Tecra/Protege stops booting at Xvesa and Xorg (SOLVED)

Please post any bugs you have found
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rerwin
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Joined: Wed 24 Aug 2005, 22:50
Location: Maine, USA

New version of fixed xorgwizard

#31 Post by rerwin »

Dennis & Dave, please do not proagate the workaround that gets Dennis' laptop to work; it is not appropriate for general use because all video adapters would be treated the same.

I am attaching a new version of the wizard that should fix everyone's problem that has been reported. Instead of trying to substitute for the failing Xvesa results, it is consistent with the current design that lets the user choose a video mode if the wizard cannot determine it. (That's how my ThinkPads are handled, even though they do not hang like the Tecras/Porteges.) The "problem-adapters" file is no longer used, so the "remaster mess" is avoided.

In addition to checking for specific adapters, it looks for segment faults and failure to find the needed info from ddcprobe; that should take care of Mat's case. For Dennis, I included two tests for the 8820 because the "oem:" is always followed by a space; Dennis, please check your ddcprobe output and tell me which format is correct (with or without the space).

Please, would each of you try the new version, xorgwizard2, and give me feedback. Thanks.

(After copying/extracting xorgwizard2 to /usr/sbin, rename it to xorgwizard to have it run during bootup. Otherwise, when bootup hangs, ctrl-c out of the hang and enter xorgwizard2, then xwin.)
Attachments
xorgwizard2.tar.gz
File contains both a normal version, xorgwizard2, and a debug version for troubleshooting, xorgwizard2d.
Expect to see a long list of possible video modes to choose from..
(32.5 KiB) Downloaded 960 times
Last edited by rerwin on Mon 19 Nov 2007, 16:39, edited 5 times in total.

DaveR
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed 30 May 2007, 15:08

Satellite 1805 S203

#32 Post by DaveR »

rewin, before I forget it my "oem:" is followed by 1 space - oem: Trident CYBER 8620
I'll give the new wizard a try in a little while
Dave

DaveR
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed 30 May 2007, 15:08

Satellite 1805 S203

#33 Post by DaveR »

Still no luck ;-(

edited the problem-adapters file to include my "oem: Trident CYBER 8620" line
boot from CD
command "puppy pfix=nox"
all OK to #_ prompt
plug-in pen drive then mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/flash
ls /mnt/flash
cp /mnt/flash/proble~2 /etc/X11/problem-adapters
cp /mnt/flash/xorgwi~2 /usr/sbin/xorgwizard2
ran xorgwizard2
"Puppy Video Wizard" window opens - choose Xorg - Enter
one line of pink text appears "Probing video hardware ..."
system hangs with empty black screen and no cursor - wait a minute
[ctrl]c will NOT break out
[ctrl][alt]del will NOT break out
cycle power to quit

youb
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Joined: Fri 16 Nov 2007, 02:40
Location: France

#34 Post by youb »

Thanks for your time on that problem... no luck either..
The new script his behaving the same on my laptop as on Dave's .
Pink "probing", then hangs with black screen.
Ctrl+Alt+Del produces a little reaction from my HDD activity led...

dalderton
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Joined: Sun 22 Apr 2007, 08:33

#35 Post by dalderton »

Richard I tried it on mine and it did the same hang as the original xorgwizard. Regards Dennis

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rerwin
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Location: Maine, USA

Let's work with the latest version -- xorgwizard2

#36 Post by rerwin »

I am sorry you are having trouble testing this fix. So let's all work with the latest version, which is simpler than the others, so less room for errors.

First, I'll explain the logic -- what it checks for -- and then how I test, step by step. Here is the code that should run for your cases (EDIT (11/19/07): corrected to match latest version):

Code: Select all

#For some Tecra and Portege laptops (and any others generating a segment fault or edidfail in ddcprobe), avoid Xvesa/other hang by skipping detection and letting the user choose the appropriate video mode.   #rerwin begin
if grep -q -F -x 'edidfail
oem: MagicGraph 256 AV 44K PRELIMINARY
oem: Trident CYBER 8820
oem: Trident CYBER 8620' /tmp/ddcprobe.txt;then
 HORIZSYNC=""
 VERTREFRESH=""
else   #rerwin end
. . .  [logic that hangs]
fi   #rerwin
. . .
#if ddcprobe also failed, have to ask monitor type...
if [ "$HORIZSYNC" = "" -o "$VERTREFRESH" = "" ];then #"" if monitor not plug-n-play.
[Displays the long list of all possible safe video modes (A through Z).]
The "grep" statement includes all of the strings (between the ticks) it considers indicative of a problem adapter. Please be sure that your ddcprobe output contains one of those exact strings; I took them from your postings, so please tell me of any typos that crept in.

