Laptop Install

halo14 · 08-16-2004, 12:33 PM

Hey there, I'm tradionally a RedHat/Fedora user trying to use the classically "hard-to-use" linux.. Debain... I'm intalling it on my laptop..

HP pavillion ze5270
P4 2.4 GHz
40 GB HD
512 shared DDR
CDRW/DVD Combo Drive
Floppy
NIC
etc...

I went throught he intial install process.. the first time I used the basic package selection (X Window System, Workstation, etc..) then I tried the specific package selection, and that didn't work at all.. i tried to select the first thing and it continued with install... anyways, I tried it again, and just did the basic selection without specific... and finished the install... but when it attempts to boot the X all it does is scrolls characters extremely fast down my screen... and it won't stop until i turn it off..

Is this a Horizontal / Vertical sync error or what? It's a 15.1" XGA (1024x768) screen... I just used the defauly sunc range...

If anyone has an idea please let me know.. thanks..

sterrenkijker · 08-16-2004, 03:18 PM

Take a look at your /var/log/XFree86.0.log, it will probably give some hints what is wrong.

What characters does it scroll? Or doesn't it make any sense?

halo14 · 08-17-2004, 09:53 AM

I reformatted and installed 3.1 "Sarge" with the netinstall disc... and it went great... everything works now... includingboth Gnome and KDE... my ony problem is the resolution is not changing from 800x600... it's an XGA monitor (1024x768) and i've run xf86config 'bout a dozen times with no change... I even went as far as to go to the very highest extremes and lowest extremes with resolution and refresh... and no change...

These settings should have broken X on my notebook but it doesn't change... why not?? All the resolutions are listed in the xf86config file... but I can't choose them with either the gui resolution changer or by ctrl+alt+"-/+"...

m_yates · 08-17-2004, 11:37 AM

The problem is likely due to the configuration file name. The "xf86config" program stores the configuration as /etc/X11/XF86Config. However, xfree86 will always read the file called "XF86Config-4" before it reads "XF86Config". To fix the problem, run xf86config to generate the XF86Config file, then:

Code:

cd /etc/X11
mv XF86Config-4 XF86Config-4.OLD
mv XF86Config XF86Config-4

halo14 · 08-17-2004, 11:53 AM

Great, I'll try that! Thanks a lot!... That sounds like it's probably the write answer... I'm at work now but I'll post back later with my results...

debian_dummy · 08-17-2004, 10:15 PM

>> but I can't choose them with either the gui resolution changer or by ctrl+alt+"-/+"...

You can't change the resolution using the ctrl+alt keys on a laptop as the correct key sequence is to use the + and - on the numeric keypad on the far right side of the keyboard. Laptops don't have this numeric keypad and you can't use the + and - keys on the top row situated next to the numbers.

On my Dell laptop I have to use the special Function key to access the laptop equivalent of a normal numeric keypad.

I use ctrl alt Fn / and this equals ctrl alt +
And ctrl alt Fn ; and this equals ctrl alt -