Bug#229904: installation-reports: notebook screen problems
On Tue, Jan 27, 2004 at 02:26:21PM +0100, Christian Perrier wrote: > Quoting A Mennucc1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED]): > > > another option is to dump the whole vga/framebuffer idea: > > the normal Debian kernel that does not use vga/framebuffer has never > > given me any problem on any PC (and I have strange PCs) > > This is because you use an ISO-8859-1 based language...:-) I get the point completely > Of course, your other suggestions are a good idea, imho. We probably > need to better document "special" boot options. on the other hand, I forgot to tell that: when I press F4 at the bootloader prompt, it suggests the option "video:vga16:off" but that is useless instead, the suggestion "vga=771" may be added both to the F4 menu and to the ERRATA page (in the debian-installer web page) bye and anyway congratulations on the good work: debian-installer rocks -- Andrea Mennucc "one houndred and fifty - the chicken sings" -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#229904: installation-reports: notebook screen problems
Package: installation-reports Version: N/A; reported 2004-01-27 Severity: grave Justification: renders package unusable Debian-installer-version: beta 1 Machine: notebooks hi when trying to install on notebooks, it happens that the video is unreadable, because it wraps to the bottom, and some lines are lost I have encounterered the problem, as reported in http://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2004/debian-boot-200401/msg02507.html but other people noted this, as in http://lists.debian.org/debian-laptop/2003/debian-laptop-200308/msg00401.html the origin of the problem seems to be that: the bootloader passes "vga=normal" (I found it in /cdrom/isolinux/isolinux.cfg) whereas there are other options that work better: I was lucky with vga=771 (that is what knoppix uses), some other people with vga=791 another option is to dump the whole vga/framebuffer idea: the normal Debian kernel that does not use vga/framebuffer has never given me any problem on any PC (and I have strange PCs) a. -- System Information Debian Release: 3.0 Architecture: i386 Kernel: Linux tonelli 2.4.24-se1-k7 #1 Sun Jan 11 18:46:51 CET 2004 i686 Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C -- Andrea Mennucc "one houndred and fifty - the chicken sings" -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: debian-installer status report
On Fri, Dec 12, 2003 at 02:19:24PM -0500, Joey Hess wrote: > In case you've not heard of it, debian-installer is the next-generation > Debian installation system that is targeted to be the installer for > sarge. Its home page: http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer > This is a periodic status report. I went to the above page to download the beta-1 to try it , but the links are broken the whole http://gluck.debian.org/cdimage/testing/netinst/ is non-existent a. -- Andrea Mennucc "one houndred and fifty - the chicken sings" -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
tried sarge-i386-netinst
hi I downloaded http://gluck.debian.org/cdimage/testing/netinst/i386/sarge-i386-netinst.iso from http://people.debian.org/~mbc/di.html a week ago; today I tried it. I was trying to install sarge inside a big /scratch partition (no partitioning and no mkfs were needed) in a PC were I already have Debian. The PC is at home, where no network (decent) connection is available. Here is what happened (note: what follows is approximate, because I took brief paper sketches) -- I booted the the CD, allright, and were confronted with first menu, asking for langagues and keyboards; but, when I tried to change the kb, I saw the error 'segmentation fault kdb-choose's postinst exit statu 35584' then I went to "load installer modules" and I loaded console-keymaps-at then I said "go on" then it switched to a more complex menu I chose US keyboard. then "detect CDROM $ mount" then "detect network" -> and I found it impossible to do "go back" so I hitted "detect DHCP" and after a while ctrl-c then "load installer modules" -> "cdrom retrieval" then "detect hardware" then "configure partitions & mount" and I choosed a partition ( which is /scratch in my current Debian everyday life) as / ; but when I hit "finalize" I was confronted with a terrifing message, saying "will destroy all data you have assigned filesystems to" so I gave up so I went to the option "Mount/Umount (OLD)" and mounted it manually (and here again "go back" does not work) but then I could not understand which is the right way to install the base system from the CDROM I tried "mount the CDROM" and "choose a mirror" a few times, with no good effect: I was only given the choice of using an external network mirror a. --- Summary on the whole, I am missing a feature of the old boot-floppies menu: the menu would each time automatically select a sensible choice for the next task to be done; this is not the case with debian-installer; so the d-i seems a bit more difficult (and would probably be a bit scary for the lee-user); IMHO it would be important to have a "advanced mode" and a "basic mode", and , in "basic mode", only show the (very few) options that the user may most probably need to select at each given step of installation another thing that I noticed is that in many cases the option "go back" is not usable 3rd: the message "will destroy all data you have assigned filesystems to" is too scary, and should be replaced with something more informative such as "will destroy data in partition(s) and will write data in partitions..." a. -- Andrea Mennucc "E' un mondo difficile. Che vita intensa!" (Tonino Carotone) pgp0.pgp Description: PGP signature
I tested the latest boot disks
