Description of problem: Redhat version 8 linux install CD 1 crashes in graphics installation mode with Asus A7N266-VM motherboard. This motherboard has integrated video, sound, and ethernet. The problem occurs right after the video hardware and monitor are detected...I think at the point when the installer tries to start xwindows. At this point the screen goes uniformely gray and will stay that way forever. The installer detects the graphics hardware as nVidia GeForce 2 MX (generic). The board docs list the graphics hardware as nVidia 220D GeForce MX, which is not listed as an option in the text install. I suspect that Redhat 8 is trying to load the wrong video driver for this board, and crashes. I am no linux expert, but I was able to specify "linux text" and complete the install, and then boot the install from diskette successfully in text mode. There is another problem, which is that I can't seem to get the text upgrade option to work...it encounters an unexpected error...so let me know if you want me to put this in as a separate bug. I have the dump file for that one. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Redhat Linux Ver 8 install CD 1 How reproducible: Attempt install of Redhat version 8 from CD. Steps to Reproduce: 1. boot up Redhat linux install CD 1 2. get past blue screen for "media check" 3. installer detects video as "nVidia GeForce 2 MX (generic" 4. installer is not able to detect monitor (Envision is not in Redhat's list, seemingly) 5. installer goes down a couple more text lines to a point where it says something to the effect of "starting X windows" 6. at this point screen goes flat gray, CD drive stops 30 secs later, and the PC is dead in the water. Actual results: dead PC moments into install Expected results: successful install process from CDs in graphics mode Additional info: There are no cards on the PC but the motherboard. The BIOS is pretty much the default values. WIN2000 was easily and successfully installed on this motherboard in exactly the same hardware configuration, but it did need the Asus drivers for the integrated hardware. Asus has no drivers for linux except source for the sound card. 512 meg of 266 memory. Athlon 1.5 ghz processor.
If you boot with 'linux text' does the installer properly go into text mode?
yes...the option "linux text" allowed me to install Redhat, although there were a couple of glitches, I managed to complete the install. However, I still can't do a "startx" as the graphics system is not set up....it's a catch 22, as I need to install in graphical mode to have Redhat set up graphical mode. I tried other options to install in graphical mode, such as "noprobe", but Redhat unilaterally insisted on loading the monitor driver it selected, and starting up x windows...leading to a crash every time.
If you install with 'linux text' and make sure to install the X Windows system (do a Personal Desktop install, for example). Then when you reboot X probably doesn't work. Then you can login as root on a console and run 'redhat-config-xfree86'. If this tool does not configure your system properly let me know.
I have already tried 'redhat-config-xfree86' after installing via text mode. It crashes the system in the same manner as the installer...that's the problem...any attempt to bring up graphical mode crashes the system because Redhat installs what seems to be the wrong video driver. It's a catch 22...'redhat-config-xfree86' has to come up in graphical mode to configure, but it crashes the system, so you can't configure. The are really two issues being discussed here: (1) Redhat misdetecting and using wrong video driver, so that the graphics system cannot be used. (2) How to configure the graphical system from text mode so it will work. It is (1) that is the key issue of this bug report. Redhat thinks it knows what the video hardware is, and attempts to use the wrong video driver on ANY attempt to initially bring up or configure the graphical system. There does not seem to be any way to stop Redhat from initially using the video driver it selects, thus creating a "catch 22" situation. THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE A BUG. At the very least, Redhat should give you an option to install a generic low-res graphic driver so you can get the graphics system running on the install, or later on 'redhat-config-xfree86'. On the question of (2), I was finally able last night, after many hours and several days, to successfully bring up the graphical system. This required many complicated steps: - find and download the correct RPM update files for Redhat 8 from the NVIDIA website - install NVIDIA kernel updates and drivers in text mode on Redhat - hand construct a custom XF86Config file to load the correct driver, free of ancillary errors All steps were difficult, and the last step took many unsuccessful tries, as the correct values for the fields are not completely documented. I had to merge a XF86Config from another PC, which was created by Redhat, and a XF86Config from Nvidia. If there was an easier way to do this, I could not find it. Without installing the kernel updates and video driver from Nvidia, I do not think that the graphics system could have been made to work (unless a low-res generic driver was available). I do have a question for you on issue (2)...now that I have the graphics subsystem working, how can I configure Redhat to bring up the graphics system on boot-up?
Have same problem on an ASUS A7N266-VM/AA MB. RH 8.0 install CD crashes the system at the same point. It would be helpful to see the X86 config file that you got working. Also when RH 8.0 is installed in text mode and grub is selected it crashes the system on reboot - says file is too large to load. Any help would be appreciated.
