Re: Looking for THE laptop expert (SOLVED!)

[DeBaas]

Whitch one ?

Support & Drivers
Graphics Drivers & Software
 AMD Catalyst™ Proprietary Display Driver - Linux x86 & Linux x86_64
    Release Notes
AMD Catalyst™ 12.4 Proprietary Linux x86 Display Driver   103.4 MB   12.4   4/25/2012

Is in the Synaptic Repo:
ATI proprietary kernel module
ATI proprietary kernel module. This is to be used with the
x11-driver-video-fglrx package.
This package corresponds to ATI Catalyst version 12.4.

Or the Beta ?
Latest Beta Driver   100 MB   12.6 Beta   5/31/2012

[bicol_willem]

This one:

AMD Catalyst™ 12.4 Proprietary Linux x86 Display Driver   103.4 MB   12.4   4/25/2012

What ever is in the repo is not picked up by this machine.

Remember:
"The proprietary driver for your grafic card can not be found. The system is now using the free software driver.
Reason: The proprietary kernel driver was not found for fglrx, X.org driver"

Nothing like that with this driver, the "same" or not.  I hope that makes sense because it ... doesn't  But it does work!

I was e.i. not able to use Cheese to make a video. It flies now!
But ... if it makes the different I am looking for (cold boot) .... that I will know after some sleep.
Welterusten!

[horusfalcon]

Yes, I noticed also various specs can be found for the same type of machine on line 
But we got to hang on with what lspci tells us in this case. That after all that IS this machine.

You are quite right.  lspci generally tells the truth of what is and what is not.  There are some caveats here, though... for instance, if the configuration is wrong because modprobe "guessed" incorrectly, your hardware may still be at slight variance to the stuff lspci shows is loaded to support it.  Also, some modules/drivers support a large family of hardware, some of which may have strange little individual quirks.

And you better believe me: The original Linux install is VERY basic and sure no X or any Desktop. Barely the kernel (a 2.6 version)
Its gone now of course and as I mentioned earlier on the supporting CD that came with it has nothing Linux.
Linux was installed to be removed! In the eyes of salesmen "No OS" doesn't sound as good.

Again, yeah, I do believe you, because I've seen something like this before, myself.  It's not all that surprising - eMachines has traditionally been a, shall we say, lesser quality hardware platform.

IF it is a (failing)driver question (what I believe now it is) then PCLinuxOS can comfort itself as it is in good company as ALL Linux I tried on this machine (deb based as well as rpm based) shows the same failure.  There seems simply not a correct driver for this setup. Hurdles past, it all runs fine be it that video is under performing. So I am for example unable to make a video with i.e. Cheese. It lacks the speed needed it seems. If I set Cheese to lower video specs, sound goes balony. It plays back the sound first and then the video! glxgears don't even think of starting up.

One of the things I keep telling folks who are considering Linux on a laptop is that prior effort in research can help avoid products whose support for Linux is iffy or non-existent.  A great place to start is http://www.linux-laptop.net/.  A lot of their info is dated, but this just serves to show a history for different vendors' machines when taken in context.  I have a report posted there on my old Gateway 3522GZ laptop, by the way, in the interest of full disclosure.

As you well know, it's virtually impossible to change video systems in most laptops (short of replacing the motherboard with a different one, and even that can be dicey).

I see, reading before I post, that you may have a solution in hand?  Regardless of outcome, please continue to keep us advised of your progress (or lack of same).  That way we all learn together.  I do hope you've stumbled onto something that works consistently and well.

Later On,
D

[bicol_willem]

Nope, no joy this morning.
Linux didn't boot as usual and I had to boot into Windows in order to reboot into Linux.
I am going to restore the OS to original state and from there there is little more I can do then "wait and see" if ever a solution comes up. I better spend my time on more productive things 

horusfalcon: "eMachines has traditionally been a, shall we say, lesser quality hardware platform."

I have no real reason to argue other then the fact given that we have here also a eMachines D640 which runs PCLinuxOS already for 3 years without a glitch. Also that one came with the same Linux setup like this darn D443.

[Crow]

I've been following this thread and start to believe in faulty hardware, I have a desktop that I couldn't make it work in the local network, not even with a PCI card (not in Windows nor Linux), right now is working with a USB WiFi gadget.