hi preface: I am a debian developer; I was needing an extra X box (=small PC running X for connecting to another host), and I had an old pentium with a 200Mb hard disk spare I have a small testing mirror here; so I downloaded the latest boot disks for woody, and tried to install using just the rescue and root disk, and my mirror ...and here is the captain's log ... SHORT VERSION --boot disks yes: it really does install from the network using just two floppies; but, the mirror must contain a Release file, and my mirror does not (this is bug #100623 for apt-move) so I have used an official mirror. BTW I have created a CD using debian-cd and the CD does not contain the file Release either... I wonder if I could use it to install a Debian system from scratch! then I reboot into my new system and go on with: --base config when I chose 'edit the sources list'... (I wanted to add my personal small debian mirror) I found myself in 'vi' . THIS IS EVIL. why cant I use 'nano'? So here is a nice suggestion: first time the user needs to edit something, the menu configuration should ask 'what do you want to use as a simple editor for text files? vi (for long time hackers)? nano(for normal people)?' and then remember the answer (maybe setting a dpkg-alternative) I also found I could not install kernel-image-2.4.14-586 since it needs initrd which needs cpio which conflicts (?!?!) with tar I am now writing this e-mail using my new X box; there is another small glitch: for some strange reason, the backspace key is acting as a delete key; but I hope I will fix it soon LONG VERSION - me and dbootstrap, that is, me using the boot disks I write the rescue and root disks from images-1.44/compact, and I test them with 'dd if=/dev/fd0 | cmp - file' I succesfully boot the kernel (the penguin logo is cool but I would suggest not to use it: the vga framebuffer mode has problems on some PCs!) I cannot load the root disk: I reformat it and rewrite it (I hate floppies); I think that 'floppy disks are not reliable' should be written in size 48 in the documentation. I reboot the recue disk this time the root disk is ok I initialize the swap on /dev/hda1 and the root on /dev/hda2 I initialize the network using dhcp, and it works (COOOL!) I load the drivers.tgz file using 'network' and my http mirror (CL!) dbootstrap suggests that I should maybe configure my drivers. For me this is, was, and ever will be a pain in the a** of the Debian installing. I never truly understood what I should do at this point. I know that my ethernet card is a "3Com 3c590" and the compact linux kernel has autodetected it... so, do I need to do anything? will it be autodetected again at reboot? heaven knows. I step forward I install the base system: I choose 'network': I see a message asking to testers to install 'testing': the next screen asks for the release to install (actually this other screen suggests to use 'stable' but then stable is not even in the list :-) so) I indeed choose 'testing' I enter the right URL to my mirror my mirror does not contain the 'Release' file; this is bug #100623 for apt-move; so I try to download it; but no it does not work this way, the 'Release' file contains md5sums of the Packages files. So I point dbootstrap to an official mirror the base package is correctly installed, so I install lilo and reboot --- me and the base configuration ok the base configuration is a breeze: local time, shadow passwords, I know all of them then it asks me the Debian mirror to use: I choose the nearest one by using the menus (COOL!) then I want to add my personal small debian mirror, (for speed sake: it sits right here) so I choose 'edit the sources list'... and I find myself in 'vi' . THIS IS EVIL. I hate vi and have big problems using it. Why is vi the default at this step? why cant I use 'nano' or 'aee'? So here is a nice suggestion: first time the user needs to edit something, the menu configuration should ask 'what do you want to use as a simple editor for text files? vi (for long time hackers)? nano(for normal people)?' and then remember the answer (maybe setting a dpkg-alternative) then I run tasksel but there is no task for 'very simple X server' so I run dselect; for some reasons, the default is to install also the whole gcc and gcc3-0 family, so I tell to dinstall 'forget it' (yes, I do talk to programs sometime) I install a few programs; I wonder if gpm may have a better interface for configuring it (it is not very user friendly): maybe using mdetect? I find I cannot install kernel-image-2.4.14-586 since it needs initrd which needs cpio which conflicts (?!?!) with tar I install the xserver-xfree86 but it does not support my S3 card I install xserver-s3 (thanks B.R. for having that in testing) some usual problems with resolutions and mouse I am now writing this e-mail using my new X box; for some strange reason, the backspace key is acting as
Re: testing CD that boots
hi I would like to make a CD of testing that boots, and to use it to install a PC; and I would like to use (and test) the latest boot method I have already installed debian-cd and used it many times in the past (I once made some bootable CD of potato) I have downloaded http://people.debian.org/~aph/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-i386/3.0.17-2001-11-13/ but I dont see , nor the base disks, neither the base.tgz do I need them ? if yes, where do I find them? also: do I need to put in the CD all the above URL? or, can I skip some subdirectories? btw: I think that we should put the answer to above question in some documentation file... a. On Wed, Nov 21, 2001 at 04:37:37PM +0100, Falk Hueffner wrote: > A Mennucc1 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > I have a local testing repository and I periodically make CDs out of > > it, using debian-cd > > > > I would like to make a CD that boots, and to use it to install a PC; > > and to use (and test) the latest boot method > > > > what should I do? > > Install the debian-cd package or check out debian-cd from CVS. > -- A Mennucc "È un mondo difficile. Che vita intensa!" (Renato Carotone) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
testing CD that boots
hi I have a local testing repository and I periodically make CDs out of it, using debian-cd I would like to make a CD that boots, and to use it to install a PC; and to use (and test) the latest boot method what should I do? (please CC to me) thanks a. -- A Mennucc "È un mondo difficile. Che vita intensa!" (Renato Carotone) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
