Cald_nath: how did you get it all working? I'm not sure how to get it all functioning w/ my setup. I just go straight into the console and not X. Also, if i used vmware tools will that mess up my the partition i use?

Just in case right now I'm dual booting linux and windows. I'm trying to use vmware to boot into that linux partition so I can use wireless w/ linux.

How should I go about doing that?

I just installed linux on Virtual Machine with a bridged Virtual NIC. I didn't have to do anything else. Not sure what could be going on with yours.

Don't hold your breath on those drivers. Here is the most of the e-mail corrispondence that I had with the tech guy.

Like you I read the articles and here is what I sent the tech support:
Here is what I got back

Yep that's the article. I guess from the reply though that they're not looking into it. Well I guess we'll have to wait until someone (intel or 3rd party) comes out with a driver for it until we can get it working :(.

I know that some of the people on this board know how to write the drivers themselves. Any takers?

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109981,00.asp

i wonder whats going on, but imo it's only
a matter of time until centrino iss supported by linux
(i definitely hope so) ;)

stefan

If centrino gets as popular as I expect it will be, then there will have to be drivers. I agree its only a matter of time.

Is the chipset supported, by the way?

I believe so. According to some posts that i've read everything on the Dell 600m which is a Centrino model works except for the wireless card. The best compatability seems to be with Mandrake at the moment. Red Hat is a little fussier but I've heard that it works on both. Right now I'm running through VMware until the wireless is supported.

ChaosX2....how are you running your vmware? Are you using it to boot into an existing partition of linux thats already installed? Or are you using a virtual disk? The reason being that I can't get Vmware to work with Debian. It loads up correctly except for the fact that X is not working. It says that it can't load any of the core devices. Please let me know how you got it to work.

Here is the X log.....notice the error messages on the bottom


This is a pre-release version of XFree86, and is not supported in any
way. Bugs may be reported to XFree86@XFree86.Org and patches submitted
to fixes@XFree86.Org. Before reporting bugs in pre-release versions,
please check the latest version in the XFree86 CVS repository
(http://www.XFree86.Org/cvs)

XFree86 Version 4.1.0.1 / X Window System
(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6510)
Release Date: 21 December 2001
If the server is older than 6-12 months, or if your card is
newer than the above date, look for a newer version before
reporting problems. (See http://www.XFree86.Org/FAQ)
Build Operating System: Linux 2.4.17 i686 [ELF]
Module Loader present
(==) Log file: "/var/log/XFree86.0.log", Time: Mon Jul 7 13:20:21 2003
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config-4"
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) ServerLayout "Simple Layout"
(**) |-->Screen "Screen 1" (0)
(**) | |-->Monitor "vmware"
(**) | |-->Device "VMware SVGA"
(**) |-->Input Device "Mouse1"
(**) |-->Input Device "Keyboard1"
(**) Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
(WW) Option "XkbCompat" requires an string value
(**) Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
(**) XKB: rules: "xfree86"
(**) Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
(**) XKB: model: "pc104"
(**) Option "XkbLayout" "us"
(**) XKB: layout: "us"
(==) Keyboard: CustomKeycode disabled
(WW) The directory "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic" does not exist.
Entry deleted from font path.
(**) FontPath set to "unix/:7100,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"
(==) RgbPath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
(==) ModulePath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
(--) using VT number 7