Given that the code is so simple, if it finds a match it will display the dialog. Therefore the hanging suggests that it is not finding a match.

Now, here are my test steps, avoiding any complications, on my Tecra8000 that has no HD:
1. Extract xorgwizard2 from xorgwizard2.tar.gz to the top level of a USB flash drive, by Menu>Utilities>Xarchive archiver, on some other puppy system.

2. In the subject laptop, insert the flash drive, boot up from the Puppy 3.01 CD, and enter "puppy pfix=ram,nox" at the boot prompt.

3. Select a keyboard layout and <enter>.

4. Enter "mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/flash -t vfat" to mount the flash drive and use long filenames (-t vfat).

5. Enter "cp /mnt/flash/xorgwizard2 /usr/sbin/" to copy the script.

6. Enter "umount /mnt/flash" to unmount the flash drive and avoid any problems caused by its being already mounted.

7. Enter "xorgwizard2" to run the script.

8. Select "Xorg" in the resultant dialog.

9. Wait for the two pink "Probing" lines to come and go -- The wizard dialog beginning with "Automatic probing ... was unsuccessful" should be displayed.

10. Select the second (B) line if your screen resolution is 800x600; the third (C) line if 1024x768, then OK, and OK again.

11. At the resultant prompt, enter "xwin" to start the desktop.
If it still hangs, boot again the same way but at the after-bootup prompt (before step 4 above) enter "ddcprobe" and find the line we are trying to match, to be sure the text is exactly what the script is looking for. For youb's case I rely on ddcprobe including a "Segmentation fault" line in its output, since the "oem:" line is too vague -- it is a copyright notice and does not specify a particular adapter model; so be sure I got the upper/lower cases right, for an exact match. To verify there is only the one xorgwizard2 in the system, enter "which xorgwizard2", that should show either nothing or "/usr/sbin"; anything else suggests the wrong file is being run.

If you do get it to work you can rename the script (in /usr/sbin) to "xorgwizard" to have it run automatically at bootup.

I need to verify it works so I can hand it off to dougal for integration into his version and a puppy release. Thanks for sticking with me on this.
Richard
Last edited by rerwin on Mon 19 Nov 2007, 16:40, edited 3 times in total.

dalderton
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Joined: Sun 22 Apr 2007, 08:33

#37 Post by dalderton »

I will sit this one out for a bit as I dont have a flash drive.My option is to replace the original xorgwizard with your modified one and burn it as a remastered live or installable cd.This modified xorgwizard does not work when used in this way. Regards Dennis

youb
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Joined: Fri 16 Nov 2007, 02:40
Location: France

#38 Post by youb »

Added pfix=ram,nox to loadlin's options
Boot linux, at prompt :
mkdir /mnt/hda3
mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/hda3 -t vfat (my C: win drive, where I put the downloaded file)
cp /mnt/hda3/xo/xorgwizard2 /usr/sbin
umount /mnt/hda3
xorgwizard2 -- same problem again.
I checked my ddcprobe output and "Segmentation fault" is written ok.

Isn't it normal since I am using the same xorgwizard2 as yesterday ?

Thanks, Mat

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rerwin
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Location: Maine, USA

I need your assistance; I do not have your laptops to test.

#39 Post by rerwin »

Dennis, please don't sit this out. I cannot resolve the dilemma without you. Your remaster technique should now work with the fix, since the file in /etc/X11 is no longer involved. (Go ahead and rename the script to xorgwizard for your remaster, so it will be invoked automatically.)

I want the fix to be as generally applicable as we can make it, which means getting it to detect your all of particular video adapters by matching something in the ddcprobe output.

Just one thing to make clear, I have built the fix on the Puppy 3.01 version of the wizard; so be sure you are all testing with 3.01.

