odd install behavior - SOLVED

[over60]

I'm not a real linux maven, but have installed pclos of varous flavors (.93, 2007, etc.) on perhaps a dozen machines.  Now I'm trying to salvage an older HP pavilion 531w for a disadvantaged family but cannot get any version to install:  I elected to finally use 2010 lxde rather than kde because of limited memory 256k. (I have tried with both the 2010 kde and the 2010 minime but have gotten the same results).

Using standard boot, (and safe boot as well) it loads and goes to a garbolled screen.  So I set it to text mode and put the command line failsafe.  When I get to the cli, I go to pcc and set the display to the intel 810 and above, set the monitor to the correct resolution, test it, looks good, then launch startx and voila - gui looks good BUT both the usb keyboard and mouse are dead.  Note that in cli both worked fine.  I tried to set the display to xorg-vesa and low resolution, but garbage on the screen.  Media checks out ok - and on the suspicion that it could be the cd player, I tried installing from a usb stick..  and it locks up at the same place.  So, I go back to text mode and check the mouse and keyboard setup via pcc...  looks ok (again both work in text mode), but when go to the graphical environment I end up with dead keyboard and mouse.  So, I think to myself, maybe it's the usb mouse, so I connect the old 9 pin mouse, start again, and end up with the same problem.  I went to the bios, disabled legacy usb supprt and lost both the keyboard and mouse even in text mode, so I had to remove the bios battery to go back to defaults..  got the inputs working again, but only in text mode...

Help!
Thanks

[ElCuervo]

Intel graphics cards very often don't play nice. From the boot menu, try the VESA mode if you haven't already.

[over60]

Thanks for the reply: vesa mode didn't work either.

[ElCuervo]

Just to be clear, I did notice that you had said

I get to the cli, I go to pcc and set the display to the intel 810 and above, set the monitor to the correct resolution, test it, looks good, then launch startx and voila - gui looks good BUT both the usb keyboard and mouse are dead.  Note that in cli both worked fine.  I tried to set the display to xorg-vesa and low resolution, but garbage on the screen.

but I meant to choose the VESA option from the LiveCD's boot menu - it that what you did?


It does sound like a graphics card problem; exactly which graphics card does it use?

[pirate]

I just installed pclos to a hp pavilion 533w. the graphic were terrible
till i got to the choose keyboard screen..But, after that it was smooth
sailing...for some reason the live cd would not load using the vesa
option...





hp pavilion 533w

The motherboard is a P4G533 - LA


video---- ‎82845G/GL[Brookdale-G]/GE Chipset Integrated Graphics Device
          Module: ‎Card:Intel 810 and later

‎Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.00GHz

[horusfalcon]

I'm not a real linux maven, but have installed pclos of varous flavors (.93, 2007, etc.) on perhaps a dozen machines.  Now I'm trying to salvage an older HP pavilion 531w for a disadvantaged family but cannot get any version to install:  I elected to finally use 2010 lxde rather than kde because of limited memory 256k. (I have tried with both the 2010 kde and the 2010 minime but have gotten the same results).

Did you mean to say 256 Meg instead of k? (I'm pretty sure you did. ) 

HP's specifications page for this model list it as a Celeron 1.3 GHz CPU that uses the Intel 810e chipset, and PC100 SDRAM.  It looks like the maximum RAM load for this board is 512 Meg, so I would try LXDE or XFCE respins of 2010 and see if you make any headway.  The LXDE-mini, especially, would be a good starting point.

The first thing I would do, though, would be to try and locate a 256 meg stick of PC100 somewhere (you'll have trouble finding that new, but reputable dealers for used parts are out there) and install it - get that RAM up to 512 Meg and performance should be much more tolerable.  These nice folks might be able to help you there.  (But the 256's they have look like ECC, and might not be compatible with your hardware...  Usually HP will put int one stick and leave the second slot empty, but look and see what you already have before you order, wherever you go to get RAM.

The video for this thing is integrated into the chipset, so it should use the intel 810 or later driver (and that means it's using some of the main RAM for video, but probably only about 8 - 32 meg). 

The real stumbling block seems to be USB suppport?  I'd be willing to bet that takes care of itself with a lighter distro and more RAM (but I've been wrong before).  You're sure the USB ports in question are not intermittent/unreliable?  (You might try some of the other ports just to eliminate this possibility).

I seem to be rambling all over the place today - I'm home with a cold and it's making me feel a bit goofier than usual, so my apologies if I'm a bit incoherent.

Here's hoping you get this bird flyin' again.

Later On,
D

[over60]

Thanks for the suggestions: I did load the lxde mini and it worked like a charm...  I'll soon go try to find an old memory stick.  This will make some disadvantaged child a leg-up on becoming computer literate.

[horusfalcon]

Thanks for the suggestions: I did load the lxde mini and it worked like a charm...  I'll soon go try to find an old memory stick.  This will make some disadvantaged child a leg-up on becoming computer literate.

Cool!  Please mark {Solved} on the subject line of your original post so it can be seen from the headers in this forum.  Glad we could help.

Not only will that child have a leg-up on computer literacy, but on Linux literacy as well, and that can't hurt the way the world is turning these days.  (Linux will keep on growing in popularity in days to come... loads of reasons why and not too many why not! ) 

Later On,
D