Mandrake 8.0 - Screen

[Robert Dege]

Perhaps a more dossile approach.  Instead of booting to single user, and
then modifying the inittab, just boot to init 3:

LILO: linux init 3

This will give you the same affect, but will revert to init 5 once you're
fixed the XWindows problem.

The place to start looking would be ther /etc/X11 directory.  That's where
XWindows config information is located.

/etx/X11/X is a soft link that points to the X11 Driver used by XWindows
(think of it as the Video Driver as per Windows).  You can start by
repointing it to the SVGA driver (you might have to install that rpm).

Another thing to do is check out the XF86Config file (or XF86Config-4 for
XFree 4.x)  At the bottom of the file, you'll find various color depths &
resolution settings specific to the video card used.

There is a section for VGA, SVGA, and accel.  Try bumping down the
resolution, and/or color depth.


Hope this helps

-Rob



> if you start getting the "40 40 ..." when the X server starts up, after
> all the other services startup, you'll want to boot into single user
> mode and disable the graphical startup.
>
> from the lilo prompt type boot single <CR>, this will boot into single
> user. once you're in single user mode make sure the root filesystem is
> in read-write mode,
> mount -o rw,remount / . the /etc/inittab file controls what run level
> that system boots to, runlevel 5 is the GUI. backup this file, cp
> /etc/inittab /etc/inittab.orig. the line in the file that reads
> id:5:initdefault: should be changed to id:3:initdefault:
>
> save these changes and reboot the machine. when the machine comes back
> up again you probable want to reconfigure the /etc/X11/XF86Config file.
> either hack it by hand, or you can use xf86config, Xconfigurator (this
> is a redhat tool, but mandrake is a basicly redhat).
>
> enjoy
> darin
>
> Lasse Saarinen wrote:
> >
> > At which point does this happen? Before or after X starts up?
> > Also, what graphics card(s) have you tried, and what installation method are
> > you using? It could be just that Mandrake installation is picking the wrong X
> > server for you. If 7.1 worked for you, you might get it working with 8.0 by
> > picking XFree 3.x and trying out different settings.
> >
> >         - Lasse
> >
> > WM wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > I installed Mandrake and get " 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 " painted across
> > > my screen after I install and then reboot (startx starts automatically).  I
> > > have swapped the monitor out and graphics cards out with no difference.
> > > Also, I have tried 4.x and 3.x  XFree....   same effect.   I don't believe
> > > it is my monitor or graphics card.  They worked fine with Mandrake 7.1.
> > > Anyone have an idea of where to go from here?  Other than back to Mandrake
> > > 7.1.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Wayne
>
> --
> Darin Perusich
> Unix Administrator
> Cognigen Corp.
> darinper at cognigencorp.com
>



Dege

Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but
they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.