LinuxQuestions.org
Visit Jeremy's Blog.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie
User Name
Password
Linux - Newbie This Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question? If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 12-24-2004, 09:47 PM   #1
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Rep: Reputation: 15
Knoppix Boot Problem


I decided to experiment with linux. I have a Knoppix boot disk my friend gave me.

I tried it on one computer, worked great, with internet connection and everthing. I tried it on new my computer, it comes up with the Knoppix bootup screen ("Press enter to boot with Knoppix, If you don't want to boot with Knoppix blah blah blah..."), I press enter, then the screen goes black.

I'm not sure why it's doing that. I'm guessing a hardware problem, but it seems I would at least get an error message. If it is a hardware problem, I'll post my specs (I don't have them with me right now otherwise I would). I'm concerned because I've downloaded all the madrake boot CDs, but don't want to do all the work of burning them if I don't even know they'll work.
 
Old 12-24-2004, 10:44 PM   #2
GT_Onizuka
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Atlanta
Distribution: Debian, OS X
Posts: 711

Rep: Reputation: 31
Does your monitor shut off when the screen goes black?

I had an issue like that, my nVidia GeForce 5200 FX wouldn't work with the default VESA drivers, and I had to pass an option to the kernel at boot to load the nVidia driver.

You might want to post hardware specs, specifically, graphics card.
 
Old 12-25-2004, 12:14 AM   #3
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
I don't think my monitor shuts off, I think there might even be a small blinking cursor. I'll get back to you soon with my specs. It's a fairly new computer, I just got it this summer.

I'm running knoppix on this computer right now though, and I just found out that Knoppix has python scripting language and an online chess client installed default! This thing was made for me!

I've also just got a few more random questions. I'm sold on Knoppix right now, so just FMI, which distro most ressembles Knoppix? I'm assuming Debian, but just to be sure. Is there a way to force quit irresponsive programs? Which aim-compatable chat program do you recommend for linux? Thanks for all your help.
 
Old 12-25-2004, 12:36 AM   #4
GT_Onizuka
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Atlanta
Distribution: Debian, OS X
Posts: 711

Rep: Reputation: 31
Knoppix is based off of Debian, although some of it's features aren't included in Debian, for example, the hardware detection thing (if I'm not mistaken) is a Knoppix-only thing. If you really do like Knoppix, you could install Knoppix directly on to your hard drive. Why go for the closest thing to it, when you can go for the real deal

There are a few ways to force quit. What I use the most is killall. Basically, in the terminal, you type killall name_of_app_you_want_to_die. Be warned, it MUST be the exact name, otherwise it won't work. For example, I Enemy-Territory by typed 'et' in the terminal, but that just links to et.x86, so to kill et, I'd have to do 'killall et.x86'

Another way to go about it is using xkill (this will only work from within X)
Basically, you type 'xkill' and the terminal, and whatever window you click next, is killed.

As far as AIM goes, I'd highly recommend Gaim. It's a multi-protocol IM client, and it flat out rules. I use it both on Windows and Linux, and I really like it a bunch. If you're looking for IM'ing through the command line though, I'd recommend Naim (don't recall the link off the top of my head unfortunately).
 
Old 12-25-2004, 01:05 PM   #5
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
Alright, but is Knoppix full? I mean, what does Debian have that Knoppix doesn't? (I do like the automatic hardware detect) Also, sometimes Knoppix is choppy, and wierd vertical bars appear on some app windows, is this just because I am running it off a CD, or does this happen sometimes with Debian distros on (relatively) old computers.
 
Old 12-25-2004, 01:10 PM   #6
y2k
Member
 
Registered: May 2004
Location: Somewhere over there!!!
Distribution: Too many to list here...
Posts: 93

Rep: Reputation: 15
Try

linux26 noacpi
(or F3 for complete list of options)

y2k
 
Old 12-25-2004, 01:13 PM   #7
GT_Onizuka
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Atlanta
Distribution: Debian, OS X
Posts: 711

Rep: Reputation: 31
Quote:
Originally posted by JoeUser11
Alright, but is Knoppix full? I mean, what does Debian have that Knoppix doesn't? (I do like the automatic hardware detect) Also, sometimes Knoppix is choppy, and wierd vertical bars appear on some app windows, is this just because I am running it off a CD, or does this happen sometimes with Debian distros on (relatively) old computers.
The choppiness is definitely attributed to the fact that you're running of a CD.

And a full Debian install would just contain more applications (correct me if I'm wrong here, as I'm not well versed in Debian). For example, the first run through I had with Slackware, I just installed everything, amounting to about 3 GB of stuff. I ended up completely destroying my system (go n00b powers ) and had to reinstall. But this time, I knew exactly what I needed, and I only installed about 1.5 GB (if I'm not mistaken). Another thing to keep in mind is the data on the Knoppix disk is compressed, so I believe it holds somewhere around 1.3 GB of stuff, rather than a typical 700 MB CD, something else you want to keep in mind.

