X won't start on Compaq Prolinea 4/66

Forum: X and Fluxbox
Topic: X won't start on Compaq Prolinea 4/66
started by: surfinks

Posted by surfinks on Jan. 08 2004,23:59

I have done a hard drive install on an old Compaq prolinea 4/66. I have not been able to get X to start (I have tried Xvesa and fb). I have tried VGA= just about everything and it still gives me the infamous error message.

modprobe: modprobe: Can't locate module fb0
XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

If I try Xvesa, the screen goes black and I have to reboot.

I could not get X to start booting from CD either, even using fb800x600 at the boot prompt.

The PC has integrated video on the motherboard. I don't know what chipset (I'll take the lid off tonight).

Any ideas?

Bill

Posted by surfinks on Jan. 10 2004,00:11

Just a followup:
The video chipset is TSENG Labs.

Posted by Crotalus on Jan. 21 2004,05:56

Im guessing that your video card cannot support the framebuffer or vga modes. It sounds like you have an EGA card. This is very ancient and if you can get some old VGA card. EGA is good for tyhe command prompt but X wont run. Period. Goto some place where you can get a cheap ISA VGA Card, I've seen computers over at goodwill that didnt work but had some working compents. g/l.

Posted by skaos on Jan. 21 2004,16:18

When you try xvesa, which resolution are you using? It may be that you card is so old that xvesa only supports 640x480@16colours. You could also try crtl+alt+backspace when using xvesa. Normally this should dump you into command line, where you can run 'xvesa -listmodes' to see which modes your card supports.

Posted by skaos on Jan. 21 2004,16:20

Forgot one thing: 16 colours is the same as 4 bit colour.

Posted by hasty on Jan. 22 2004,20:53

Sorry I can't help, but know you are not alone......???

I've been showing off DSL to all my friends on loads of old machines but have suddenly failed with the same error message on a Packard P450 with a Voodoo3 built onto the motherboard. Must be a connection here.

Fortunately I'm used to the command line and the new version with Midnight Commander is excellent, so I could copy stuff from his hard drive

Have done looked at the Knoppix and Kdrive sites, but found no clues so far.

Posted by hasty on Jan. 23 2004,22:56

Bangs head off wall.

Hasty's first law of computing.
Every time you post you discover the answer immediately by yourself.....:(

Entering "knoppix-txt at the boot prompt solved the prob." (Doesn't use the frame buffer at the start)

Surfinks try entering "xmodule=tseng" at the boot prompt.
More info at < http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/CheatCodes >

OT: Global warming and the UK - I saw a very active hedgehog this p.m. they usually hibernate until March !

Posted by surfinks on Jan. 28 2004,00:00

Thanks,

I'll try xmodule=tseng at the boot prompt and let you know what happens.

Bill

Posted by hasty on Jan. 28 2004,22:19

Hasty by name etc....having repented at leisure....

I don't think it will work as John has switched to a new xserver which probably wont take the knoppix cheat codes.

I've come across a similar problem with a radeon9700, while it will boot with Knoppix-txt I can't get the xserver to run.
The same machine runs brilliantly on any of the DSL 0.4.* versions using the older drivers.
Why not download 0.4.8 and try it. Once you get apt-get/synaptic working you can add what you want.

I've looked at the Kdrive site but couldn't find any hints

Posted by surfinks on Feb. 05 2004,20:01

The problem was Knoppix could not autodetect the integrated video. I switched to Debian and manually configured the XF86Config-4 file. Now everything is working.

Bill

Posted by Rapidweather on Feb. 06 2004,00:21

I had one of those blank screen startups too. So I tried vga=normal, and that got me going, so I could work my way down.
-----
I had been told by robert that editing the XF86Config file might not work, since
this is a kdrive setup,or something. I only have Mandrake on this box other than
windows 98 so I could not use the Mandrake XF86Config.
My hd setup of Damn Small is essentially the same as the CDROM live cd version of DSL so I am using the kdrive server.
(here is my setup howto so you can see what I am talking about:)
< http://www.angelfire.com/ms/telegram/general_howto >
Anyway, after I got all my boxes working, I did not
return to the idea of editing my XF86Config file, on robert's advice, he said
it would be ignored on a stock DSL installation. Of course I run "restore" and have MozillaFirebird and a bunch of my own settings and wallpaper.
-----
Since you have done a hard drive install of DSL, does it more closely follow the
Debian standard, ie, allow you to have an X server other than kdrive that is DSL default, such as the SVGA server, or S3 server? And then you could edit
the XF86Config and have it be used by DSL.
-----
A nice card to use with that Compaq is the 2MB S3 Trio 64+. (PCI card)
They are old, but very common, and give me 800x600 at 16 bpp on my Compaq Deskpro 575 in DSL with kdrive.
-----
On Debian, Redhat, Mandrake setups when changes are made to an XF86Config, then you just restart X and the changes either work or don't. I usually do not have X start automatically on Debian 2.2, so I can see what is going on with the X server, when I exit my Window Manager, and return to text mode. I make changes, then "startx" to go again.
---

Posted by Dracul on Feb. 06 2004,07:07

Quote (hasty @ Jan. 23 2004,17:56)

I am having the same problems getting X to work on an IBM ThinkPad 760XL

I have tried all the suggestions mentioned in this string.

Help!