Why does my Toshiba 490CDT hang after an apparently successful install?
 

I have attempted to install Suse 9.2 on a Toshiba 490CDT 160 Mb RAM Satellite Pro machine using a single clean, 4 Mb partitioned disk. After an apparently successful install, the system attempts a reboot and after some considerable configuration activity, eventually hangs with a blank screen and no cursor showing. I tried a Ctrl Alt Del reboot into Safe mode and was presented with a command line where I entered startx. This brought up KDE and gave me a working system, even to the extent of enabling a full Yast update through a perfectly configured connection to my router/ADSL modem. I admittedly need to shutdown with Ctrl Alt Backspace but otherwise all is OK.

(I have no problems with the same Suse software version installed on an Athlon desktop system and a Toshiba SP2100.)

However, I had exactly the same hanging problem on attempting to install Kubuntu 5.10 and in running the Live CD version of this and the Mandrive Beta 2006.0.3. distributions. None will boot up into the desktop after install. No selected install options appeared to have any affect either.

I have the latest available Toshiba BIOS installed (July 2000) which has been successfully supporting Win 2000 SP4 for some time now. The graphics adapter on this machine is a S3 Virge I believe. Checking the BIOS there appear to be no suspicious settings.

I think this must be embarrassingly simple but as a newcomer to Linux I find myslf a bit stumped.

I have absolutely no idea how to fix your problem but your post looked like it needed some company. Hopefully when people see the number of posts now they wont just move on the the next one and might check it out instead. Hope you get your sh!t together.

Peace.

This good advice from "oldcpu"on the SuSE Linux forum helped me sort the problem, thanks for your moral support!

"Type "level 3" during the grub boot menu, which will bring you to a text prompt. Loggin as a regular user (NOT as root). Once logged in, then type "su" to get root permissions. Then backup your xorg.conf file, with something like: "cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.new.bak" .
Then try typing "sax2 -m 0=vesa" (where that is a zero equals vesa). Select a conservative graphic setting. Exit sax2. Type "exit" to get rid of root permissions. Type "whoami" to confirm you no longer have root permissions. Type "startx". Does that work? Exit xwindows immmediately. Type "su" to get root permissions. Type "shutdown -r now" to reboot."

I did get a blank screen after exiting Sax2 but on a cold boot all was fine.