(II) Open APM successful
(II) Module ABI versions:
XFree86 ANSI C Emulation: 0.1
XFree86 Video Driver: 0.4
XFree86 XInput driver : 0.2
XFree86 Server Extension : 0.1
XFree86 Font Renderer : 0.2
(II) Loader running on linux
(II) LoadModule: "bitmap"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libbitmap.a
(II) Module bitmap: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 Font Renderer
ABI class: XFree86 Font Renderer, version 0.2
(II) Loading font Bitmap
(II) LoadModule: "pcidata"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libpcidata.a
(II) Module pcidata: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 0.1.0
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.4
(II) PCI: Probing config type using method 1
(II) PCI: Config type is 1
(II) PCI: stages = 0x03, oldVal1 = 0x8000800c, mode1Res1 = 0x80000000
(II) PCI: PCI scan (all values are in hex)
(II) PCI: 00:00:0: chip 8086,7190 card 15ad,1976 rev 01 class 06,00,00 hdr 00
(II) PCI: 00:01:0: chip 8086,7191 card 0000,0000 rev 01 class 06,04,00 hdr 01
(II) PCI: 00:07:0: chip 8086,7110 card 15ad,1976 rev 08 class 06,01,00 hdr 80
(II) PCI: 00:07:1: chip 8086,7111 card 15ad,1976 rev 01 class 01,01,8a hdr 00
(II) PCI: 00:07:2: chip 8086,7112 card 15ad,1976 rev 00 class 0c,03,00 hdr 00
(II) PCI: 00:07:3: chip 8086,7113 card 15ad,1976 rev 08 class 06,80,00 hdr 80
(II) PCI: 00:0f:0: chip 15ad,0405 card 15ad,0405 rev 00 class 03,00,00 hdr 00
(II) PCI: 00:10:0: chip 1022,2000 card 1022,2000 rev 10 class 02,00,00 hdr 00
(II) PCI: 00:11:0: chip 1274,1371 card 1274,1371 rev 02 class 04,01,00 hdr 00
(II) PCI: End of PCI scan
(II) LoadModule: "scanpci"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libscanpci.a
(II) Module scanpci: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 0.1.0
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.4
(II) UnloadModule: "scanpci"
(II) Unloading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libscanpci.a
(II) Host-to-PCI bridge:
(II) PCI-to-ISA bridge:
(II) PCI-to-PCI bridge:
(II) Bus 0: bridge is at (0:0:0), (-1,0,0), BCTRL: 0x08 (VGA_EN is set)
(II) Bus 0 I/O range:
[0] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0000ffff (0x10000) IX[B]
(II) Bus 0 non-prefetchable memory range:
[0] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0xffffffff (0x0) MX[B]
(II) Bus 0 prefetchable memory range:
[0] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0xffffffff (0x0) MX[B]
(II) Bus 1: bridge is at (0:1:0), (0,1,1), BCTRL: 0x80 (VGA_EN is cleared)
(II) Bus 1 I/O range:
(II) Bus 1 non-prefetchable memory range:
(II) Bus 1 prefetchable memory range:
(II) Bus -1: bridge is at (0:7:0), (0,-1,0), BCTRL: 0x08 (VGA_EN is set)
(II) Bus -1 I/O range:
(II) Bus -1 non-prefetchable memory range:
(II) Bus -1 prefetchable memory range:
(--) PCI:*(0:15:0) VMware PCI SVGA (FIFO) rev 0, Mem @ 0xfd000000/24, 0xfc000000/24, I/O @ 0x10e0/4
(II) Addressable bus resource ranges are
[0] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0xffffffff (0x0) MX[B]
[1] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0000ffff (0x10000) IX[B]
(II) OS-reported resource ranges:
[0] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[1] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[2] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]
[4] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX[B]
[5] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX[B]
(II) Active PCI resource ranges:
[0] -1 0 0xf8000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x4000000) MX[B]
[1] -1 0 0xfc000000 - 0xfcffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[2] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[3] -1 0 0x00001080 - 0x000010bf (0x40) IX[B]
[4] -1 0 0x000010c0 - 0x000010df (0x20) IX[B]
[5] -1 0 0x00001060 - 0x0000107f (0x20) IX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x000010f0 - 0x000010ff (0x10) IX[B]
[7] -1 0 0x000010e0 - 0x000010ef (0x10) IX[B](B)
(II) Active PCI resource ranges after removing overlaps:
[0] -1 0 0xf8000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x4000000) MX[B]
[1] -1 0 0xfc000000 - 0xfcffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[2] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[3] -1 0 0x00001080 - 0x000010bf (0x40) IX[B]
[4] -1 0 0x000010c0 - 0x000010df (0x20) IX[B]
[5] -1 0 0x00001060 - 0x0000107f (0x20) IX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x000010f0 - 0x000010ff (0x10) IX[B]
[7] -1 0 0x000010e0 - 0x000010ef (0x10) IX[B](B)
(II) OS-reported resource ranges after removing overlaps with PCI:
[0] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[1] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[2] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]
[4] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX[B]
[5] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX[B]
(II) All system resource ranges:
[0] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[1] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[2] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]