Maybe is just broken.

[tj_fredo]

If you remove:
laptop-mode-tools package does the problem still persist?

[bicol_willem]

I've been following this thread and start to believe in faulty hardware, I have a desktop that I couldn't make it work in the local network, not even with a PCI card (not in Windows nor Linux), right now is working with a USB WiFi gadget.

Maybe is just broken.

If you only could  see it running Windows7 (including booting it up) and both Linux distro's installed when booted, hour after hour, regardless any of them distro's, you sure take back your believe. 

It is really senseless to go back to the dealer or service center to point this out to them. They know NOthing about Linux and Windows installs and run just fine. Futher then that they cannot think. At least where I live (Sorry to conclude).

I still believe the clue is in a driver. But..... if I am right?    Time will tell.

[kjpetrie]

Whether the manufacturer/seller knows is not the point. They sold a product with an advertised OS on it. That OS did not work fully when booted (no X, when X is part of the OS most people would consider essential). Therefore, they have to tell you how to fix it or replace the item with one which works. That they also provided a disc of Windows drivers is also irrelevant - that's a service for people who want to change the OS, but you don't (or at least not to that OS).

They sold you a laptop. The laptop as sold does not work as advertised. That's their problem and you should ask them to solve it.

[kjpetrie]

When you say it gets to the log in screen, is that a graphical log in or a text log in?

If it's graphical then X is starting but the desktop hangs, which points to graphics card issues. The graphics card will work if Windows first sets it up and the power is not removed - so it's either a firmware load or the registers in the graphics card which need configuring. That latter should be done by the BIOS and the former by an init script and kernel module, although it might need to be written.

From the Gentoo forum http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-907980-start-0.html:

got the same problem. I got it solved, I think. You have to add more of the firmware. I went crazy about that until i decided to add other fimware blobs to be built into the kernel. Your post directed me to this, because you got the right resolution on module-loading. PALM is not enough. I added all Fusion-microcode to the kernel:

Now, of course, the Gentoo-specific instructions won't work here, but the point is, this graphics chip needs firmware in order to work, and until the microcode is loaded, the graphics chip is not a graphics chip! Windows can load the code, and once it has done so it stays in the chip until power is removed.

Looks like you need a custom patched and compiled kernel for that laptop.

What does /var/log/xorg.0.log show when it doesn't work? (Select a console log in if that works, or boot into runlevel 3 by putting a 3 on the end of the boot line.)

However, I still say you should put the original OS back and ask the manufacturer to make it work as advertised. I presume you are in the Philippines, as that seems to be the main market for this machine, and I appreciate the practice there is to buy a laptop with a small OS installed and then replace it with a contraband copy of Windows, but that's no excuse for the laptop as sold not to work as advertised.

[bicol_willem]

When you say it gets to the log in screen, is that a graphical log in or a text log in?

If it's graphical then X is starting but the desktop hangs, which points to graphics card issues. The graphics card will work if Windows first sets it up and the power is not removed - so it's either a firmware load or the registers in the graphics card which need configuring. That latter should be done by the BIOS and the former by an init script and kernel module, although it might need to be written.

From the Gentoo forum http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-907980-start-0.html:

got the same problem. I got it solved, I think. You have to add more of the firmware. I went crazy about that until i decided to add other fimware blobs to be built into the kernel. Your post directed me to this, because you got the right resolution on module-loading. PALM is not enough. I added all Fusion-microcode to the kernel:

Now, of course, the Gentoo-specific instructions won't work here, but the point is, this graphics chip needs firmware in order to work, and until the microcode is loaded, the graphics chip is not a graphics chip! Windows can load the code, and once it has done so it stays in the chip until power is removed.

Looks like you need a custom patched and compiled kernel for that laptop.

What does /var/log/xorg.0.log show when it doesn't work? (Select a console log in if that works, or boot into runlevel 3 by putting a 3 on the end of the boot line.)

However, I still say you should put the original OS back and ask the manufacturer to make it work as advertised. I presume you are in the Philippines, as that seems to be the main market for this machine, and I appreciate the practice there is to buy a laptop with a small OS installed and then replace it with a contraband copy of Windows, but that's no excuse for the laptop as sold not to work as advertised.

