i turned on my computer, and selected to run Linux. it goes into a black screen with white words and goes through checking stuff too fast for me to read. then it says
localhost login:
and i put in my user name
localhost login: ozzy
and then it says
password:
so i entered that
and now it says
Last login: Sat Jun 4 18:12:36 on ttyl
[ozzy@localhost ~]$

what do i do?

i know i'm a newbie, so thanks in advance for your help

type the command "startx" without the quotation marks and your desktop gui should start up. You can also enable booting directly into your Graphical User Interface (gui) within the mandrake control center for future if you like.

ok, i entered startx and more stuff appeared on the screen too fast to read. the stuff i can read is as folows:
Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.
Module Loader present
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting, (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational, (WW) waring, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Sat Jun 4 19:45:09
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
Data incpomlete in file /etc/X11/xorg.conf
At least one Device section is required
(EE) Problem parsing the config file
(EE) Error parsing the config file

Fatal server error:
no screens found

Please consult the X.org Foundation support
at http://wiki.X.org
for help
Please also check hte log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional informatiln.

XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0" after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining
[ozzy@localhost ~]$

ahh! what do i do?

It appears there is a typo in your xorg.conf file for some reason. Regenerate your xorg.conf file using Mandriva's tool XFdrake. When you are in the command line (like you have a choice right now hee hee), log in as root, or when logged in as a user, use the su command to get root privilage and run the command XFdrake (it is case sensitive). Make sure you choose the right video driver and use the test button to try your configuration before you save and exit XFdrake. If you are stuck and cannot find a video driver to suit your video chipset, the vesa driver will drive nearly any card, but is unaccelerated. Once you have tested your choices, and have a working config, exit the drake tool, you should have a working xorg.conf file. Now startx should fire up your gui. If not, there are two other tools for fixing it, post back.

thanks lakota

i logged in as root, and ran the command XFdrake

it came up with a screen that said something about my config file, and the choices ignore or cancel. I hit ignore. now, there is this screen:

X server
Choose an X server
<->Intel
5430
740 (generic)
810
815
830
845
85x
865
915
Express 3D AGP
<+>Leadtek
<+>Matrox
<+>Miro
<+>NDVIDIA
<+>NeoMagic
(and tons of others that would take forever to type - tell me if you need them and i can type them in)
OK Cancel

what do i do now?

That is the list of video drivers. You need to choose one, then test it before leaving XFdrake to make sure it works with your video card. If you know the model of video card you have, find the appropriate driver from the list. Otherwise, choose the "vesa" driver (will be near the bottom I believe), and it should get your card running and a gui working till you can later figure out the best video driver.

Nine times out of ten Mandriva will choose the correct module for your video card to be used. Sometimes though there can be issues with that. If it does choose the correct module but X still won't fire up try adjusting the resolution and color depth.

For example my Radeon 9000 and the ati proprietary module fo it. It does work and pretty good I must say, except for the fact that it won't work at less then 24 bit and 1024 x 768. Where as the Xorg drivers usually do 640 x 480 or greater at 15bit or higher. Buy a video card from a company and they supply limited support for linux in a lot of cases, the community at large uses it and it tends to become fully supported.

Heck some of the module / drivers that are offered by companies are just hacked to crap Xfree or Xorg drivers supposedly optimized to their hardware configurations anyways.

it works!!!

thank you guys so much for your help! i'd be tearing my hair out if it wasn't for you!

just one last thing - how do i change my resolution from 800x600 to 1024x768?

right click on desktop, choose "configure desktop", on the pop up window highlight the "display" icon, on the "size & orientation" tab you will see your choice of screen sizes on a drop down menu.

Alternatively, you can use the drake tools and may find you have more options for resolution there. That would be, in the "menu" go to "system", go to "configuration", go to "configure your computer". This starts Mandrake Control Center. Highlight the "hardware" tab, and you will see an icon labeled "change the screen resolution".

ok - but it doesnt have 1024x768 as a choice

a couple questions:

1- did you check the resolutions listed in the drake tool (Mandrake Control Center)?
2- which driver did you end up picking? vesa or another one when you ran XFdrake?
3- what chipset does your video card use?

thanks for your help! i figured it out htroug XFdrake, and got my resolution all set

i don't know where i'd be without you!

I'm having the exact same problem as this guy above but I cannot get it fixed. I have the exact same card, my system is a laptop.

I get the no screens error. So I ran xfdrake and tried basically every single setup I could.

I noticed something strange, it says my graphic card has multiheads. I am thinking it's trying to look up my VGA port where nothing is connected (because it's a laptop with a built-in screen).

No matter what I try I get the following error... this is my first attempt at installing Linux so please bear with me..

The Error:

(EE) Problem parsing the config file
(EE) Error parsing the config file

Try to change some parameters.

jpwagner: What brand and model is your laptop, with that info should be able to tell you what video card driver and what refresh rates for your screen.