[4] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX[B]
[5] -1 0 0xf8000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x4000000) MX[B]
[6] -1 0 0xfc000000 - 0xfcffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[7] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[8] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX[B]
[9] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX[B]
[10] -1 0 0x00001080 - 0x000010bf (0x40) IX[B]
[11] -1 0 0x000010c0 - 0x000010df (0x20) IX[B]
[12] -1 0 0x00001060 - 0x0000107f (0x20) IX[B]
[13] -1 0 0x000010f0 - 0x000010ff (0x10) IX[B]
[14] -1 0 0x000010e0 - 0x000010ef (0x10) IX[B](B)
(II) LoadModule: "dbe"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libdbe.a
(II) Module dbe: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 Server Extension
ABI class: XFree86 Server Extension, version 0.1
(II) Loading extension DOUBLE-BUFFER
(II) LoadModule: "extmod"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libextmod.a
(II) Module extmod: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 Server Extension
ABI class: XFree86 Server Extension, version 0.1
(II) Loading extension SHAPE
(II) Loading extension MIT-SUNDRY-NONSTANDARD
(II) Loading extension BIG-REQUESTS
(II) Loading extension SYNC
(II) Loading extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
(II) Loading extension XC-MISC
(II) Loading extension XFree86-VidModeExtension
(II) Loading extension XFree86-Misc
(II) Loading extension XFree86-DGA
(II) Loading extension DPMS
(II) Loading extension FontCache
(II) Loading extension TOG-CUP
(II) Loading extension Extended-Visual-Information
(II) Loading extension XVideo
(II) Loading extension XVideo-MotionCompensation
(II) LoadModule: "type1"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libtype1.a
(II) Module type1: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 Font Renderer
ABI class: XFree86 Font Renderer, version 0.2
(II) Loading font Type1
(II) Loading font CID
(II) LoadModule: "freetype"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/fonts/libfreetype.a
(II) Module freetype: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.1.9
Module class: XFree86 Font Renderer
ABI class: XFree86 Font Renderer, version 0.2
(II) Loading font FreeType
(II) LoadModule: "vmware"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/vmware_drv.o
(II) Module vmware: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 10.4.0
Module class: XFree86 Video Driver
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.3
(II) LoadModule: "mouse"
(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) VMWARE: driver for VMware SVGA: vmware0405, vmware0710
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 00:0f:0
(--) VMware Guest X Server 10.4.0 - build=
(--) Assigning device section with no busID to primary device
(--) Chipset vmware0405 found
(II) resource ranges after xf86ClaimFixedResources() call:
[0] 0 0 0x000b8000 - 0x000bffff (0x8000) MX[B]
[1] 0 0 0x000b0000 - 0x000b7fff (0x8000) MX[B]
[2] 0 0 0x000a0000 - 0x000affff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[4] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[5] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]
[7] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX[B]
[8] -1 0 0xf8000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x4000000) MX[B]
[9] -1 0 0xfc000000 - 0xfcffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[10] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[11] 0 0 0x000003c0 - 0x000003df (0x20) IX[B]
[12] 0 0 0x000003b0 - 0x000003bb (0xc) IX[B]
[13] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX[B]
[14] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX[B]
[15] -1 0 0x00001080 - 0x000010bf (0x40) IX[B]
[16] -1 0 0x000010c0 - 0x000010df (0x20) IX[B]
[17] -1 0 0x00001060 - 0x0000107f (0x20) IX[B]
[18] -1 0 0x000010f0 - 0x000010ff (0x10) IX[B]
[19] -1 0 0x000010e0 - 0x000010ef (0x10) IX[B](B)
(II) resource ranges after probing:
[0] 0 0 0x000b8000 - 0x000bffff (0x8000) MX[B]
[1] 0 0 0x000b0000 - 0x000b7fff (0x8000) MX[B]
[2] 0 0 0x000a0000 - 0x000affff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[4] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[5] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]
[7] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX[B]
[8] -1 0 0xf8000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x4000000) MX[B]
[9] -1 0 0xfc000000 - 0xfcffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[10] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[11] 0 0 0x000003c0 - 0x000003df (0x20) IX[B]
[12] 0 0 0x000003b0 - 0x000003bb (0xc) IX[B]
[13] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX[B]
[14] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX[B]
[15] -1 0 0x00001080 - 0x000010bf (0x40) IX[B]
[16] -1 0 0x000010c0 - 0x000010df (0x20) IX[B]
[17] -1 0 0x00001060 - 0x0000107f (0x20) IX[B]
[18] -1 0 0x000010f0 - 0x000010ff (0x10) IX[B]
[19] -1 0 0x000010e0 - 0x000010ef (0x10) IX[B](B)
