Video problem with 7.2.0

[dataworx22]

I've been happily running Knoppix 6.7.1 off a USB stick for some time now and decided to upgrade to 7.2.0

Everything works just the same as 6.7.1, with the bonus that 7.2.0 now recognizes my iPhone so I can manipulate songs and photos. The problem is that after a period of use, typically browsing, the display (Acer Aspire 5520) starts producing strange artifacts and menus etc become hidden/unusable. Eventually I have to force a shutdown. This has happened three times in the last few hours.

When I boot to 6.7.1 again the display works as expected and does not degenerate so there has to be some difference in the two versions that is causing this behavior. Can someone here help to resolve this issue?

[dataworx22]

Unable to edit original post, so I'll continue here. I've searched for more information on this, the best I can come up with is that i need to install the nVidia GeForce drivers to resolve the issue. Is it likely that this will provide a solution: ie can one of the members with more insight into the differences between 6.7.1 and 7.2.0 be able to verify that it is likely a driver problem?

I note also that the driver install also necessitates re-compiling the kernel - is this really practical or should I just go back to 6.7.1?

[klaus2008]

Hi,

you forgot to tell us what graphics chipset your Acer Aspire 5520 uses.

If you decide to use the nVidia drivers you do not need to recompile the kernel but you need the kernel header files because you have to build a kernel module.

[dataworx22]

Klaus, the information at hand is:

nVidia GeForce 8400MG 128MB

Is that sufficient and could you direct me to information on where to source kernel header files to build a kernel module? In fact I'll need a fairly comprehensive tutorial since this is all new ground to me.

[klaus2008]

The kernel header files are included in Knoppix 7.2.0.

At NVIDIA's website you can find out that your graphics adapter is supported by the Linux driver 325.15. This driver is available in the experimental branch of the Debian distribution.

I will describe how I managed to install the nVidia driver under Knoppix 7.2.0 (CD version on a USB stick with 4 GB persistent store).
After boot up I established a connection to the internet and opened an LXTerminal. I issued the following commands in order to update the list of available packages and to download and install the nvidia-driver plus the configuration tools.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -t experimental install nvidia-driver nvidia-settings nvidia-xconfig nvidia-kernel-dkms
sudo reboot
When the Knoppix boot screen showed up I quickly pressed the 'k' key and entered the following line at the boot prompt.
knoppix xmodule=nvidia 2 Then I pressed the enter key. The system booted up into a shell where I issued
nvidia-xconfig
init 5 The usual desktop appeared and I used the nVidia tool in the settings section of the menu to examine the system.

The next time I booted Knoppix 7.2 from that USB stick I did not have to use any cheat codes.

I hope your system will work more stable and usable.

[dataworx22]

Thanks very much for this Klaus, I will try a little later and let you know how it went...

[dataworx22]

The kernel header files are included in Knoppix 7.2.0.

At NVIDIA's website you can find out that your graphics adapter is supported by the Linux driver 325.15. This driver is available in the experimental branch of the Debian distribution.

I will describe how I managed to install the nVidia driver under Knoppix 7.2.0 (CD version on a USB stick with 4 GB persistent store).
After boot up I established a connection to the internet and opened an LXTerminal. I issued the following commands in order to update the list of available packages and to download and install the nvidia-driver plus the configuration tools.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -t experimental install nvidia-driver nvidia-settings nvidia-xconfig nvidia-kernel-dkms
sudo reboot
When the Knoppix boot screen showed up I quickly pressed the 'k' key and entered the following line at the boot prompt.
knoppix xmodule=nvidia 2 Then I pressed the enter key. The system booted up into a shell where I issued
nvidia-xconfig
init 5 The usual desktop appeared and I used the nVidia tool in the settings section of the menu to examine the system.

The next time I booted Knoppix 7.2 from that USB stick I did not have to use any cheat codes.

I hope your system will work more stable and usable.

I copy/pasted the code to terminal, it proceeded as expected but before the machine rebooted I was prompted for a reply, result was the following;

/snip
After this operation, 78.5 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y
Abort.
knoppix@Microknoppix:~$

I assume this is not the desired result so I'll wait for further instructions

EDIT: I've just tried this again but just hit enter after the prompt (no Y) and it is now proceeding...

[klaus2008]

I am not sure what happened.

Did you issue "sudo apt-get update" and waited until the list was updated?

Did you issue "sudo apt-get -t experimental install nvidia-driver nvidia-settings nvidia-xconfig nvidia-kernel-dkms", answered the question(s) and waited until the download and installation of packages finished?

[dataworx22]

I issued "sudo apt-get update" and waited until the list was updated.

I then issued "sudo apt-get -t experimental install nvidia-driver nvidia-settings nvidia-xconfig nvidia-kernel-dkms", answered the question(s) with lower case 'y' (no quote marks) and got the abort message.

Restarted the machine, went through the same process but suspected that the required answer may be case-conscious so answered the question with capital 'Y' and still got the abort message. That's when I posted the problem.

The third time I followed the same procedure but just hit the enter key instead of 'y' or 'Y' and the download went ahead.

Beats me.

But anyway, it's now installed, I followed the rest of your instructions and the machine boots to desktop, but more problems have arisen:

From the desktop I was able to modify the syslinux.cfg file to fix the time variance. Clicking on the Iceweasel icon to launch the browser resulted in the machine freezing ie. desktop display remained normal but the bowser did not launch, the only thing working was mouse pointer movement, no left click or right click on anything was working. The only way out is to force a power down.

[dataworx22]

To follow on from previous post, I've forcibly restarted the machine a few times to test - basically, once the machine has booted to desktop, clicking on or attempting to launch most applications, including System Information, IceWeasel etc cause an immediate and irreversible freeze.

