Debian install issues.

**Social Burn** · 06-23-2005

Alright, I took the suggestions and decided to give Debian a shot.

I first loaded into the default graphical display manager (I assume it's a hacked version of GDM) and the screen began to flicker after playing around in the themes menu. The display manager crashed, and to my amazement, Debian picked right up and said, "Hey, it appears this is crashing, let's try another." and corrected the issue in a matter of seconds.

I'm running GNOME and I'm amazed at the speed of Debian (especially since my kernel is bloated to all hell with loads of daemons I set to load at boot cause I'm a dumbass).

Anywho, everything seems to work, except for sound. I think this was user installation error, however I'm not really sure how to go back to that part of the setup. Debian doesn't seem to detect my onboard AC'97 sound (nVidia nForce 3 chipset) which is odd because I've never seen a Linux distro not detect it, as it's pretty common. I can't get to any mixer utilities because apparently the mixer device can't be found.

I'm thinking about reinstalling. Everything works fine but I'm somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to the way my system runs. I vaguely remember a part in the install where it asked what daemon I wanted to use for sound, the selections being auto, esd, and realdplay maybe? The default selection was "none," so I chose "auto." *kicks self in ass*

Help?

**jens** · 06-23-2005

As far as I know it doesn't work out of the box with any debian-based distro.
It's also doesn't work with OSS

So basically, you have to rebuid your kernel with ALSA(or apt-get the modules) and via8233 support.

**Social Burn** · 06-23-2005

Ubuntu uses it fine.

It's worked fine for me (with OSS) under Slack10.1/10.0.

**ToastedToad** · 06-23-2005

Works fine for me also. Have you installed and configured alsa? Do system sounds work? Go into systems>preferences>multimedia systems selector, and find an output that works. If it doesn't then we can go from there.

**Nihilanth** · 06-23-2005

You probably just need to install alsa.

**dylunio** · 06-23-2005

You might also need to add suport for the card in the kernel, in the kernel menuconfig it is Device Drivers -> Sound -> ALSA -> PCI iirc and add suport for the chipset, before recompileing the kernel.

**Social Burn** · 06-23-2005

I'm running into all kinds of issues now.

I reinstalled shortly after I made this post.

My mouse quit working seemed like everytime after it went into "hibernate."

Issues I'm having now:

I haven't been able to get my preferred resolution (1280x1024) since the first install attempt. I'm not even seeing any of the installation steps that I saw the first time. Ie, it's not even asking me anything about sound configuration now. Furthermore, I've also not even been able to get into X since the first attempt. I've tried using the NV and vesa drivers, and I've also managed to spend hours in front of xfree86config and xfree86cfg. Nothing. The only progress I got was making the xfree86cfg application to run at 1280x1024. I haven't been able to get my mouse to work whatsoever, it's asking me during the install to either autodetect the mouse or to choose the device myself. I've tried both. I've done autoconfiguration twice now and got the original results; the mouse would work up until it went into hibernate. When I do it the other way it doesn't work at all. I chose /dev/input/mice as my mouse port and nothing.

I have a Logitech MX1000 USB mouse. What boggles me about this is when I initially boot the kernel via the installation disc it actually detects it and even tells me it recognizes it as a USB mouse.

Furthermore, I'm also having keyboard issues which makes modifying anything via the console a pain in the ass. I'm using a Logitech iTouch Desktop keyboard. I've even ran xfree86config and chose that EXACT keyboard in the setup. It's number 64.

My keyboard forces me to switch "modes" between all the top function keys. So to switch consoles I have to hit a button which puts it in a different mode, and then in order to go into insert/replace mode in VI I have to do it again. When I do this I get sputtered echo (which usually makes no sense) which ends up obsfugating into the text I'm looking at on screen, thus forcing me to close VI and try to "trick" it into working.

*phew*

I'm currently running on an Ubuntu Live CD.

To shorten that novel down, here are my problems:

- Mouse either doesn't work at all or quits working after hibernate
- Keyboard works, however all special function keys that I require to actually be able to fix stuff creates obsfugated echo in whatever is being displayed on the screen
- I've got X to start twice out of maybe 4-5 different installations. The first one went perfectly, 1280x1024 resolution and all. The second was restricted to 800x600. The installer isn't asking me all the questions it did before, or I'm just being dumb and choosing the wrong driver (although vesa and nv should work with my fx5200).
- Sound. My sound isn't being detected at all it appears. I've tried both the default 2.4 Debian kernel and the 2.6 kernel (which I didn't get to actually test the sound on honestly).

I think maybe I might have chosen the Expert or Advanced features for my first install. I'm not sure though. Either way, whatever I did the first time through, the only problems I had was my mouse dying after hibernate and my sound.

PS: ToastedToad: I've tried that. There is absolutely NO mixer device. In the first install I was asked what I wanted to use for /dev/dsp, I chose "auto." I haven't gotten this question since that install, it's buggering the hell out of me.

Is there any way I can re-run various parts of setup? base-config just doesn't cut it. I'd like to be able to re-run certain parts of configuration without having to reinstall (as net install takes abit of time).

Kinda like /var/adm/setup in Slackware?

**ToastedToad** · 06-23-2005

This will give you some good information, if you haven't already read it.

http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.i386/index.html

Some X-server info

http://necrotic.deadbeast.net/xsf/XF...ocal/FAQ.xhtml

Are you reformatting every time you re-install? Also, are you running the Logitech Elite Keyboard with iTouch? Is is cordless?

**Social Burn** · 06-23-2005

Yes, I've been reinstalling every single time. Such a pain. I'm not really sure how to get back to various parts of the setup process. In Slackware you have /var/adm/setup, which is more than sufficient.

Okay after reinstalling it seems the following issues have been corrected:

- X is working. Restricted to 800x600 using the nv driver.
- Mouse seems to work.
- Still no sound.

The keyboard is not cordless.

**Social Burn** · 06-23-2005

Nevermind, mouse died again.

Thread Tools

Display

Debian install issues.

Posting Permissions