If you're worried about not going with a "pure" Debian install, and thinking you might miss out on something, I'd say, don't be worried. Even if there are a few apps included on Debian, that might not be default in Knoppix, isn't going to prevent you from compiling/installing the program yourself. I'd actually recommend that way better, as it forces you to learn more early on. Best way to learn is immersion .

EDIT: You mentioned you were running on old hardware, so another thing you might want to do to increase performance is use a lighter wm. I know if might be hard to let go of the nice Windows/Mac-esque look of KDE/GNOME, but IceWM, fluxbox and the others can be just as productive, and infinitely faster.

Last edited by GT_Onizuka; 12-25-2004 at 01:14 PM.
 
Old 12-26-2004, 01:35 PM   #8
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
I'm running an Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller, COMPAQ 7500 Color Monitor, ACPI Uniprocessor PC, an Intel Celeron CPU 2.8Ghz processor.

I am lost as to why Knoppix won't boot.

Edit: Ok, I tried it again and payed attention. It goes through the "Press enter to boot up Knoppix" screen, then it loads the very first 2 things, then the screen goes black. I think it might be something with my graphics card (Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller). This is an older version of knoppix (3.3 or 3.4). Would 3.6 be diffrent?

I'm at 1280x1024 at 60hz, does it matter?

Last edited by JoeUser11; 12-26-2004 at 01:52 PM.
 
Old 12-26-2004, 02:40 PM   #9
piscikeeper
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Pennsylvania USA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 430

Rep: Reputation: 30
try hitting the F2 and F3 keys to get a list of boot options (i use knoppix26 lang=us).then try the different options for the screen settings to see what works.
if you really enjoy knoppix,boot as root,then hit CTRL+ALT+F3.at the prompt enter "knoppix-installer" to install to hard drive
 
Old 12-26-2004, 02:47 PM   #10
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
Well, I do really like Knoppix, and I plan to partition my HD and install it soon anyway. I don't want to install it if it won't work on my computer though =\ . By the way, does Knoppix partition my HD for me when I install? I've never partitioned anything, and have never installed any version of linux before.

I'll see what f2-f3 does.

Quote:
I had an issue like that, my nVidia GeForce 5200 FX wouldn't work with the default VESA drivers, and I had to pass an option to the kernel at boot to load the nVidia driver.
Can I do this for my graphics card?
 
Old 12-26-2004, 03:28 PM   #11
piscikeeper
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Pennsylvania USA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 430

Rep: Reputation: 30
knoppix dosent partition your disk for you,but it does have a partitioning progam.all you really need are 2 partitions: at least 128mb for swap(if you have less than 512mb of ram) ,and the rest as / ,toggled as bootable.
you might also want to access the cd from a running system and have a look at the "cheatcodes" file for a full list of possible options.
 
Old 12-26-2004, 03:51 PM   #12
linuxgeekery
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Austin, Texas!
Distribution: Gentoo
Posts: 121

Rep: Reputation: 15
try typing at the boot prompt 'failsafe'. Then it should give you some error message. If there are some, post them. Plus, how much ram?
 
Old 12-26-2004, 04:07 PM   #13
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
512 mb
(I'm pretty sure on this, I remember having to find it for something else I was working on. I tried to double check, but I can't seem to find that information. This is bugging me, can anybody tell me where I can find how much ram I have with winXP?)

Next random question: What does Knoppix 3.6 have that 3.3 or 3.4 don't?

Last edited by JoeUser11; 12-26-2004 at 04:16 PM.
 
Old 12-26-2004, 04:10 PM   #14
piscikeeper
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Pennsylvania USA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 430

Rep: Reputation: 30
nothing that apt and a fast connection cant add
 
Old 12-26-2004, 04:40 PM   #15
JoeUser11
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Distribution: SuSe9.3
Posts: 143

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
I booted with failsafe, I got no errors, it actually booted up fine. I don't know what means... it's wierd. My internet didn't work, I'm not sure if that was because I was in failsafe or what, but that's a problem for another day.

Should I just cross my fingers and install Knoppix, or find out why it won't boot if it's not in failsafe?

Thanks to all of you for putting up with stupid questions.

Edit: The Knoppix3.4 FAQ says the HD install "only be attempted by more knowledgeable Linux users", that which I am not, so I'm thinking I won't try to HD install Knoppix, unless Knoppix 3.6 can do it easier.

Last edited by JoeUser11; 12-26-2004 at 05:07 PM.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
KNOPPIX 3.8.1 Problem with knoppix-installer Wireless-G-DSL Debian 4 04-13-2005 06:03 PM
Boot problem: Knoppix 3.7 linuxConvertG Linux - Newbie 4 03-08-2005 01:02 PM
I cant get knoppix to boot from cd Sabre Jaguar Linux - Software 2 02-27-2005 04:19 PM
Knoppix Boot Problem soar Linux - Distributions 0 06-17-2003 12:53 AM
knoppix boot problem/stalling rrfish72 Linux - Newbie 1 01-08-2003 12:45 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:27 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration