[Sussex] Re: Not managing to comPlete an install by myself.

ANDRE ORCHISON orchison at btinternet.com
Tue Apr 10 22:16:30 UTC 2007


Hi All,

As promised, info and answers.
Firstly, Laptop Specs;
Hi-Grade Notino AS7400, Pentium 2, 367mHz, 128Mb ram (it doesn't realize it has another 64Mb onboard) 6Gb hard drive, ATi rage 3D video card. I have removed the network card from it's slot to reduce potential problems.
The distro's I have tried to install are Mandriva One, GNewSense and Ubuntu. Personally, I feel more drawn to Ubuntu. I think I would enjoy Mandriva more but I think I do need a higher spec machine to successfully run that one. I also have OpenSuse 10.2, but it will not even consider loading as it clearly informs me that I do nat have enough memory. 
The Linux Forge mag I have is the April 2007 edition.
The machine does have an external video port, at least it does appear to allow the connecting of a CRT screen(The BIOS also gives a screen select option of LCD or CRT, current setting LCD). I have not tried a CRT for lack of cabling.

Next, a description of the symptoms as displayed, or not displayed, whichever way the cookie may crumble.

I first tried to install Mandriva One, which by the reviews I had read sounded different enough to MSWindows for me to be thoroughly intrigued. I started with a decently formatted and unpartitioned hard disc. I booted from the LXFmag dvd and selected the Mandriva option. This promptly began it's installation, but it was incredibly slow going. (hours, literally) So much so that I put the laptop next to my bed and went to sleep! It is a text only installation as far as I can see, except for when I woke up all groggy one Saturday morning (after sitting watching the screen usefully telling what was "starting/loading/finding........[ok]" until 1 am), and looked at the screen to clearly see the lovely orange Mandriva desktop (I presume) but there was no icon or toolbar or anything indicating a potential next step, all was also silent from the laptops drives, which had intermittently made their little grunting sounds as read/write operations were made before I had hit my pillows. I could get no keyboard response after breakfast so I assumed that nothing was happening and going to happen. I had to use the power off button to restart. I tried again after some coffee and this time paid close attention to the screen, to see if I get asked for any input along the line. I was! But it was for a root password which I had not set up, and couldn't have set up since I had been rock solidly asleep. I decided that Mandriva was probably not suited to my little machine.

I then tried GNewSense, this works very well from the live DVD I received with my LXFmag, as a live DVD. On the desktop there is an install icon, which I double clicked and the Laptops' drives grunted furiously and I was presented with a GUI based installation window which stated that I need to select my installation language, I chose english and selected "forward". I also noted that at the bottom of the window it read "step 1 of 6". I thought at this stage that I had wasted a lot of time the night before and should have done this from the beginning if it only involved 6 steps and was this easy. Step 2 required me to select my city and time zone. I did this and again hit "forward". I was now asked to select the keyboard layout that most suited mine and was even offered a testing area if I wasn't sure. I duly checked " and @(which were swapped around, whether I chose US or British) and selected "foward" again. And this is as far as I get. Step 3, selecting my keyboard layout. And that little round busy mouse pointer icon. I also left this for a good few hours. I could even play some of the games while this all did not happen.The actual laptop itself was not hanging, just the installation. I then though that something must be wrong with the LXFmag DVD, so after more searching on the Net I came across a free Ubuntu CD. I asked for it, it came, I booted it and after checking the live CD works I doubled clicked the Install icon on the desktop. From there all is identical to my description of GNewSense. I open the System Monitor and every process listed is reported as status "sleeping"!! except the System Monitor process, which is duly running. I read through some of your replies and have disabled ACPI on the BIOS, this made no difference. I did however note, just before typing this message, that the BIOS does offer a 'select operating system' option(if I remember the title correctly) I had selected this on "other" and not WIn98 or Win95. There is one more but I failed to check what it offers, so I might try that option next time.(win98 selects ACPI enabled by default, win95 API)

Thank you for the invitation to the next meeting in Horsham, I am seriously considering it, but I will need to check times and transport first. If I haven't turned my laptop into a bathroom mirror by then I could show you how I get stuck, it doesn't take very long, I can do it in under 30 minutes and it is just about as easy as falling down the bus stairwell, which I am also rather good on a rainy day.

Cheers and thank you if you made this far through this incredibly overlong message.

Andre
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