Have A7N266-VM/AA working!!! Here are the problems: 1) RH 8.0 Install CD crashes in graphics install - Use "linux text" mode. 2) Grub does not work on the A7N266-VM/AA - Use lilo. 3) 2 sets of drivers required: get them at http://www.nvidia.com nForce chip set for LAN and audio (used rev 1.0-0248) nVidia unified graphics for X Windows 4) Rebuild src.tar.gz files for #3 for compatability with your kernel rev. 5) Up2date hangs and must be restarted to complete. It also does not update the lilo.conf file. Here is how to get it working: Install RH 8.0 Linux in text mode only (Redhat 8.0 does not presently support nVidia nForce 220-D install in graphics mode â does not recognize chipset, LAN, graphics or audio properly). When you get to the X configuration screen -> select the "skip" option. Install NVIDIA_nforce-1.0-0248.rh80up_2.4.18_14.athlon.rpm to get the LAN drivers working (needed so we could download the rest of the files to run up2date and the driver files). Then put the hostname into the /etc/hosts file and the /etc/sysconfig/network file: >cat /etc/hosts # Do not remove the following line, or various programs # that require network functionality will fail. 127.0.0.1 linuxsvr localhost.localdomain localhost (Put system name here â linuxsvr) >cat /etc/sysconfig/network NETWORKING=yes HOSTNAME=linuxsvr <-(Put system name here) Run âsetupâ from a command line to start system text based setup command and use the network configuration option to set up the ethernet address, mask, gateway and DNS server address. You can also use the system configuration option on the main menu to turn off services you may not need â like iptable, ipchains, pcmcia, isdn, lpn and turn on services you may want â like nfs, smb (samba â NTFS file system), ipop3 (for email) and othersâ¦â¦ Reboot the machine. Configure up2date to be able to update the machine from Red hatâs secure update site. Then run "up2date -uv" from the command line. If it hangs during install reboot the machine and restart the update process. It will complete the second time around but does not update lilo.conf. Once the machine is updated from Red hat, you may need to update the /etc/lilo.conf file. To do this, copy and paste the existing entry and just change the revision level on the vmlinuz and the initrd files to match the updated kernel (found in its install location of /boot). Also give the second entry a new name in the label line. Once you have updated lilo.conf run âlilo âvâ from the command line. This will rewrite the master boot sector on the boot disk so that you can bring up the different kernels at boot time. Reboot the machine and select the new kernel â by what name you gave it in the label= line above. Expect to see a few errors as the rpm you installed for the original kernel is not there anymore for the new kernel. Disregard them. Now unpack the source for file: NVIDIA_nforce-1.0-0248.src.rpm and follow the instructions: run âmakeâ then âmake installâ. Then reboot choosing the new kernel. It should come up fine and allow you to access the LAN. Next you need to build the graphics and GLX drivers for the built-in graphics adapter. They MUST be the same revision. We used NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.tar.gz and NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-4191.tar.gz. You unpack these: tar xzvf filename.tar.gz and then do a make and a make install. You MUST do the kernel module first. You need to put an XF86Config file into the /etc/X11 directory. If you want to, modify the XF86Config file for your monitor â it is presently set to a generic 1024x768 16 bit color depth. This works for almost all monitors. Next run mouseconfig and select the mouse type you are using. Test it: run â startxâ. To get the machine to come up in graphics mode login at boot time edit the /etc/inittab file as follows: Change the line that reads: id:3:initdefault: to id:5:initdefault: and save it. Reboot. Now pick which window manager you want to run by default at the bottom of the window and then log in normally. If you are running KDE (we do) you can access all kinds of system configuration utilities from the menu on the bottom left icon. Enjoy. Email me for the files that got this working. Thanks to William Myre for the starting point I needed to build the XF86Config file. Seth Bardash seth
Correction to last post: Line that read: Now unpack the source for file: NVIDIA_nforce-1.0-0248.src.rpm and follow the instructions: run âmakeâ then âmake installâ. Should read: Now unpack the source for file: NVIDIA_nforce-1.0-0248.src.tar.gz and follow the instructions: run âmakeâ then âmake installâ.
Mike doesn't RHL 9 have nforce support?
Nvidia's 'nforce' integrated chipsets have been supported in XFree86 and X.Org for a while now, although they do not appear to have been supported in XFree86 4.2.x which shipped in Red Hat Linux 8.0. If you experience problems with 'nforce' based video hardware under the latest version of Fedora Core, please file a bug report in the X.Org bugzilla located at http://bugs.freedesktop.org in the "xorg" component for 'nv' driver developers to investigate. Once you've filed your bug report to X.Org, if you paste the new bug URL here, Red Hat will continue to track the issue in the centralized X.Org bug tracker, and will review any bug fixes that become available for consideration in future updates. Setting status to "CURRENTRELEASE" as this hardware should now be supported in Fedora Core 2. Thanks.