(II) Setting vga for screen 0.
(--) VMWARE(0): VMware SVGA regs at (0x10e0, 0x10e1)
(II) Loading sub module "vgahw"
(II) LoadModule: "vgahw"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libvgahw.a
(II) Module vgahw: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 0.1.0
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.4
(--) VMWARE(0): depth: 24
(--) VMWARE(0): w.red: 8
(--) VMWARE(0): w.grn: 8
(--) VMWARE(0): w.blu: 8
(--) VMWARE(0): bpp: 32
(--) VMWARE(0): vis: 4
(--) VMWARE(0): vram: 16777216
(--) VMWARE(0): pbase: 0xfd000000
(--) VMWARE(0): mwidt: 2360
(--) VMWARE(0): mheig: 1770
(--) VMWARE(0): caps: 0x00003FFF
(==) VMWARE(0): Depth 24, (==) framebuffer bpp 32
(==) VMWARE(0): RGB weight 888
(==) VMWARE(0): Default visual is TrueColor
(==) VMWARE(0): Using HW cursor
(==) VMWARE(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
(II) VMWARE(0): vmware: Using hsync range of 1.00-10000.00 kHz
(II) VMWARE(0): vmware: Using vrefresh range of 1.00-10000.00 Hz
(II) VMWARE(0): Clock range: 0.00 to 400000.00 MHz
(II) VMWARE(0): Not using mode "2364x1773" (width requires unsupported line pitch)
(--) VMWARE(0): Virtual size is 800x600 (pitch 800)
(**) VMWARE(0): Mode "800x600": 100.0 MHz, 90.9 kHz, 101.0 Hz
(II) VMWARE(0): Modeline "800x600" 100.00 800 900 1000 1100 600 700 800 900 (null)
(++) VMWARE(0): DPI set to (100, 100)
(II) Loading sub module "cfb32"
(II) LoadModule: "cfb32"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libcfb32.a
(II) Module cfb32: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: XFree86 ANSI C Emulation, version 0.1
(II) Loading sub module "cfb"
(II) LoadModule: "cfb"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libcfb.a
(II) Module cfb: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: XFree86 ANSI C Emulation, version 0.1
(II) Loading sub module "mfb"
(II) LoadModule: "mfb"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libmfb.a
(II) Module mfb: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: XFree86 ANSI C Emulation, version 0.1
(II) Loading sub module "xaa"
(II) LoadModule: "xaa"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libxaa.a
(II) Module xaa: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.1.0.1, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.4
Symbol cfb24ScreenInit from module /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/vmware_drv.o is unresolved!
Symbol cfb24CopyPlane from module /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/vmware_drv.o is unresolved!
Symbol cfb16ScreenInit from module /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/vmware_drv.o is unresolved!
Symbol cfb16CopyPlane from module /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/vmware_drv.o is unresolved!
(--) Depth 24 pixmap format is 32 bpp
(II) do I need RAC? No, I don't.
(II) resource ranges after preInit:
[0] 0 0 0x000b8000 - 0x000bffff (0x8000) MX[B]
[1] 0 0 0x000b0000 - 0x000b7fff (0x8000) MX[B]
[2] 0 0 0x000a0000 - 0x000affff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[4] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[5] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[6] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]
[7] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX[B]
[8] -1 0 0xf8000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x4000000) MX[B]
[9] -1 0 0xfc000000 - 0xfcffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[10] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX[B](B)
[11] 0 0 0x000003c0 - 0x000003df (0x20) IX[B]
[12] 0 0 0x000003b0 - 0x000003bb (0xc) IX[B]
[13] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX[B]
[14] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX[B]
[15] -1 0 0x00001080 - 0x000010bf (0x40) IX[B]
[16] -1 0 0x000010c0 - 0x000010df (0x20) IX[B]
[17] -1 0 0x00001060 - 0x0000107f (0x20) IX[B]
[18] -1 0 0x000010f0 - 0x000010ff (0x10) IX[B]
[19] -1 0 0x000010e0 - 0x000010ef (0x10) IX[B](B)
(WW) VMWARE(0): Failed to set up write-combining range (0xfd000000,0x1000000)
(II) Setting vga for screen 0.
(II) Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
(II) Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
(II) Initializing built-in extension XTEST
(II) Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
(II) Initializing built-in extension LBX
(II) Initializing built-in extension XC-APPGROUP
(II) Initializing built-in extension SECURITY
(II) Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
(II) Initializing built-in extension XFree86-Bigfont
(II) Initializing built-in extension RENDER
(**) Option "Protocol" "ps/2"
(**) Mouse1: Protocol: "ps/2"
(**) Option "CorePointer"
(**) Mouse1: Core Pointer
(**) Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
(EE) xf86OpenSerial: Cannot open device /dev/mouse
No such file or directory.
(EE) Mouse1: cannot open input device
(EE) PreInit failed for input device "Mouse1"
(II) UnloadModule: "mouse"
(II) Keyboard "Keyboard1" handled by legacy driver
(WW) No core pointer registered
No core pointer

