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    #1

    Fresh Install ASUS M3A78-EM, lotsa x conundrums

    This ASUS board was reported to support linux, according to an Arstechnica
    article. Anybody else using this board? It's got an ATI HD 3200 graphics chip.
    Kubuntu LiveCD runs fine; install is another matter entirely. Main problem
    is, after graphic login, screen goes white, system becomes unresponsive.

    After an initial install, and several reinstalls with different options,
    I'm at a point where I can at least (sometimes) coerce a boot to a graphic login screen
    from the command line, but when I try to login, I get this popup:

    XSession: Unable to launch failsafe x session --- x-terminal-emulator not found

    I haven't run into this before. What to do?

    SOME BACKGROUND:

    The 'fix x-server' option from the recovery menu doesn't work at all. When x tries to start, the screen turns white, system is unresponsive. I've run Knoppix on this box, copied its xorg.conf, deleted a few lines that give errors, and got an xorg.conf file that works, but only if I boot into a command line shell, and type startx.

    I'm using the vesa module. Never used an ati product before, or installed an ati module.

    Another question, since I've had so many reinstall episodes of x problems, while I'm
    working this, how do I set default runlevel 1? I'm used to editing /etc/inittab in debian,
    but kubuntu doesn't have this file.

    /dennis
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    #2
    Re: Fresh Install ASUS M3A78-EM, lotsa x conundrums

    *buntu doesn't use runlevels any more.

    You can shut down the X server with
    Code:
    sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop
    Probably you should install EnvyNG

    Code:
    sudo apt-get install envyng-core
    Then in the CLI (with KDM shut down) run

    Code:
    sudo envyng -t
    and choose the menu item to install the ATI driver.

    This might work. :P
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      #3
      Re: Fresh Install ASUS M3A78-EM, lotsa x conundrums

      Originally posted by dibl
      *buntu doesn't use runlevels any more.

      You can shut down the X server with
      Code:
      sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop
      Ah, that explains it, thanks.

      So, if I want to configure the machine to boot to text mode only, how would I do that? During this long saga, at times I've gotten the fabled ATI "black screen of death" and even the "white screen of death" where not even the Ctrl-SysReq r s e i u b trick doesn't even get a response. I've gotten more traction from doing startx from commandline. Once I get this thing whipped (assuming I ever do) I'd configure him to boot to KDE.

      Originally posted by dibl
      Probably you should install EnvyNG
      I read up on Envy. Sounds like when it works, its great -- until it comes time to distro upgrade. I'd rather not just put off the pain. Last night, I found my way into the hardware drivers widget, and installed the ati fglrx stuff using adept. I don't know if there are follow-up steps, but I did notice that the xorg.conf file hadn't been touched, so probably there are some. I ran out of time, and was too cowardly to try a reboot. I'll have to delay a couple of days 'til I get to the holiday, and can beat my head on the wall again.

      /dennis

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        #4
        Re: Fresh Install ASUS M3A78-EM, lotsa x conundrums

        The new X.org version that is in *buntu 8.10 does not make use of the xorg.conf file in the same way that the prior versions did, so there's not the need to fiddle with the options and settings in there, so much. The default xorg.conf file is really short and simple now.

        To boot to the CLI, just choose it on the little menu icon that you'll see on the GUI login. Once you choose it, it will stay the default environment until you choose something else.

        The nice thing, in my opinion, about using envyng for driver installation is what happens when the driver gets broken, such as after a kernel upgrade. When presented (unexpectedly) with the CLI in such a circumstance, you can simply log in and
        Code:
        sudo envyng -t
        and get back your driver and your GUI.
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          #5
          Re: Fresh Install ASUS M3A78-EM, lotsa x conundrums

          With great fear and trembling, I did do the envyng tango.... and it worked!
          I've even survived the post-installation package updates, one of the places
          that gave me "black screen of death" earlier.

          Much coolness. Many thanks.

          Just a comment, in case anyone else is listening...

          Originally posted by dibl
          The new X.org version that is in *buntu 8.10 does not make use of the xorg.conf file in the same way that the prior versions did, so there's not the need to fiddle with the options and settings in there, so much. The default xorg.conf file is really short and simple now.
          I did notice the new default xorg.conf file. During a couple of install incarnations, I
          tried reverting to that file, and each time, upon x server restart, I got extreme lockup,
          and could not get ANY response from the machine. Now, after using envyng to install
          the ati driver, he rewrote xorg.conf -- it's 6188 bytes in size, whereas the default
          xorg.conf file is 1053 bytes. Maybe later on I'll stoke up the courage to swap the
          default file back in and do a test. But not today

          /dennis
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