Cannot see screen with new SL Linux install on old laptop

[richum]

Hi,

I have installed Scientific Linux 4.8 (based on RedHat Enterprise 4) on my old Samsung X10 laptop which previously had a working WinXP on it.

Due to a broken screen connector I cannot use my laptop screen so I use a separate monitor connected via a serial link.

The linux install seemed to work fine except now when I boot up I eventually get a screen completely covered with flashing artefacts and I cannot see any desktop like environment. Although in the initial stages of the boot-up I do see white text on a black background zipping by.

I actually saw similar screen artefacts at the beginning of the installation when I chose the 'graphical install mode' (I re-started the install in 'text mode' to see it working).

I will be very pleased if someone can help me fix this as I have been wanting to get into linux for ages and this is my first plunge.

Cheers,

Richard

[ved]

pls send system specification

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...ead-first.html

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

when I boot up I eventually get a screen completely covered with flashing artefacts and I cannot see any desktop like environment.

Press Alt+Ctrl+F1. Does it switch to command line mode and drop at login prompt?
Which Graphics Card do you have?

[richum]

Hi,

I've turned on my laptop. I got the Scientific Linux loading screen (black screen with SL logo at bottom), then the following text (paraphrased quite a bit):

> unzipping Kernel
> RedHat Linux 4.2.1.13
> Initializing hardware...storage network audio done [OK]
> Configuring kernel parameters: [OK]

Screen went completely red and I pressed Ctr-Alt-F1. The black screen came back up with the text above and some new text:

> Loading default keymap (uk): [OK]
> Setting hostname richard: [OK]
> Checking root filesystem
> Remounting root filesystem in read-write mode: [OK]
> No RAID disks
> Setting up Logical Volume Management: [OK]
> Checking filesystems: [OK]
> Mounting local filesystems: [OK]
> Enabling local filesystem quotas: [OK]
> Enabling swap space: [OK]

It seems to have stopped at this point (I've waited about 1hr)

Here my laptop specifications:

Platform / Processor: Intel Centrino / Pentium M ~1.5GHz
Buss speed: 400 MHz
Chipset: Intel 855PM
Cache: 1MB L2 cache
RAM: 1 GB (DDR SDRAM - 266 MHz)
HD: 30 GB (portable)
Storage controller: IDE
Optical Storage: CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo - Integrated
Display: ~14.1" TFT active matrix
Graphics Card: AGP 4x - NVIDIA GeForce4
Network Adapter: Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 LAN MiniPCI Adapters Types 3B
Input: Touchpad, scroll button, keyboard
Ports: 1xSerial, 2xUSB

Thanks for your replies, I look forward to hearing from you,

Rich

[devils casper]

It's a Graphics Card problem only. What happens when you press Alt+Ctrl+F1 ?

[richum]

pressing Alt-Ctr-F1 does nothing now (although it did seem to change screen from red to the text I described before).

I last said it 'stopped' at

> Enabling swap space: [OK]

Now a new line has appeared (I have done nothing in the intervening time):

> INIT: version 2.85 reloading

[richum]

I've decided to do a fresh install from my SL Linux DVD.

After clicking skip on the "do you want to check cd/dvd media" option (as I have ok'd this before and it came out fine) the installer began with the following line of text:

> Running anaconda, the Scientific Linux system installer - please wait...

The screen promptly went to a random array of coloured artefacts. I pressed Alt+Ctr+F1 and the original text screen came up with the following text:

> Probing for video card: NVIDIA GeForce 4 (generic)
> Probing Monitor Type: LCD-MONITOR
> Probing for mouse type: Synaptics - Synaptics Touchpad
> Attempting to start native X server
> Waiting for X server to start...log located in /tmp/X.log
> 1...2...3...4...5...X server started successfully
> Starting graphical installation...

I'm not sure how quick this should work but its stuck at this point for the last 20mins. Is something wrong or is it normal for this to take a long while?

By the way when I click
Alt+Ctr+F2,
or Alt+Ctr+F3,
or Alt+Ctr+F4,
or Alt+Ctr+F7,
or Alt+Ctr+F8,
I see other screens with text information. What am I doing when I click Alt+Ctr+F#? Holding down Alt+Ctr+F7 took me to the same screen of artefacts I saw when I first tried installing in graphical mode.

Richard

[devils casper]

Press any key at startup and GRUB Menu will appear. Boot up in Single User Mode. Login with user_id/password that you created during installation.
Execute this

su -
cd /etc/X11
mv xorg.conf xorg.conf.n
shutdown -r now

[richum]

After the re-install I am getting exactly the same behaviour as described above !!!

I typed any key at boot time and the only boot option is the Scientific Linux I have just installed.

Rich

[devils casper]

Does installation media has any option for Recovery or text mode boot up?

I would suggest you to download PartedMagic LiveCD or USB and boot up from it. Execute fdisk -l command in Terminal of PartedMagic and post output here.