Puppy Linux start on old laptop but only runs in text mode display

maazrizki · 09-23-2012, 10:26 PM

Have three old lap tops ASUS M8300, RAM 192. Any linux distribution only run when laptop is change to text mode display. Don't know what to do next. Currently trying Puppy Linux

konsolebox · 09-23-2012, 10:43 PM

Hello maazrizki. Welcome to LQ. Sad to say but if there are no distros that have default support for your graphics card yet, you could only set it up from the command-line, that is as an example try to make your graphics card work by recompiling the kernel. You could also try older but stable and not-so-dynamic distros like Slackware 9 or 10. You could also check older releases from other distros like Debian, Mandriva, Redhat, etc.

Btw, you do have a hard drive for it right?

DavidMcCann · 09-24-2012, 11:59 AM

Your problem is that the graphics card is the rare Silicon Motion Lynx. There are drivers available: my CentOS has xorg-x11-drv-siliconmotion.i686 for example.

It can be a bit of a struggle to get things working: I found these pages
http://web.archive.org/web/200810080...l95/m8300.html
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=69104
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/SMI_LynxEM

I'd suggest you try something a little more mainstream than Puppy: AntiX, Archbang, Bodhi, ConnochaetOS, Salix (Fluxbox version), Swift, Vector Standard (using Fluxbox), and ZorinOS Light will all run in 192MB.

jefro · 09-24-2012, 03:03 PM

Try vesa mode. Almost all video cards support that.

maazrizki · 09-24-2012, 09:22 PM

I think it is not worth it, we can stop replying, Thank-you everyone

maazrizki · 10-03-2012, 03:06 PM

I know I said I dont want to continue. But I still played with different distros'
SALIX-FLUX BOX worked with my Old Laptop only thing i have to do is swtich display type after it start to Non-LCD everything showsup on screen. Beside this CentOS runs from LiveCD but when I try to install to hard drive it just spins hard drive and nothing happens even waiting for more then an hour or more,