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Linux - Laptop and Netbook Having a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).

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Old 07-01-2007, 05:46 AM   #1
misstajah
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Registered: Aug 2006
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Geforce 8400 graphics card issue | can't access tty ??


Hail, folks! I tried to search for a thread on the subject but haven't found one, so I'll post a new one.

I bought a new laptop a month ago:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T7100
* 1GB RAM
* Geforce 8400
* SATA 160GB

and I need to have Linux on my machine. I got today the Ubuntu 7.04, i think it is quite reasonable The thing is I just can't make it install. The only distro i could actually run was Knoppix, but that one just ain't the one I want...

What came to the screen was something like this: "Can't access tty (yarayara)"

What is this all about? At first glance, I see that my graphics card is incompatible with Linux. After all, I bought this baby when it was the first graphs card to suport DX10

Appreciate the help in advance.
 
Old 07-01-2007, 06:02 AM   #2
Simon Bridge
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DX10 support could be a problem since this card presumably also supports HDCP (i.e. it is broken by design.) But it seems that they go in linux... so far.

The exact tty error is important. There are many possibilities... however, recently Ubuntu has had trouble with some modems and bluetooth adapters. Your best bet is to install using the alternate CD.

(You could try turning these things off in BIOS, just for the install?)
 
Old 07-01-2007, 07:15 AM   #3
misstajah
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OK, the exact output:

"
BusyBox v1.1.3 (Debian 1:1.1.3 - 3ubuntu3) built-in shell (ash)

/bin/sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
(initramfs) _
"
 
Old 07-01-2007, 07:49 AM   #4
Simon Bridge
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Yep... that's the one.
It's trying to configure the modem. Try disabling the modem in BIOS and/or using the alternate install CD.
 
Old 07-01-2007, 09:26 AM   #5
misstajah
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Ok, so the modem thing seems to be over.

The big point now is what i thought: my graphics card is not recognized. Output come:

"NV(0): no display devices found."

I've checked the extended report and a lot of graphics card names have showed up, but not mine... What should I do then?
 
Old 07-01-2007, 09:33 AM   #6
Hern_28
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nvidia driver

Have you tried the driver from nvidia yet?

and which 8400 do you have?
 
Old 07-01-2007, 09:39 AM   #7
misstajah
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How should I install it if I can't even run linux by itself because of this? i really don't know...
My graphics card is a Geforce Go 8400 384MB. I'm using an Asus F3SC.

Last edited by misstajah; 07-01-2007 at 09:59 AM.
 
Old 07-01-2007, 05:41 PM   #8
Simon Bridge
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Let's recap... have you installed yet? Or are you trying to run the desktop CD?

You should be able to install with the alternate CD, it is text only. The desktop CD in safe-graphics made is probably fine too. Your card is not supported in the nv driver... feisty comes with the nvidia driver for your kernel, but it may not be new enough.

You can install a newer driver from repos from CLI if required.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=488491
... report is that the card won't go at all without the proprietary driver. But I'd still try the vesa driver anyways.
 
Old 07-02-2007, 04:07 AM   #9
misstajah
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I have installed Ubuntu, alternate CD. When X tries to load, the error message comes up. Afterwards, that sort of console shows, asking for a login(I don't even have one, neither have I set the root pwd... ).

As for feisty, I can't run it as well :\

This known, how could I actually install the nv drivers from scratch?

Thks
 
Old 07-02-2007, 05:48 AM   #10
Simon Bridge
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I'm doing this backwards...

The nv driver is included in the kernel. It won't do you any good. You need the proprietary driver called "nvidia". This comes on the feisty CD, but can also be installed using aptitude. You can also hunt through the CD for the restricted drivers... it will be a deb file which will install with dpkg.

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Feisty#Graphics_Card
... look at the beta version.

However, this is all better if you use the GUI. For this, when you can, look through /etc/X11/xorg.conf (edit this file with nano). Replace Driver "nv" with Driver "vesa" save, exit, and enter "startx".

However, as part of the install process you should have created a user, with a user password. That is your login. Alternatively, try rescue mode from the grub menu.

There is no root user in ubuntu.
 
Old 07-02-2007, 08:10 AM   #11
misstajah
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Well, VESA works :P

(1) I can't(or don't know how to) look into the CD. I tried /dev, /cdrom, /mnt, everything... nothing would come...

(2) In the GUI (yea, i managed to go in there ), i don't have access to admin stuff, the system tells me... so I can't have new users ... and yea, i've tried "useradd myUsername", but it won't login, system tells: "wrong user/pass"...

(3) Thought about getting onto the net (got my LAN cable plugged so he would be DHCP linked to my house network), is this possible in recovery mode?
 
Old 07-02-2007, 10:41 PM   #12
Simon Bridge
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[QUOTE=misstajah]Well, VESA works :P

(1) I can't(or don't know how to) look into the CD. I tried /dev, /cdrom, /mnt, everything... nothing would come...[quote]Media is mounted in /media ... look for /media/cdrom0

Quote:
(2) In the GUI (yea, i managed to go in there ), i don't have access to admin stuff, the system tells me... so I can't have new users ... and yea, i've tried "useradd myUsername", but it won't login, system tells: "wrong user/pass"...
How did you got a gui? So you are in recovery - single user mode?

How is it telling you you don't have admin access? Have you tried sudo su - ?

But if you have gui, how about using the regular (non rescue) boot option from the grub menu?

Quote:
(3) Thought about getting onto the net (got my LAN cable plugged so he would be DHCP linked to my house network), is this possible in recovery mode?
It would be interesting to try... net access is one of the things you configure at install... try system > config > network dialog.
 
Old 07-03-2007, 05:27 AM   #13
misstajah
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(2) i used "startx" and gnome came, that's the GUI I was talking about The normal boot mode requires user/password, which i can't manage to configure correctly :S I think it's about the password encryption... but i think it should be easy enough, right? By the way, even though i started X, the system says i don't have enough privileges to access admin panel stuff ...

(1) /media/cdrom0 contains nothing here. ls result: ""
ls result from /media:
cdrom cdrom0 sda1 sda2

Last edited by misstajah; 07-03-2007 at 05:28 AM.
 
Old 07-03-2007, 06:30 AM   #14
Simon Bridge
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The CD isn't mounted.

/media/sdax entries are odd... these usually only appear in the live mode. You did install right? Anyway, and just for my curiosity, show show the exact output of "pwd" in a terminal.

You said that the vesa driver works... how did you get X to use the vesa driver?

Last edited by Simon Bridge; 07-03-2007 at 06:35 AM.
 
Old 07-03-2007, 06:43 AM   #15
misstajah
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(1) VESA: like u said, i editted /etc/X11/xorg.conf and changed "nv" to "vesa". so, vesa works xD but i want the graphics board to work, though. I could use the glx and widescreen xD

(2) sdax entries are my SATA partitions for windows vista

(3) If i run linux with the CD already in, it should be mounted, right?

(4) Yea, i did install, with the alter CD, though

Which directory u want me to check with "pwd" ?
 
  


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