OMG!
Laptop works as advertized...... (Linux) .... Whih is alien to the public in RP. Is that so hard to understand?
Who knows here if Linux works correct or not?
You are on the wrong trail my friend.
Things simply are as they are!
I would like know more about this: "You have to add more of the firmware" because you could be right......
Thanks anyway.

[Bald Brick]

OMG!
Laptop works as advertized...... (Linux)

No, kjpetrie's got a point.

In many countries (I hope in most countries) a vendor could not get away with advertising that a laptop - or a desktop - works with Linux unless it really works with GNU/Linux and a graphical user interface. Normally advertising must not only be truthful but also non-deceptive.

Nobody would expect your laptop to work with all Linux distributions, but in most countries the vendor should be able to prove that it works with at least one - even if you perversely decide to run X.

Nevertheless I know that consumer rights vary from country to country. And if you buy a mainframe your rights as a consumer may be different.

.... Whih is alien to the public in RP. Is that so hard to understand?
Who knows here if Linux works correct or not?

From what you've posted so far we can be reasonably certain that the Linux kernel works. But that's not really the question: does any Linux distribution work?

You are on the wrong trail my friend.
Things simply are as they are!
I would like know more about this: "You have to add more of the firmware" because you could be right......
Thanks anyway.

[kjpetrie]

Are you seriously telling us that in your country someone can sell an item that doesn't work, take your money, and do nothing about it?

This laptop was sold as a laptop running Linpus Linux, which is a desktop distribution from Taiwan. If it doesn't get to a desktop when booted with the pre-installed OS, it's a computer that doesn't work. What is there to understand? You have a claim under warranty at the very least.

It doesn't have to work with any other Liinux, but it does have to work with the pre-installed one.

[bicol_willem]

Are you seriously telling us that in your country someone can sell an item that doesn't work, take your money, and do nothing about it?

This laptop was sold as a laptop running Linpus Linux, which is a desktop distribution from Taiwan. If it doesn't get to a desktop when booted with the pre-installed OS, it's a computer that doesn't work. What is there to understand? You have a claim under warranty at the very least.

It doesn't have to work with any other Liinux, but it does have to work with the pre-installed one.

Hmmm, it seems hard to understand for all 

1-Linux (as pre-installed) works. There is just no DE installed.
2-These units are sold this way to avoid M$ tax
3-As good as all buyers will just install Windows the very same day they buy it.
4-Why Linux pre-installed?  Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe "No OS" doesn't sound/sell that good?
   Many of such laptops are also pre-installed with FreeDOS (and nothing on top of that).
   Obviously anything better then nothing as a selling argument.
5-It IS after all just meant to be removed.
That's all folks (here in the Philippines that is) 

Heck, I can even imagine Microsoft supporting this pre-install approach, as it shows customers how useless the alternatives are! 
(A windows user buying such machine to save some bucks will be totally lost after boot)

But thanks to all for all the input and efforts in trying to help. It was a nice ride.
Right now we seem not able to solve it but maybe an other day we will .....  (I am now looking at a possible BIOS update)
After all, aside of this odd boot problem, the unit works well with right now Windows as the winner (boots up, better video, etc.)
That said both xxbuntu and PCLinuxOS are very usable as well and will be the OS's to work with.
Mrs. got to live it for a while (and she is ready for that as she doesn't like my "fiddling all the time" with her laptop!). 

[Just17]

1-Linux (as pre-installed) works. There is just no DE installed.

I understood from a previous post that Linpus is pre-installed .......  which does have a DE.

http://www.linpus.com/

[bicol_willem]

1-Linux (as pre-installed) works. There is just no DE installed.

I understood from a previous post that Linpus is pre-installed .......  which does have a DE.

http://www.linpus.com/

Come on just18. I use Linux for 14 year now and I really do recognize a desktop, really. 

On a funny note, I went this morning to a shop where they sell laptops with Linux pre-installed.
Asked the sales man: "what is that about Linux"?  Answer: It is "Boot-up-Linux" Sir"   
Strange answer maybe but it does tell a story......