I hate installing Debian

[3eyes]

I just spent hours installing it three times in a row and each time when I log on "startx" fails and I'm still stuck at a shell prompt. Hell if I wanted a system like that I could borrow my friend's ancient MS-DOS floppies and install that.

[Rude part]Before the so-called "gurus" get smug and say I didn't configure it right, yes, I did. I did my research and installed everything properly, including ipv4 and all the little questions it asks like the framebuffer. It was properly installed but simply wouldn't load x after I logged in.[/Rude part]

Sorry for the rude part, but I'm sooooo tired of the attitude some people have - they immediately assume that people who report that a distro didn't install correctly or are experiencing problems are just clueless newbies who don't know what they're doing and then they take a superior, condescending attitude.

Has anyone else noticed that the only Debian-based distro out there that isn't a Windows-clone (barring Knoppix) is Libranet which now costs $60? Knoppix can be installed to the hard drive but it presents problems later with APT because of the shortcuts that were necessary to get it to run from cd. Somebody needs to make a new Debian-based distro that's free or at least cheaper than Libranet. I'm a poor person, I can't afford that.

Or at least a Debian distro with updated drivers and an installation that works. I know Debian doesn't make a stable release until it's 110% stable, but they could at least re-release the current one with more drivers.What i would love would be that with yoper's ability to use packages in all three major formats.

Damn, but i wish I could code.     I know no code myself, I just recognize good coding when I see it work.

End of rant.

[ August 06, 2003: Message edited by: 3eyes ]

[jtpenrod]

The problem isn't necessarily "not doing your research". There seems to be some problem with Debby-Ann's installer: it didn't get X working on my system either after doing the install. It's necessary to use X's own configure utility: xf86config. By letting xf86config do the set-up, I had KDE up and running just fine. Enter:

Code: [Select]

at the command prompt (must be "root" since this will need to write a new XF86Config file.)

Also, it might be necessary to play around with the "modes" setting within xf86config to get things looking good. (Try selecting "432": that's what worked on my system.)
______________________________________
Live Free or Die: Linux

"There: now you'll never have to look at those dirty Windows anymore"
      --Daffy Duck

[ August 06, 2003: Message edited by: jtpenrod ]

[3eyes]

Nope, none of the guides I read on installing Debian mentioned that. I'm going to give it a try tomorrow. Thanks!

[Faust]

my bad

edit: I had the same prob, didnt start x.  i tried answering no at use kernel framebuffer whatever and hey it worked...  but you've already tried that so ill shut up.

[ August 06, 2003: Message edited by: Faust ]

[3eyes]

The biggest trouble is basically the hardware drivers on Woody are just too outdated now. It would prbably work fine if I were using a computer I'd bought a year ago and not upgraded, but that's not the case.

Aaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhh!!! Knoppix is, so far, the only distro that recognizes all of my hardware. But there's so much software you can't install afterwards because of all the shortcuts they took when coding it to run of the cd. And I've posted at their forum and no one is interested in making a Knoppix distro that you wouldn't have these problems with after you install it to the hard drive even though it shouldn't be difficult for anyone who knows how to code. So, I'm screwed.

Ok, that sounded self-pitying, but it's also true.  

[Faust]

Heh, thats why I changed to testing, just too much old stuff in stable.  It'd be cool for a server, but for a desktop no way.

[emh]

It might not be a bad idea to just install a new kernel, as the latest one would have the latest drivers available.

I don't know how Debian handles kernel installing.  I know RPM-based distros have kernels you can just install like an application, and then just simply reboot into the new kernel. (I myself have done this before with my Mandrake 9.1)  I would imagine there would be a Debian package for the latest kernel around somewhere.

[3eyes]

quote:Originally posted by emh:
It might not be a bad idea to just install a new kernel, as the latest one would have the latest drivers available.

I don't know how Debian handles kernel installing.  I know RPM-based distros have kernels you can just install like an application, and then just simply reboot into the new kernel. (I myself have done this before with my Mandrake 9.1)  I would imagine there would be a Debian package for the latest kernel around somewhere.

I'm afraid I don't know how to do that either. I'll do some research on it. Thanks for the idea though.  

[JH]

quote:Before the so-called "gurus" get smug and say I didn't configure it right, yes, I did. I did my research and installed everything properly, including ipv4 and all the little questions it asks like the framebuffer. It was properly installed...

So everything just works fine than, right?  

[3eyes]

Har har.    

Actually, I think I may have found a way around this: download the Sarge isos (man, this is going to take a week), install Woody, login as root just to make sure it recognizes that and then reboot from the Sarge cd and install that.

Or should I try Sid? Would it be more likely to recognize my hardware? Only the latest version of Knoppix has a driver for my sound card, called via82cxxx_audio. I tried to apt-get that driver just to see if I could and it came up couldn't find package, so I'm unsure.

[Faust]

Stuff Sid.  Unless you have already tried this:
specify bf2.4 at boot to install a 2.4 kernel by default (yay!  nothing pre 60s!    )

Also the version of xfree in stable is old skool, that may be the problem - and also maybe drop to shell before you do tasksel / dselect and change to testing then apt-get dist-upgrade to change all your apps to testing.  Anyway isnt Sid packaged with stable or didnt you get all 7 CD's?