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Topic: 0.8.1.1 booting problems., list of machines involved.

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Rapidweather Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 375
Joined: Jan. 2004

Posted: Sep. 30 2004,22:58

I'm using DSL 0.8.1.1, and have three machines that it will not boot on.
---
My two-processor 200 Mhz pentium pro machine (using it now) works fine.
It's a 686, and will run Redhat 9.
---
Now for the machines that did run DSL 0.6.2, but now cannot run 0.8.1.1:
---
First, a Dell 4600, with P-4 HT, and 1 GB RAM:
DSL stops at:
"Uncompressing Linux... OK, booting the kernel.
This machine ran 0.6.2 perfectly.
---
Second:
Toshiba laptop 4015CDS, with Pentium II, and 160 MB ram:
boots to this point, then quits:
" ACPI Bios Found, activating modules: ac battery button fan processor thermal"
Again this machine ran 0.6.2 just fine, also could run Luit Linux and Feather Linux, two similar distros.
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Third:
An IBM 350-P90, with an upgrade 200 MMX processor, 128 MB ram.
The DSL 0.8.1.1 cd will not boot at all, nothing. Just a small blinking dash
on the screen in the upper left hand corner. This box ran DSL 0.6.2 just
fine, and currently has SuSE linux 6.3 installed on the HD.
---
So, I am reporting this, although I probably need to dig around in the forums
about 0.8.2, as I have seen some mention of it booting better in some cases.
Not sure if it would cure my problems.
---
All of this is probably due to the change in kernel, or perhaps the new boot
system, I suppose. It would seem, therefore, that DSL is beginning to progress
toward the newer machines, rather than continuing to support some of the older boxes, _but_ I note that the Dell 4600 is new, indeed, and has one of the
latest processors and intel motherboards. At 1 GB of ram, it is a natural for the
"toram" boot option that I use on 0.6.2.
--
I did remaster 0.6.2, as seen in my signature, and am currently doing a remaster on 0.8.1.1. With the booting problems, I am wondering if I should proceed to
give copies ot some of my friends here locally to test on Broadband, as they might run into booting problems not anticipated until now. I really did not have any misgivings about passing out CD's with my remaster of 0.6.2, as I had it booting on almost all my machines that had at least 128 MB ram, and a good chance, then, of running DSL properly.
--

--------------
Rapidweather Remaster of DSL:
http://www.angelfire.com/ms/telegram/getting_started.html
Rapidweather Remaster of Knoppix Linux:
http://www.geocities.com/rapidweather/getting_started.html
Screenshots:
http://www.rapidweather.com/linuxcdsales.html

roberts

Group: Members
Posts: 4983
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Sep. 30 2004,23:29

This has been reported. Try 0.8.2 The prior 0.8.1.1 was trying a boot emulation mode, 0.8.2 does not.

Rapidweather Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 375
Joined: Jan. 2004

Posted: Oct. 01 2004,11:23

I'm glad to hear that. I'll get on it.
---

Rapidweather Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 375
Joined: Jan. 2004

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,04:25

I have downloaded a copy of 0.8.2, and tried it on the three machines
mentioned above.
I am sorry to say that it does not boot on any of these three machines.
The Dell P4 has this difference this time:
Two penquins appear, and that is all. This is probably due to the P4 HT processor, I have seen some reports of two penquins representing two processors on that processor because of HT.
--
I do have one machine that continues to work with both DSL 0.8.1.1 and
DSL 0.8.2, the dual-pentium pro machine, that has two 200 MMX processors, with 512 KB level two cache each, and 256 MB ram.
--
Apparently the problem may be elsewhere in the new DSL 8x series, I don't know. All of the machines run 0.6.2 very well, and I have run 0.5.3.1 also, the last DSL that had Wvdial, prior to the new extension
setup for DSL.
---
I am wondering how many others have serious booting problems, and are able to test on a variety of machines.
I have four completely different machines, and DSL 8x only runs on one of them. Two of them completely lock up, and have to be reset (the notebook) or unplugged (the Dell).
---
As mentioned in the prior post, I hesitate to loan out DSL 0.8.2 for testing to others, since it just might not boot for them.
---
We have to remember that a lot of Windows users would like to try
Linux due to the heavy load of security downloads, updates, etc. that
are constantly required by Microsoft. Most of these folks are not technically inclined, they just want the Internet and Email to work for them. I don't want to scare them off by presenting an OS to them that
very well might not boot.
---
Some time ago, there was an article on Slashdot recommending that one
take a "live linux cd" in the computer store, and ask the salesman if you can try it out to see if the various machines can boot linux. We would need a reliable live cd to do that, or we might be turning down perfectly good machines.
---
It's not all bad, though, I'm using DSL 0.8.2 to make this post!
:;):

cbagger01

Group: Members
Posts: 4264
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,14:31

FYI,

Some Dell computers that use the "Intel Extreme" integrated graphics do not work well with Linux.

This is true when running the Xvesa server in DSL or even the XFree86 server in Knoppix.

You may be able to get your XWindows to work nicely, but it seems that upon shutdown and reboot the Video card does not re-initialize and you are left with a black screen.

The only way to get rid of the black screen is to unplug the computer. Even a hard reboot and power off does not re-enable the video card.

This problem is not exclusive to just DSL. Dell has been making improvements to the BIOS for these computers that includes some comments about "improving video card performance for non-Windows operating systems", so it may be possible to solve the problem by downloading the latest BIOS from the Dell web site.

14 replies since Sep. 30 2004,22:58

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