt-get, i never looked back.

Vale la pena, y no te arrepentirás.

saludos

So are you ppl telling me that the OS I downloaded is old?
Is it supposed to be the latest Debian Linux OS? One of the best Linux versions out there . I've ready it's pretty secure, and that it's designers tried making an OS that's as nice as Macintosh and Windows together (graphical interface)

Is that true?

So are Hilux and Sarge "official" add-ons for Debian?
Sarge seems to have some debian support.

Debian is a huge project. Debian GNU/Linux has three "distributions" (or "branches"): Stable (currently called "Woody"), Testing (currently called "Sarge"; this becomes the next Stable release), and Unstable (that will be always called "Sid"). Here's a short introduction: http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Debian

Debian has been ported to more CPU architectures than any other Linux distro. In addition, Debian can be used also on other kernels beside Linux.

Practically the only thing that cannot be updated using apt-get is the chosen file system, which has to be determined during the initial installation. All other system components (kernel, XFree86, etc.) and installed applications can be easily upgraded to newer versions using apt-get (provided you have a working network connection).

The latest software goes to Sid and here the Debian process of bug-fixing begins. New software always contains some bugs (and making binary packages, that are convenient to install, often introduces new bugs). Sid users report the bugs they find and Debian developers fix these bugs. When there are no more critical bugs reported against a certain package, this package is moved from Unstable/Sid to Testing. So Testing has older packages than Sid but also less bugs. The official Debian Stable releases are prepared from the packages in Testing. In creating a Stable release, Debian developers try to make sure that all packages work well together. Also the bug fixing process continues in Stable, and Stable also receives security updates. So Stable contains tried and tested software that has less bugs than Sid or Testing but if the release cycle is slow, the packages in Stable can get pretty old. Debian developers are currently working on making the Stable release cycle faster.


One Sily question

I am doing a lot of effort to get Debian

Is it worth it?

Yes, it is! Once you get Debian installed and configured, upgrading the system and installing, removing, and upgrading individual applications is easier than in any other Linux distro. Spend some effort doing your ground work carefully and then you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy while Debian does all the hard work for you. In some other distros it's the other way around -- they are easy to install and configure but difficult to use and maintain. Debian also has some goodies that are less obvious, like DebConf, Defoma, and automatically updated desktop menus for all window managers.


What is Debian good at?
What are it's bad parts? (execpt for the horrible installer, which is obvious)

The installer is becoming more intuitive and easier to use. For a long time Debian was developed mainly for server use. The Stable release is VERY stable and it's easy to maintain. Lately an increasing number of desktop users have also begun to appreciate Debian's "easy to maintain" quality and the large package repositories from where you can easily install almost any software that is available for Linux systems. Debian developers have noticed the percentual increase of desktop users in Debian and in the future this is likely to show also in the way that Debian is developed. There's a special "Debian desktop project" under work.

Another good thing about Debian is that it is a non-commercial community project. This means that financial problems cannot stop Debian development. In some other distros the developers may get tired and abandon the project or there may be financial problems that slow development. With Debian you can count on that your distro of choice will be around also tomorrow. This is a good reason to spend some effort learning the "Debian ways" -- the Debian skills you've learned today will be useful also in the future.

The "bad parts", in addition to relatively difficult initial system installation and configuration, are that xserver and java tend to lag behind other distros. I know that there are workarounds to get the latest xserver and java also in Debian but I'm too lazy to explore these and currently I'm quite content with what Debian has to offer.

Hi, former man9.1 user here going to go for deb-sarge. What filesystem types do I have to choose from? I want a journeling but not ext2 or ext3... I've seen a few benchmarks that show JFS, ReiserFS or XFS to be the best in performance depending on what you plan to use the system for: http://linuxgazette.net/102/piszcz.html

I will be using it on my laptop mainly for developing and maybe media support in the future. Please give any advice on filesystem selection.

thanks, m.

Well the thing I love about Debian is that it's totally free. That means I don't have to buy the distro to get 'up2date' features

Besides let's say that I have RedHat 9. Even if I bought the package, the version is discontinued now. There are like 3 different versions of the new RedHat (for instance, RedHat Enterprise) I read that RedHat will produce 'Window$$$' like operating systems (one designed for the final user, other one designed for companies...) I've alwas disliked that. I think that a good OS should be like Linux. An OS that supports virtually everything, that can be used to play, to work, and to high performance works such as a server


One last question.

Is there any way in which I could use both Mandrake and Debian on my laptop?

I thought of sharing my /home and /swp partition, and having two different /root partitions. However, when I install Lilo with debian, it won't let me boot Mandrake, and viceversa.

I think that Linux Distros are not so friendly among them neither

The available file systems depend more on the Linux kernel than on Debian. Install Debian with the latest kernel and you have all the latest file systems to choose from.

There's another thread with discussion of having two distros on one computer:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=199496

Dear Debian users

I installed debian, and couldn't load the i810 module. I was told to add the Hilux 0.99 CD to it, so I did

After that, I entered 'apt-cdrom add', and added Hilux in the drive. I did an 'apt-get dist-upgrade' and several packages were added.

Then, I tried the same with 'Sarge' with no luck.

I was always using Xfree 4.1.01 and couldn't update it. The only way in which I think I updated it was by typing

'apt-get remove xcustom-server' (or something similar)
Around 20+ packages were uninstalled. When I installed apt-get install 'xcustom-server' again, the command 'startx' doesn't appears anymore

Here is the error 'startx' provides after the 'Woody' installation.

(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/input/mouse_drv.o
(II) Module mouse: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 XInput Driver
ABI class: XFree86 XInput driver, version 0.2
(II) I810: Driver for Intel i810 chipset: i810, i810-dc100, i810e, i815
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 00:02:0
(WW) I810: No matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:0:2:1) found
(EE) No devices detected.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

When reporting a problem related to a server crash, please send
the full server output, not just the last messages.
This can be found in the log file "/var/log/XFree86.0.log".
Please report problems to submit@bugs.debian.org.


Thanks in advance

Xavier

If you've got a working network connection, the best way to upgrade your system would be to use apt-get to download and install the needed packages from your nearest Debian ftp mirror.

http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/ap.../index.en.html

Installing packages from both Hilux and Sarge CDs is a sure way to make your system a complete mess, because these two 'distributions' were not meant to be compatible with each other.