Toshiba M60 assistance required...

[phopepgr]

I am new to Linux, and would really appreciate any help on this... I am trying to run Knoppix live (cd version 4.0.2), but inevitably end up with either a black screen or the message,"No suitable xserver for your card". I have read and re-read the FAQ, tried numerous cheat codes, searched this forum and many links provided in it, and enlisted the help of an experienced Linux user; still, the error persists.

The cd is good - I've tested it successfully in 2 other laptops and 1 desktop.

Relevant specs of my M60:

17" WXGA, supports 1400x900, 1024x768, 800x600, refresh rate: 60
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator, 128Mb shared video memory.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Ed

[ckamin]

unfortunately, the issue may be your hardware. 128Meg of total ram might not be enough to run Knoppix in KDE mode. If it is shared with the integrated video, it will be diminished by whatever the bios is set to provide. Using a cheatcode like desktop=icewm will bring Knoppix up in an environment with less overhead. Also the Intel Integrated graphics can be a real pain too. Sometimes it plays well with Linux, and sometimes not. Look in the Documentation section under the "Documentation" link at the top of this page for a listing of cheatcodes. Something like xmodule=i810 might work well. Also you might experience some issues with the screen resolution. It just may not be something that you can resolve, other than trying a few other distros. Ubunto, Kanotix, Mandriva one, Linspire, Slax, etc sometimes handle hardware differently or use different solutions. Try something else if you feel you have exhausted your efforts with Knoppix. The next release or a previous one might work better than the one you are attempting to use.

[phopepgr]

Just to clarify, I have 1GB of ram installed; the 128mb is shared video memory.

Thanks for replying. I'm going to try the cheat you suggested and keep my fingers crossed.

Ed

[phopepgr]

Thought I would update this thread in the event any other M60 users read this. Unfortunately, I never was able to get Knoppix up and running. Eventually, however, I found SuSE (http://en.opensuse.org/Released_Versionurl) and downloaded the dvd vesion. This product installed flawlessly, found all connected hardware including wireless, and even supports my 1400x900 screen resolution. It even resized my hard drive partitions with no errors. This is not intended as a criticism of Knoppix; rather, to let others know there are alternatives when one flavour of linux is not working on your machine. Incidently, Knoppix was not the only version not to install. I had a similar problem with Ubunto.

Ed

[Harry Kuhman]

Incidently, Knoppix was not the only version not to install.
Many of us who habe been hare any length of time do not believe that Knoppix is suitable for installing, although it usually makes a good Live CD.

[slam666]

I also have a M60 laptop and xwindow would not start. It is probably a driver problem. Hope someone find a fix for it. I am using knoppix 5.0.1

[ckamin]

slam666:

You might want to look at the Suse 10.1 Live DVD. http://en.opensuse.org/Download

[slam666]

Was able to start xwindow with cheat xmodule=fbdev

[ckamin]

slam666:

Usually some cheatcode or sequence of cheatcodes will do the trick. It just requires a little perseverence to sort them out. After a while, you can get fairly proficient with them. I have one laptop that defies all logic, but it will boot each time, just with certain issues. Some cheatcodes fix one issue, just to have another pop up. I'm sure I will get it sorted out eventually, but it runs fine with the Suse 10.1 Live DVD and earlier Knoppix versions. Suse seems a little more "laptop friendly" and has done well for many of my Linux laptop projects.

Glad to see you stuck with it and found a resolution.