[klaus2008]

It is not obvious why your system freezes.
Have you already tried the cheat codes 'no3d' or '3d'?

[dataworx22]

Thanks for your time Klaus.

I have tried with cheat code 'knoppix no3d', the machine now stops during boot with error

'grep: /etc/x11/xorg.conf: Input/output error

I think, to avoid wasting your time, I will start from a fresh install and follow your instructions again to install the nVidia driver and see what happens.

I should mention that I use the ADRIANE-KNOPPIX_V7.2.0g-CD-2013-07-28=EN ISO in case this has any bearing on the matter.

[dataworx22]

Here are some screenshots that I took yesterday, before installing the nVidia driver:

193194195196

[dataworx22]

So just to update this, I have done a fresh install of the 7.2.0 ISO onto two different USB sticks, just to rule out possible USB stick issues. Both installations have failed after a few minutes - the screen images deteriorate and the OS becomes unusable. I am now back to using a fresh install of 6.7.1 on one of these same USB sticks and it's been working fine for the last hour or so. Below are a couple of photos of what happens to the screen:

197198

[dataworx22]

I still have not resolved this issue with my limited Linux experience. I have tested now three times with a fresh install, the results are as follows:

Fresh install, no cheat codes, no additional drivers: Screen image deteriorates after a while (variable) and machine has to be rebooted.
Fresh install, no cheat codes, appropriate nVidia drivers installed: Machine freezes after a short while and has to be rebooted.
Fresh install, no3d cheat code: running fine, uptime several hours now.

The no3d code is what Klaus suggested previously, I tried it after I'd already had some issues with the same install and it didn't work out. It seems to work fine when used with a fresh install.

[Werner P. Schulz]

Did you ever tested the md5sum (=> Test the ISO) of your download and/or the integrity of your DVD/CD and of your flash install with the cheatcode (http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes) "knoppix testcd"?

[dataworx22]

Did you ever tested the md5sum (=> Test the ISO) of your download and/or the integrity of your DVD/CD and of your flash install with the cheatcode (http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes) "knoppix testcd"?

I tested the md5sum after downloaf, it was good. I have just run cheatcode "knoppix testcd".the system reports "All files OK".

[dataworx22]

Also for further information: In the last few days I had the opportunity to test the following distros, some of which also gave problems with screen display on the same machine:

Peppermint 4
Ubuntu 12.04 screen also deteriorates, no solution found
Bodhi 2.4
Slax 7.0.8
Porteus 2.1 screen also deteriorates, still trying to resolve it

I think my best solution is to get another laptop without nVidia card :)

[dataworx22]

I found what appears to be the appropriate driver, but I have no idea how to install a .run file to the system or indeed whether it is likely to be compatible.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_ia32_100.14.09.html

Can one of the more experienced members assist?

[Werner P. Schulz]

Didn't you read "Step 3: Install"?

Use the root-terminal, change with "cd" to the folder with your download and type "sh NVI" [TAB][ENTER]. [TAB] will autocomplete the packagename.

[dataworx22]

Didn't you read "Step 3: Install"? Use the root-terminal, change with "cd" to the folder with your download and type "sh NVI" [TAB][ENTER]. [TAB] will autocomplete the packagename. Thanks for your help Werner. I read "Step 3: Install" but it presupposes that I will know that I have to perform the steps that you outline here. I have followed your instruction to the point where I am instructed to stop the X server before the install can continue. Again, I don't have this knowledge and it seems that any instruction I find WRT to stopping the X server either also presupposes some prior step or is applicable to a distro other than Knoppix. So I'm snookered again.

[dataworx22]

I've managed to get to runlevel 3 by changing inittab, the Nvidia installation now starts but then stops when wanting to download kernel headers or such. At that stage my machine has not yet connected to wifi so the installation stalls, so I need a way to get to runlevel 3 without having to reboot which kills my wifi.

[klaus2008]

As you have seen before the kernel include files for the Knoppix 7.2.0 kernel are present on the CD edition otherwise you would not have been able to compile and install the current driver from the experimental repository.

The driver you found at NVIDIA's website is many years old. There were many improvements and changes in the kernel include files since then. Therefore I would not expect the old driver to be compatible with today's Linux kernels.

It is possible to execute the .run file with the option '--help' or '-h -A'. This will show you a list of options you could try out. Since it is a long list you should use an LXTerminal with scroll bars.

[dataworx22]

As you have seen before the kernel include files for the Knoppix 7.2.0 kernel are present on the CD edition otherwise you would not have been able to compile and install the current driver from the experimental repository. The driver you found at NVIDIA's website is many years old. There were many improvements and changes in the kernel include files since then. Therefore I would not expect the old driver to be compatible with today's Linux kernels. It is possible to execute the .run file with the option '--help' or '-h -A'. This will show you a list of options you could try out. Since it is a long list you should use an LXTerminal with scroll bars. Thank you very much for your interest and assistance Klaus. The system is stable with cheatcode 'no3d' so I think I'll leave it at that.

[Mr_Intensity]

Thank you very much for your interest and assistance Klaus. The system is stable with cheatcode 'no3d' so I think I'll leave it at that.

dataworx22, are you typing in the no3d cheatcode every time you boot? If so, there is a way to make the cheatcode permanent, so you don't need to type it in.

It involves editing the file /mnt-system/boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg. Details are here under "Micro Remastering": http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes#Micro-Remastering

You will skip the DEFAULT part (you are already defaulting to knoppix), and add the no3d cheatcode to the APPEND line under the knoppix LABEL. The details are in the URL I gave.

Good luck.

[Werner P. Schulz]

Did you read the date of the posting you've answered?