ProMepis - No able to goto Install GUI (KDE) from Live CD

kumarkumar · 03-03-2006, 03:42 PM

I have been using ProMepis since one year. It just rocks!! It is the only distro in which all the multimedia streams in Firefox work out-of-the-box. Not even Simply Mepis (either old or latest version) work for me.
Now I have bought a new Gateway MX7525 Laptop. It has ATI® Mobility RADEON™ X600 graphics with 256 MB HyperMemory video memory. The problem is when I try to boot Promepis from the Live CD, it will remain in the command mode and give the login prompt. It will never goto the install GUI (KDE). I have tried with all the boot settings (default, failsafe, etc). Hence I am not able to install it in my hard drive.
What is the problem??
Is there a way to change the monitor/lcd resolution before it boots from the Live CD??
Or is there a way to install Promepis from the command mode??
Thanks in anticipation.

kumarkumar · 03-08-2006, 12:18 PM

There is a good news. I managed to get to the boot GUI (KDE). But now the audio and internet won't work. It gives an error for Kmix when Promepis boots up. The Kmix window is just empty. As for as internet, I am using ethernet. I have checked the "eth0" and "boot at startup" options, they are already and always checked. Any help would be highly appreciated.

masonm · 03-08-2006, 06:13 PM

For the sound problem, try running alsaconf as root.

For the NIC, supply more information.

tangle · 03-08-2006, 07:19 PM

Also disable the external amp setting in alsamixer (the last option on the right).

kumarkumar · 03-11-2006, 11:52 AM

My Laptop specs are as follows:-

Processor Mobile AMD Athlon™ 64-bit 4000+ Processor
(1 MB L2 Cache | 2.6 GHz | HyperTransport™ technology up to 1600 MHz System Bus)

Chipset ATI™ Radeon® Xpress 200M Chipset

LCD Display Screen 15.4-inch Widescreen Ultrabright WXGA TFT

Memory 1024 MB DDR (2 × 512 MB) SODIMM (PC2700)

Video ATI® Mobility RADEON™ X600 graphics with 256 MB HyperMemory video memory

Audio AC ?97 2.3 Compliant Audio

Built-in Stereo Speakers

Hard Drive 100 GB HDD (4200 RPM)

Optical Drive DVD +/- RW Multi-Format Double Layer

Memory card reader 6-in-1 Digital Media Manager

Modem 56K ITU V.92 ready Fax/Modem

Network 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)

802.11g integrated wireless (up to 54 Mbps)
125 High Speed Mode

Pointing Device Touchpad with Vertical Scroll Zone

PCMCIA One - Type I or Type II; Card Bus

Battery 8-cell Lithium-ion

Nix_Hard · 03-11-2006, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kumarkumar

Not even Simply Mepis (either old or latest version) work for me.
Now I have bought a new Gateway MX7525 Laptop. It has ATI Mobility RADEON X600 graphics with 256 MB HyperMemory video memory.

Yummy specs, Love to see you get over this problem.
My view with all that new stuff in the new laptop is you should be trying to get this going with the new SimplyMEPIS 3.4-3
I seem to have ended up with ATI video cards myself every where, damm, damm ATI and there slow/slack Linux support. Not a lot of joy, full-stop.
But I do think you would be better off trying to get the lastest MEPIS working.
I have wiped my install of SM-Pro at the end of 2005, sorry.
NH

tangle · 03-11-2006, 06:27 PM

Did you get the sound to work?

Also, the there is a linux driver for your marvell nic that works. The wireless one is pain. I have yet to get mine to work right. I am about to go buy a card that has drivers in the kernel.

The ATI drivers install and worked for me on the first try. I am using Slackware 10.2, not Mepis though.

kumarkumar · 03-12-2006, 12:02 AM

Actually I have already tried the latest Simply Mepis 3.4-3. But sadly enough it has been the worst version ever that I have tested. The keyboard becomes ultrasensitive. If I press a key once (as I normally do) it prints three to four letters at once of the corresponding key. The audio files play horribly in all the media players (the audio breaks and they play at double the speed than normal). I cannot play certain real or windows media streams in firefox. I cannot change the lcd resolution under any circumstances.( I think it does not have any of the display and audio drivers that I need)
I did try Kanotix, Knoppix, Ubuntu and a host of ther distros. But as I had said earlier, I was not able to play certain Real media or Windows media streams in Firefox in any of these distros - except Promepis. In Promepis they just played perfectly out-of-the-box. I am not sure what is the MAGIC with Promepis!! That is the reason I am behind Promepis and struggling to get it to work.
Please help.

kumarkumar · 03-12-2006, 01:32 AM

tangle, thanks for the tip. I had thought of that option already. By alsamixer you mean Sound Mixer - KMix right?? Because that is the only place for the option that you are talking about. As I had said earlier that KMix gives an error when Promepis boots up. The Kmix window is just empty (a white box). So there are no options for me to change. But yes you are right disablng the external amp setting in KMix does give audio output in other distros.

tangle · 03-12-2006, 01:35 AM

No, log in as root and run alsamixer, kmixer is different. Then run alsactl store to save the settings.

kumarkumar · 03-12-2006, 01:56 AM

First let me tell you the exact error I get on Bootup. Its as follows:-

Code:

Sound server informational message:
Error while initializing the sound driver:
device /dev/dsp can't be opened (No such device)
The sound server will continue, using the null output device.

tangle, I tried to run alsamixer as root. I mean as follows:-

Code:

root@1[root]# alsamixer (return)

After I hit return I get the following message:-

Code:

alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device

Since I am a newbie in linux could you please explain a bit more the exact steps if I didn't understand you or did anything stupid.

tangle · 03-12-2006, 01:59 AM

Did you run alsaconf?

kumarkumar · 03-12-2006, 02:24 AM

Yes I did run alsaconf.
It probes and gives me two cards
1) atiixp ATI Technologies Inc: Unknown device 4370 (rev02)
2) legacy Probe legacy ISA (non PnP) chips

I tried selecting the first one. It gave me errors at the end. The end result was again no audio.
I tried the second card. End result - no legacy cards found, hence no audio.

mos · 03-12-2006, 02:52 AM

See if you can do:
# modprobe snd-atiixp

If it runs without any error then do:
# lsmod | grep atiixp

If it comes back with snd-atiixp then sound modules are all loaded
then try your luck with this command
# echo "snd-atiixp" >> /etc/modules

that will allow it to load on startup

now try the command
# alsamixer

if this works you will have sound
if it goes wrong anywhere tell us exactly where you ran into the problem and what the error msg is.

Nix_Hard · 03-12-2006, 12:55 PM

Sorry kumarkumar,
this won't help you in the short term, MOS is your man.
But this sounds like an ATI driver problem to me.
Maybe something the MEPIS Dev's need to know about. You have a new laptop, should work.
But ("but" again) it is hard for these people to test all hardware. Please supply feedback to them, this needs to be sorted out. You can make a differance and help with the feedback.
A workaround is to use MEPIS Pro, and build from there, sorry it dosen't sound like the correct responce on anyones part.
NH
PS; no nasties ment or implied. It could be me with your laptop, and I would like it to work too. It is very hard for the devs to meet all targets.