If testing with 3.01 doesn't work, I will have to add debug code to the fix to try to find where the problem is.

My only other suspicion is that maybe the forum is squeezing some space-characters out of the oem: and segment-fault lines in your posts. So if you notice beginning- or trailing spaces or multiple adjacent spaces in the text we are trying to match, please tell me. (And, Dennis, does your ddcprobe "oem:" line have a space after the colon?)

One more time ... Thanks.
Richard

youb
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Joined: Fri 16 Nov 2007, 02:40
Location: France

#40 Post by youb »

I'm using 3.01, and the "Segmentation fault" is the same in the output and the xorgwizard2 file (I will double check). No problem for further testing... Thanks, Mat
EDIT: I've been browsing through the forum... and I read a post about the minimum amount of RAM needed to run Puppy... I have 64mb, could it be the cause of my problem ? (I use loadlin, therefore if I'm not mistaken it loads everything in RAM and I don't use any swap.)

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rerwin
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Location: Maine, USA

Debug version now in the download file.

#41 Post by rerwin »

Mat, thanks for your response. I ran out of explanations; but I think you have found it! 64MB is a bit tight. (If you make the laptop work satisfactorily for you, you might consider adding RAM to speed it up.)

Assuming the laptop has a hard drive, you could boot from the CD and I think that situation creates a swap file wherever it can find space. But avoid having it go into an NTFS partition, as the performance is reportedly impacted. Or make a small (64M-128M) swap partition or file; there are several ways, but we can work on that if you need help.

My news for everyone else not getting the latest version of the fix to work is that I have replaced the download file with one that contains both the latest version and one containing debug messages. They will verify that the fix is actually running and show whether it finds a match or what it is trying to match. (The oem: line may be surrounded by periods (.), to reveal any extra spaces.)

The debug version, xorgwizard2d, will show other lines along with the pink "probing" lines. They will remain on the screen for 15 seconds, so press ctrl-c to keep them longer. If it still hangs, please tell me what messages are displayed. The last should be an oem: line of some sort. If you just wait, the long video-mode list should appear.

Richard

dalderton
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Joined: Sun 22 Apr 2007, 08:33

#42 Post by dalderton »

Richard . I am using 3.0.1 and I have renamed the file xorgwizard and the xorgwizard box comes up but when I click on xorg then the hang happens as in the original. ddcprobe is
oem: Trident CYBER 8820
I notice on the xorgwizard2 file it is shown as Trident Cyber 8820 I dont know if this is significant. We soldier on Regards Dennis
EDIT I wrote this before your latest post Richard so let me know if the CYBER is significant.I can fix it on the last xorgwizard2 file and try it if you wish..Dennis

dalderton
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#43 Post by dalderton »

Richard Its not what you write,its the way that you write it. I changed the oem line in the original xorgwizard2 to oem: Trident CYBER 8820 and remastered it on the original Puppy Unleashed bootable CD 3.0.1 and the burnt disk worked perfectly on my Toshiba TE 2000. On one oem line there was no gap from the colon plus the CYBER was Cyber and on the next line the gap was there but CYBER was again Cyber. Anyway it is now working flawlessly. It has been a pleasure to do business with you.
The only thing left is to get the Toshiba Modem to work on Puppy?????
Regards Dennis

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rerwin
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All resolved! Ready to be integrated.

#44 Post by rerwin »

Thanks, Dennis, for your clarification. Assuming Mat's problem is with low RAM, with enough he can probably run without the fix.

I have uploaded a cleaned-up version of both scripts, ready for more people to try with other laptops.

Dougal, I think this added logic is ready for your consideration to integrate with your development version of xorgwizard.

Thank you to all who have helped me get to this point with the fix.

Richard

youb
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Location: France

#45 Post by youb »

Thank you for your help. I'm trying to find a way to run puppy with my 64mb and no cd-rom or disk drive... Seems feasible according to some posts on this forum. Regards,
Mat

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rerwin
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Follow-up comments

#46 Post by rerwin »

Dennis, I would like to know if you get your modem to work. The one on my Tecra does not, apparently because a linux driver was never written for that propriatary winmodem. I hope yours is different. I recommend not using the new PupDial probe option to find it, as it may not look for the right thing or may misidentify it. Try the old modem wizard from the command line: modem-wizard.

