LiveCD Screen Unreadable

[tonitone]

Hi
I Finally got the LiveCD to boot without error on an old Dell Laptop (Inspiron 8000) but at the end of the boot process I end up with an unreadable screen. (a bunch of thin lines crossing horizontally and some blotches of color). 

I figure it is booting with the wrong driver for Nvidia GeForce 2 Go Graphic Card.

Does anyone know how i can choose another driver? or any other steps I can take to troubleshoot this issue?

Thanks

Tony

[Just17]

Try booting with the VESA graphics option

[tonitone]

Try booting with the VESA graphics option

Ok, Thanks.  I just have to figure out where to put the code.  vga=792 or so...
T.

[Just17]

Try booting with the VESA graphics option

Ok, Thanks.  I just have to figure out where to put the code.  vga=792 or so...
T.

No, not the vga ........  vesa

There should be a boot option to use graphics safe mode or something similar

If not then add the word    vesa     to the boot line options.

[djohnston]

tonitone,

Besides the Nvidia GeForce 2 graphics card, describe the rest of your hardware: CPU, amount of RAM, etc.

[tonitone]

Hi

I tried with vesa in the bootline with no change.  I tried with with video=vesafb  no change.

Hardware description:
Pentium III 1GHZ, 15 UXG - 15 UXGA LCD - 512MB (256MBx2) 100Mhz SDRM -nVidia, 32MB Video Card, Nvidia GeForce2Go.

[Just17]

What version of PCLOS are you attempting to boot?
LXDE, Xfce, Openbox, KDE ...... ?

[nixer]

Also, you could use the command "XFdrake" at a console boot, and then it will start the video configuration.  This has saved me on many times when I had video driver problems when booting.  Add a "3" to the bootline and it will take you to a console boot, so will the "Safe Mode", I think, but I have never used the safe mode, yet.

Note:  it is case sensitive.  The command is XFdrake and not XFDrake.

[tonitone]

To Just18: I am trying to boot the LXDE LiveCD.

To nixer: Thanks for the tip.  I was wondering how I could get a command line from the cdboot. I'll try it out when I get back home. I was also wondered if I could go straight to installing the OS but maybe that is not such a good idea until i figure out what is going on with the graphics.

T.

[nixer]

If I were you I would set the graphics on the LiveCD first just to make sure that it worked as expected.  Then I would install.  You may have to reset the graphics on the installation, I don't know if the xorg config file is recreated upon the first boot or not.  No matter though, if it works on the LiveCd then it will work on the install.

Let us know how it goes.

[Just17]

Hi

I tried with vesa in the bootline with no change.  I tried with with video=vesafb  no change.

Hardware description:
Pentium III 1GHZ, 15 UXG - 15 UXGA LCD - 512MB (256MBx2) 100Mhz SDRM -nVidia, 32MB Video Card, Nvidia GeForce2Go.

Have you tried using the alternative boot selection?

I thought there was a video safe boot or something of that nature .....

BTW .....  there is a new 2012 version of LXDE released .....  you could try that too.

[djohnston]

tonitone,

You might as well start off fresh. Download either the full or mini LXDE version from the PCLinuxOS page here. Try the option shown highlighted in the image below.

[tonitone]

to djohnston: Hey if I could see this screen it would be great but that's the problem...  I tried with the open box iso and still the same problem. (the links for LXDE did not work tonight(file not found)).

to nixer: don't get to a prompt to give in "XFdrake"  I tried putting a "3" in the bootline with no effect.  I'll try runlevel=3 and see what happens....

T.

[nixer]

I tried putting a "3" in the bootline with no effect.

This has always worked in the past, but now, it doesn't.  I tried on a KDE (up to date), openbox, and the test04 64 bit install.  Only the 64 bit install worked like it has in the past. 

[djohnston]

to djohnston: Hey if I could see this screen it would be great but that's the problem...  I tried with the open box iso and still the same problem.

That's the boot screen. If you're not seeing that, how are you adding anything to the "bootline"? Describe what you do see.

(the links for LXDE did not work tonight(file not found)).

The "links" (single embedded link) point to http://www.pclinuxos.com/?page_id=188 which is the correct page for the LXDE download links. But, you are right. The links on that page point to 2011.09 isos on the distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr server. And those files are no longer on the server. Below are working links.

(Full version)
(Full version checksum)
(Mini version)
(Mini version checksum)