[SOLVED] BSOD on Booting a Remastered LiveCD

[wharfhouse]

Hi Guys,

Just recently successfully (I think) produced my first LiveCD and it boots up beautifully (I think!)...  I get a nice Zen splash screen with all the options but following that I get the (black) screen of death    although the system continues to boot with plenty of audible and LED activity going on.

I've tried every option listed in the splash screen, and the further options given by function keys at the bottom... all with the same result.

I've tried to get a CLI by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 to F6, Ctrl+Alt+backspace, Alt+SysRq+E... just nothing.  The good news is that I get a mouse   on this black screen which can move about!!

Now clearly it's got to be something to do with video drivers, so my question is:
If I've tried everything to get to a CLI to change the video driver and nothing more can be done, how can I produce another version of the remaster that will pick up the right drivers to put into the iso that will work on completion?

I've sort of been here before... my first foray into Linux had this problem with various LiveCD's of various distro's, but selecting the VESA option always did the trick, I could then change the video driver after that (in my case NVidia's Nouveau).  It's a GeForce2-MX400 btw.

Thanks for any advice.  

[rubentje1991]

You selected the VESA entry at GRUB menu? (or did I misread that?)

[wharfhouse]

Hi Rubentje!

Like I said:

I've tried every option listed in the splash screen, and the further options given by function keys at the bottom... all with the same result.

    

[rubentje1991]

OK, I overread that.... scanning it too fast - or maybe I should open my eyes, could help too 

Are you able to test the ISO on another pc?... and did you burn the CD slowly (and maybe even tested the burned version on consistency)?
Sorry for the basic questions, but they are first checks I think 

[wharfhouse]

Are you able to test the ISO on another pc?...

No... I haven't tried that, but I could next week when I have access to another one.

and did you burn the CD slowly

Oh yes!  4x speed.

(and maybe even tested the burned version on consistency)?

Excuse me?     What's that about 

Cheers
 

[rubentje1991]

Maybe this thread gives more information about checking the integrity of the CD:
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic=102793.0


Also:
What hardware is there in your pc?
Or can you try to boot the image in VirtualBox (just the ISO, or even the CD)?

[wharfhouse]

Rubentje,

Thanks for the link... unfortunately I didn't have a "media check" option on my splash screen for some reason.  That would have been the first thing to check 

Now then, VirtualBox...  I've heard of it and assume it's something like Wine (another application I don't currently know much about/need).  Bearing in mind I'm completely green here, should I go down this road? 

Perhaps just be easier to try on another computer???

Hardware:

MSI KM4M-L mobo
AMD AthlonXP 1.5GHz
NVidia GeGorce2-MX400
80GB HDD
1GB memory

Thanks 

[kjpetrie]

Virtualbox isn't much like wine. It's more like a fake BIOS, which allows you to create virtual machines and install operating systems into them, so you can run separate machines running different OSes at the same time. Each VM takes a block of memory and disc space and runs a little more slowly than your 'host' system, but behaves like a separate computer.

If that sounds complicated it isn't. It has a nice GUI which enables you to create a new machine in seconds and all the complicated stuff is handled internally by the program. Give it a try and you'll see how easy it is.

[rubentje1991]

Give it a try and you'll see how easy it is.

+1
Another pc is maybe more simple, but Virtualbox is not much more difficult or so... you only will need to have a little patience with that system specs (and that's why I'd recommend trying it on another pc).....
No mediacheck entry... thinking about another possibility to test the livecd

[wharfhouse]

Thanks Guys...

VirtualBox sounds interesting... I'll look into it.  I'll also try the LiveCD (DVD actually) on another machine when I can.

BTW Mr. Petrie, funny... of all things that works on the LiveCD was the old MS serial mouse that we painstakingly explored when I first came to PCLinuxOS!!!  Remember?
 

[rubentje1991]

Media check option:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,103198.msg883476.html#msg883476
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,97871.msg831826.html#msg831826

Doing a search on the forum with keywords "mylivecd mediacheck" will reveal more I think....    (it's now stable I think)

[oldschool]

wharfhouse,

This MAY work for you. You have the NVidia GeForce2-MX400 which is a REALLY old card. I have the NVidia GeForce4 MX 440 SE which is another old card. I had similar problems starting with the KDE 2011 releases. Here is how I solved the BSOD with working mouse issue:

1) Selected the FB option on the live CD boot options (VESA didn't work)
2) Upon end of the install, BUT PRIOR TO RESTART, I entered in PCC BOOT section -- set up boot
     system:  "NODKMSBOOT" (without the quotes") for the kernel options
3) Still prior to reboot I selected the NVidia 96xx video card setting
4) Upon accepting that card configuration and being given the option to use the "updated" version of
    the driver from XOrg, I selected NO.
5) Now I finally selected RESTART from the menu
6) I removed the CD when prompted and pressed enter
7) The system rebooted and NO BSOD, just a beautifully working system

If you haven't tried this, please try it.  Hopefully it works for you as well as it did for me.


oldschool

[djohnston]

If you haven't tried this, please try it.  Hopefully it works for you as well as it did for me.

oldschool

@oldschool,

Now that's persistence! 

[ternor]

Could I just check that please.  The parameter I have is 'nokmsboot'.

[djohnston]

Could I just check that please.  The parameter I have is 'nokmsboot'.

nokmsboot is correct.