Hello, I was wondering if you could help me here.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a brand new Apple MacBook laptop, and since I enjoy Slackware Linux so much on my other PC, I thought I would go about installing it on my MacBook.

Because my MacBook's hard drive is a SATA, I tried using the sata.i kernel image. However, although the hard disk was detected fine, the keyboard was not. It went like this:

boot: (I successfully typed in the kernel I wanted to use; nothing seemed amiss)
Loading bzImage..............................
Loading initrd...................
.
.
.
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
.
.
.
PC_KEYB: Timed Out
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Controller Jammed
PC_KEYB: Timed Out
Error detecting keyboard (do you have an AT keyboard?)
.
.
.

And then it presented me with the choice of keyboard maps, but then I couldn't type anything.

I also tried using the 2.6.13 kernel (test6.s I think), and although it didn't give the "Controller Jammed" error messages, when I was presented with the keyboard map choices, the keyboard was once again useless.

When I hooked up an external USB keyboard, the problem went away. But I need my built-in keyboard, not an external one.

I think this could be due to an old kernel, because lots of other people have installed Ubuntu on their MacBooks without any problems (and without any extra kernel parameters). But I don't want to install Ubuntu. I want Slackware. Is there any extra kernel parameters that I can add to make it work? The encouraging thing is that the keyboard works initially, but it quits somewhere after the kernel is loaded.

Thanks for your help

--Joe

on your other OS does everything work fine? if not then double check that everything is plugged in (all RAM modules, cables, etc)
if so, then, ive read before that there may be a USB option in the BIOS you can disable.. check it out.. something for 'usb legacy support'.
good luck

edit: oh ya thats right.. its a mac

>on your other OS does everything work fine? if not then double check that everything is plugged in (all RAM modules, cables, etc)

Yes. Everything works fine under Mac OS X. I should also mention that I tried several other Live CDs (such as Gentoo), and everything worked fine.

And I don't have a BIOS, I have firmware, so I don't think that USB will be an option.

ive been searching for it for awhile as id like to know the solution.
the two i have found (which wont help you) is to disable the BIOS option as we have already discussed. the other is to edit a line in the keyboard.h file, which wont really help either because your just installing now. and this editing this apparently just makes the display message disappear thats it.

also that 2.6 kernel you tried is from 2005, so not outdated. can you try with just a regular kernel and see if it goes away?

if you boot with a usb keyboard, wait till it gets to the keyboard layout selection, unplug the usb keyboard.. does the normal one work?

sorry i cant be of any help

edit: from afew of the searches ive done with your keywords, some people have said they see the message but theyre keyboard works fine..