[Solved]New Install -> 8.10 -> Linux Newbie -> Lenovo T400

[Pnut]

Hello,

I am making an attempt to get into Linux. Mostly have been putting this off for far to long and I think now is as good a time as any. I have been working on (playing) with computers for about 12 years and started on an old 386 with DOS. I know a ton about Windows, Windows servers, Exchange, well pretty much all MS stuff, just short of MSCE. Not sure why I put off Linux in general for so long, but I want to fix that now.

I decided to go with Kubuntu after looking at a few different distro's. I already installed 8.1 on a Lenovo T400 laptop. Originally I was unable to get kdm to come up, but thanks to this page: http://clemensfam.org/john/?p=42 I was able to boot onto the CD in the to try it out mode without a problem.

Post installation i am running into the same problem I thought i had fixed with the above link. I have tried searching for an answer without any luck, this seems like the place to ask.

During boot, this is what is on the screen when it finishes and leaves me at the prompt:

Starting up ...
Loading, please wait...
usplash: setting mode 1152x864 failed
usplash: setting mode 1024x768
19+0 records in
19+0 records out
kinit : name_to_dev_t(/dev/disk/by-uuid/50def8fa-8d03-4f47-9ba1-eafc09a6d179) =dev(8,5)
kinit: no resume image, doing normal boot...

Ubuntu 8.10 PC_Name tty1

PC_Name Login:

I know a few commands here and there, but as I'm new to Linux in general, I'm not quite sure where to start troubleshooting this. Any help would be appreciated.

(I'm running to grab pizza for the wife, so if any additional info is requested, ill post it once i return in about 20 minutes)

[kjjjjshab]

Re: New Install -> 8.10 -> Linux Newbie -> Lenovo T400

To be clear, did you set the BIOS to the ATI graphics?

[Pnut]

Re: New Install -> 8.10 -> Linux Newbie -> Lenovo T400

correct.

BIOS does not expressly say ATI, but these are the following settings in BIOS (bold was defaulted prior to change):

Default Primary Video Device: PCI Express (Choices: Internal, PCI Express)
Graphics Device: Discrete Graphics (Choices: Integrated Graphics, Discrete Graphics, Switchable Graphics)

------------

Well how about that, I went back into BIOS to type out the above info and Graphics Device had changed back to Switchable... not sure how as it had to be Discrete Graphics in order to even get the GUI on the live cd which I used to install (just tested to confirm).

Thanks for sending me in the right direction, however unintentional it was.

-Pnut

[Pnut]

Re: New Install -> 8.10 -> Linux Newbie -> Lenovo T400

Just to clarify in case anyone else runs into this issue on a similar laptop.

There is an additional setting in the BIOS that specifies wether an OS can change the Graphics Device to Switchable graphics. If this is enabled, your change will revert after a restart.

[kjjjjshab]

Re: New Install -> 8.10 -> Linux Newbie -> Lenovo T400

Thanks for sending me in the right direction, however unintentional it was.

I knew that was the problem all along

Actually, I'm just really interested since I purchased my wife a T400 over the holidays (not a fan of the new keyboard BTW). She has to have Windows to work at home and I just haven't had time to even try an install of kubuntu on it yet... but I had read several places that the switchable graphics don't work with linux, so I was very curious to see how your issue was resolved.

Thanks for posting the info.