[Sussex] New distro install (Mandriva 2006) problems - where to start?

[John D.]

Desmond Armstrong wrote:

> Normally when I install the Linux, I set the resolution down and the 
> colour bits down.
> So I would typically set it to 1024 x 768 and 16 bits.
> You must have a super large monitor to be setting it at 1600 x 1200.
> One can always set the monitor to higher resolution in the control 
> panel once it is all working.
> My suspicions are that it is X which is slowing you down.
> Regards.

Ah! theres the difference then Desmond :D during my travels around the 
world of distros, I've usually tended to "charge in, where angels fear 
to tread".

I concur that it seems to have been an X problem. Now I've applied the 
various changes that yourself/Thomas/Steve D have suggested/alluded to, 
it seems to have settled down to pretty much what I've been used to 
under Gentoo (which in truth, is still my prefered/favourite distro).

The main reason for changing, was because I'd had good success with 
Mandrake/Mandriva before, due to the massive amounts of info that were 
deluged from the world of Gentoo, I was getting severely 
stressed/impatient with trying to learn so much "hands on" type info. I 
did miss the good quality gui stuff that mandriva provides (no I have no 
qualms/issues in using a "commercial" distro).

This approach has already paid dividends inasfaras, it's completely 
automated the samba install, so that my partner Clare can now print from 
her W98 laptop (which was the current snag that I was attempting to cure 
under gentoo). So IMO it was worth the money (the mandriva is a "boxed 
set" disc - their product is good so I don't mind "shelling out").

As for the monitor ? Yes it is a "bit of a beast". A Philips Brilliance 
201B - 21" screen, but it was cheap (thanks to Dave C). In truth, it's 
too large. It absolutely dwarfs all my other hardware (including an HP 
Laserjet 5N). Though in conjuction with my cordless keyboard and mouse - 
it's often enjoyable to sit back and "meddle" from a distance and have 
no problems reading from screen!

Right ho! Now I suppose I'd better go and install all the windows fonts 
from Clares laptop (yes I do have a licence Mr Gates, so "ner nee ner 
nee ner ner"! :D ).

regards

John D.

p.s. Oh and too summarise the changes - I changed the H and V freqs to 
reflect the ones found in "the spec", changed the resolution setting to 
one that I knew I'd been using previously (1600x1200 @ 85hz), changed 
the mouse protocol to IMPS/2 and the ZAXIS MAPPING option, from "6 7" to 
"4 5".

I also uninstalled the "kat", and the acpi daemon (I don't know what 
that does, but previously haven't used it).

So the "instability" seems too have largely settled down.