help installing and running mandrake!
 

Heres my problem: I wanted to try linux again. So I thought I would give Mandrake v9.2 a try. The section on hardware auto-detects all the right hardware but when I run the test it fails even at default settings, atleast for video. So I just continue. When I try to boot it goes to text mode not graffical. I have no idea what to do then.

Here's my hardware: Intel D845BG MOBO, Intel P4 2.0GHz, 1GB DDR, Plextor CD-RW, Lite-On DVD-ROM, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, Audigy 2, WinFast TV Tuner,WD Hard Drive 100GB (x2), WD Harddrive 200GB (x2), Samsung SyncMaster 753DF, and other internals.

Also which distro is good for a newbie like me: Mandrake or Fedora? Or even another.:Pengy:

As a side note. I tried to just skip a fix and go to Fedora instead. But loading fails every time. All of this has made me think, "time to stick to Windows"! Prove me wrong guys!:D

both are fine for newbs ;-)

anyways, did you try to simply type :
startx

after you login in text mode ?

and when you boot up is it attempting to go to GUI or does it error out, and kick you to text mode ?

I encountered this problem myself. Due to some problems in data transfer across my computer channels, the XFree86 libraries got corrupted.

I was able to fix it by doing a minimal install so the installation program didn't take as long.

Your graphics card chipset should be supported, but you can check the XFree86 website just to make sure:

http://www.xfree86.org/current/Status6.html#6

Tried "startx" and got an error. It says something like this:

Fatal server error
no screens found

I used my camera to take a picture of this screen. How do I attach the image? And is there file size limit?

And it is supported on that link.

Never had any probs installing or running Mandrake 9.2. As far as I'm concerned, Mandrake rules! It is far and away the best Linux I've tried. And I bought it for 10 Euros in a newsagents.
SuSe supplies a mem tester, which you can start from LILO, instead of starting Linux. It walks all kinds of number sequences through your RAM. It found an error in my RAM that I and Win never knew existed, but had caused trouble for a while. Replaced the ram with a bigger one, and no further probs. Maybe something like that will help. Oh yes: under win, Norton Mem checker had lovely GUIs, but didn't find the problem.
Sounds to me like you have a similar prob.

So I should try older DDR ram I have? Why what that cause a problem, with linux having such "low" system requirements? You guys aren't helping the switch to linux, windows never had these issues! Again, prove me wrong guys!

In a few more days I'll ask how to remove LILO and Mandrake from my system, completely!

First thing to know is that Linux is not Windows. I've also started with Mandrake, and I personally did not like it. Redhat was a little better for my tastes. I'd highly recommend Libranet 2.7 Free Classic for a newbie. It's debian based, great hardware detection and one single useful tool to use, instead of redhat-config-xfree, redhat-config-printer, redhat-config this too, or redhat-config that other thing. Read my review about Libranet.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/review...php?product=99

get Libranet here:

www.libranet.com

everybody in this thread did. But we cannot go into your house and type at the keyboard or try switching the memories :). 99% is up to you in trying out a solution for your problem... Switching to another operating system is not easy, nor funny. But it's important to have will to read, to learn and above them all, know why you want to switch. If you are here at a Linux forum, I believe you are not 100% happy with Windows, (either for viruses issues, high charges for buggy programs, that dang yellow balloon at the task bar telling you to upgrade again or that there's icons on your desktop not being used (this is so stupid.. LET US FREE MS) )...So try thinking why to use Linux first ;)

good luck!

I was talking smack to induce a response, nothing personal. As far as the switch, I tried Redhat in the past and don't remembering it being such a pain to get up and running, neither was JAMD Linux. I just read an article in Maximum PC saying in not so many words that Mandrake was the way to go. At this point I'm thinking about giving up on Mandrake and going with a Redhat based package (Fedora, JAMD, ARES, or the original Redhat). It is just I installed this under the belief it was an easy option.

Now with that out the way, can I completely uninstall and go to a Redhat based distro. I'm leaning toward JAMD or ARES when it comes out. I tried to download Fedora Core 1 and install but it freezes at white screen.

As far as quiting windows, never! Not until i can edit video and play the newest games. I just want another option to experiment with (if I can get it to run).I'll leave windows in the past when hardware manufacturers fully support linux.

Nothing personal guys!:cry:

I totally understand you :). Well, I've used JAMD a while ago and I thought it was pretty good. Very easy to use, mplayer and apt-get out of the box. In my humble opinion, unless you are an enterprise which needs support (that's what Redhat is good at) JAMD does a better job to the end user.

I also read so much about Mandrake before I've tried Linux, but could never get it to work as I wanted. Always too slow, the graphical tools were inefficient... That's what was cool with Libranet, fast, great package manager, singleCD, easy to install and only one efficient tool, adminmenu. You cannot go wrong with that one... JAMD is a great second one for a newbie :). Plus it is always cooler to use a distribution that not everybody is using ;)

As far as the way back original topic...the Radeon 9800 pro and the 'No screens found' error and all that...I'm having the same exact scenario (mandrake 9.x) and problem. I scanned down through the stuff and didn't really see an answer 'cept switch the distro. Is that the answer? 'cause I'm goin nuts trying to configure it. I hate having to log into windows and search for answers for Linux. :0)

Just keep hacking at it, you'll get it going in the end. Even I can!