Start by trying ttyLT0; if it fails it may be that no other will appear to work either, so try the others only after restarting the wizard or even rebooting to a fresh system (maybe with pfix=ram).

Mat, I think that even if you get Puppy to run in only 64MB, it will not be able to do anything useful. At minimum, try one of the "puplet" projects targeted for low-memory systems -- BarelyPup or try the new Puppy 4.00 alpha.

Do you want to run without a hard drive because the laptop has none, or because you dare not add anything to your partitions? If you have a little disk space, you can add a swap file from a boot-up with pfix=nox. The commands are (but substitute for "hda3" if necessary):

Code: Select all

mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/data
dd if=/dev/zero of =/mnt/data/pupswap.swp bs=1K count=96K
mkswap /mnt/data/pupswap.swp
umount /mnt/data
The next problem is to use the swap file. "swapon /dev/hda3" should do it. If it fails, try rebooting the same way (pfix=nox) and enter the swapon again.

If you cannot use a hard drive and you are considering keeping and using the laptop, and there is a free RAM slot, look into acquiring another 64MB RAM stick appropriate for your laptop. Or 128MB if you have to replace a stick.

I have succeeded in running BareltPup on my 32MB Internet Appliance by making a 100MB swap file on the IDE compact flash drive I put Puppy on, even though I expect that will shorten its lifespan. It works, but I can run only two applications at once, maximum; otherwise it gets painfully sluggish. Looking forward to trying 4.00-alpha.

Re the fixed script: I have made it match on an entire line, to avoid matching lines that have more on them than the expected text. It works on my two laptops.

That appears to conclude my work on this fix, unless someone needs another video adapter added to the list -- please post needed additions here or by PM to me. Thanks, again, for all your participation in this.

Richard

youb
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Location: France

#47 Post by youb »

Thanks for your reply, sorry... but by no disk drive, I meant no floppy disk drive... I am currently considering partitioning my hdd to make a swap part. I found this thread which seems interesting :
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 142&t=5946

I will also consider the other alternatives you gave me. These are my first postings here, I'm not sure but I think it might be good to start a new thread if I have further questions (I think this is "off-topic" here isn't it ?).
Regards, Mat

DaveR
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Joined: Wed 30 May 2007, 15:08

Satellite 1805S203

#48 Post by DaveR »

OK I'm back to bug you again.

Followed your Nov 17 directions - both of them - with the same result as before - system hang after the pink probing line flashes on the screen.

Followed your Nov 18 directions - using xorgwizard2d - with the same result as before - complete system hang after the pink probing line flashes on the screen. Only thing different is that there was a white line above the pink one. The screen is blank - no cursor - no messages.

I have a whopping 256 MB of RAM ;-) so that shouldn't be a problem.

What puzzles me more than anything is that Xubuntu 7.10 loaded like a charm and runns very well. So what's different between the two??

dalderton
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Joined: Sun 22 Apr 2007, 08:33

#49 Post by dalderton »

Richard No I have not got my modem working on my Te2000, After your success with this thread I thought that you might have some ideas.AH Well Regards Dennis

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rerwin
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DaveR's problem laptop

#50 Post by rerwin »

DaveR, thanks for continuing to pursue this problem. My debug version is giving us more to work with.

I assume that the white line you see is "Debug version of xorgwizard fixed to handle some Tecras and Porteges" that indicates the debug verion is really running. The pink line precedes invocation of the command "Xorg -configure". If that command completes, you should see the message "Returned from probing."; since you don't see it, I conclude that the Xorg command is what is hanging up.

So your problem is different than the fix addresses. But try something before we take this conversation to a new thread, probably in the Beginners or Users forum.

Boot up with "pfix=ram,nox" to keep things clean. At the prompt enter "Xorg -configure" and hope that it displays something before it hangs. That might give us a clue.

Another thing to check, booting up the same way, is to enter "Xvesa -listmodes". If that works it means that the fix is not needed for your laptop, because it doesn't hang -- that is what the fix would prevent.

And the other thing to try, if you haven't already, is to select the Xvesa option instead of Xorg, to see if anything will work.

Richard
Last edited by rerwin on Wed 21 Nov 2007, 02:16, edited 1 time in total.

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