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View Full Version : need video help! installed on hd, blank screen



icoczar
03-06-2004, 12:07 AM
Got it installed to hd and can dual boot (using the knoppix boot manager) knoppix or xp. since i've run knoppix from cd, i knowthe pc can handle it. but now with it installed to the hd, after it boots knoppix and all the stuff loads, i get a monitor out of frequency range type message. the screen goes black and stays black, but I can see the hd being accessed. of course with nothing on the screen, kind of hard to guess what it's doing. what i think i need is for it to boot 800x600, so how do i get it to do that? i say that because on some other live cds if i didn't select that, i got the blank screen. help!!

m_yates
03-06-2004, 03:58 AM
You need to get the correct video setting for your system. It helps to know what video card you have, what video memory, what monitor you have, etc. The video settings are located in /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.

Here are some ways to fix video settings:

1. After the machine finishes booting, type ctrl+alt+F1. You should get a text login prompt. Log in as root. Enter the command "xf86config". Answer the questions about your video hardware and settings, save, and exit. Enter the command "startx". If everything is working, you should see KDE starting. If the screen flashes a couple of times and dumps you back to the text prompt, something still isn't right. Enter "xf86config" again and re-try. A guide for this is here: http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?postid=313121 It is for Slackware Linux, but "xf86config" is the same in Knoppix/Debian.

2. If you can boot the PC with the Knoppix CD and get working video, you can copy the configuration for working video to the hard drive. Just boot the CD, open a console, and enter "su" to become root. Type:


mount /dev/hdaX /mnt/hdaX

Where "X" is the number of the partition with your Linux install. Then type:


cp /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 /mnt/hdaX/etc/X11/XF86Config-4

reboot, remove the CD, and try the new settings.

Hope that helps.

icoczar
03-06-2004, 05:39 PM
thanks got it to go. tried your suggestions, but it wouldn' t go. tehn saw something in x86 about ctrl+alt++ or +bacckspace. did that, got in, and tthen set it. how do i get that knpix user off the login?

m_yates
03-06-2004, 10:11 PM
There is a program called "kuser" that you can use to add or delete users. It is under system menu. You can also start it from the command line using the command "kuser".

icoczar
03-06-2004, 11:03 PM
thanks. now if only i could get the dwl-122 wireless usb adapter to work, I'd be done.