Fatal server error:
failed to initialize core devices

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.

Since VMWare simulates a completly separate PC I don't believe there is a way for it to access the real disk without networking it. Remember that VMWare simulates its own hardware so if you set up Debian with your machines hardware it isn't going to work. You should look at VMware's supported OS's. I am running Mandrake 9.1, I had a few problems getting X to work but I copied the X Config file from Knoppix and X now works great.

Hmm....I've heard of ppl over at freenode say that they were able to do it but just that red hat was able to configure it automatically for them. In theory I think it should work...

I've just tried the knoppix XFConfig86-4 file that I used on my laptop. No go....

anyone else have any ideas about getting X to work?
...now its just complaining about the screens...it says no screens were found

Yes on supported OS's X should setup without a problem, however Mandrake 9.1 is not supported and I've had problems getting the settings just right for it to work. I gave up spending the time to figure it out and just copied the Knoppix X config file, and it worked for me. I've never used Debian, is it supported by VMWare? Also what version of VMware are you using?

Almost forgot, make sure when you are copying the knoppix config file you are copying it from knoppix being started up within VMware and not your laptop.

In other words, put your Knoppix CD in the drive start VMware start the VM and have it boot from the Knoppix CD. Once you have Knoppix running mount your Linux drive for R/W and copy the X Config File. Remember to back up the original, just in case.

Hope that helps