My unhappy adventures with Linux installation

[PowerGod]

Just writing something while waiting for the next distribution to finish downloading, and to shout to the world my anger... seems like someone in the Hell does not want me to install a totally working Linux on this PC...

I have this 10 years old PC with Win XP, and I want to install some recent linux distro on the other HD...

The problems I had to face (until now) were these:

Spoiler

1) No DVD reader + No USB Booting option on the BIOS...

SOLVED: I made a Floppy with a PLOP bootloader, and with that I can launch a distro in a USB stick...

2) Linux MINT MATE (Debian) installation killed my monitor.... (well not exactly, but it was complaining about some frequency too high and shut down itself...)

SOLVED: This is a problem that exists from 2010 as far as I see on the internet... I have to UNPLUG the monitor BEFORE starting the live distro, wait a bit and then PLUG it again to bypass the issue... (not so comfortable...)

The options on the Plop menu are taken from the "syslinux.cfg" in the USB stick, and in case of Linux Mint it is pointing to the "/isolinux/isolinux.cfg", so I modified that file adding the "nomodeset" parameter to all the voices. Now the monitor does not have problems anymore.

3) The live distro anyway freezes while detecting the USB PCI controller... so I unplugged all the unnecessary USB things and retried... then it was frozen at the NVidia card detection...

NOT SOLVED - Trying some other distro...

4) Fedora - SAME MONITOR PROBLEM(solved), AND SAME FREEZE while detecting the USB controller, but there's nothing else plugged in except for the mouse and the USB stick...

NOT SOLVED - Trying some other distro...

5) Debian - the PLOP bootloader doesn't recognise the distro

SOLVED: I modified by hand the "/isolinux/isolinux.cfg" to put in it all the content of the others included cfg files, then it was recognized by PLOP and the menu was visible.

6) Debian - SAME FREEZE while detecting the video card

SOLVED - I used an ISO with a CLI installer and after the installation there where no driver related problems

7) Debian - FREEZE while pairing or disconnecting Bluetooth

NOT SOLVED - Trying a working combination of different packets

Spoiler

8) Debian - Monitor Stand-by while playing something on SMplayer/SMplayer2

SOLVED - Just put this line in ~/.mplayer2/config or ~/.mplayer2/config

heartbeat-cmd="xscreensaver-command -deactivate"
By the way, I tried to reformat/recheck the USB Stick in many ways (FAT32/NTFS) and recreated it with different programs (UNetBootin,Rufus,LiLi) but nothing changed...

One thing is sure, Linux doesn't like the NVidia card... and I can't change the starting parameters because I suppose my monitor is unplugged when GRUB is starting...

 

[Björn]

You should use a distribution, which doesn't have a graphical installer, for example Debian (CLI installer, very easy to use), Arch (no installer, a little difficult to setup if you don't have some experience with Linux but has a detailed installation guide on the wiki) or the Ubuntu minimal installation CD which has the Debian installer, as far as i remember.
When i tried to setup Kubuntu on my PC, a few years ago, i had the problem that the X server wouldn't start, because the stupid auto configuration could not get my graphics card running.

 

[Granitehead]

I'm not sure the Ubuntu minimal install CD still exists, they might have cancelled it along with the other good stuff.

I wouldn't recommend Arch for a beginner unless that beginner mainly wants to learn, instead of mainly getting an OS.

Debian sounds like a good idea.

 

[PowerGod]

Actually "Plain" Debian scares me a little... my only "long" happy experience with linux was for 3 years from Mandrake 9 to Mandriva 2008... then my PC died and the next one had Win7 preinstalled, so my only Linux experience from then was with Cygwin (well GNU experience ) and the Pandora...

I tried also the "compatible mode" option in the Fedora and Mint, I supposed that was a CLI installation... anyway same result...

Anyway I'm not sure it's the graphical interface the problem, because the boot freezes even before calling the X server (or whatever it is called now) all I see is a terminal that is doing hardware detection.

 

[b_o_b]

The easiest Linux Distro that I can think of and never failed to install for me is Puppy Linux. You could be up and running including downloading, burning and installing in 15 minutes.

My favorite rescue cd/distro. There might be some problems if you need to install new not supported software, that might be challenging. 

On the other hand there is no risk in trying it out (it is even fun). There are quite some derivatives as well.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Iqj6JJjC1yw?feature=oembed

 

[Björn]

Did you turn off Kernel Mode Setting? It didn't help me at the time, but it might help you . My NVIDIA card doesn't even support it (NVIDIA drivers suck), so i don't know what the installer does about this.

@T4b: Oh, thats a shame. I only remember one of my coworkers installing Ubuntu Server Edition and it had the Debian installer, but with another background color.

 

[PowerGod]

@Bjorn: I read everywere to use this parameter "nomodeset" when grub starts, but I can't because my monitor becomes blind before I can see it starting... I tried to hold SHIFT and also TAB while the monitor was unplugged, but nothing different happened...

@b_o_b: I used too that distro for a rescue one time, but used as a main OS I suppose it can be limited, or at least not so automated like more "huge" distros

 

[sebt3]

Go with debian


It's not as hard as you think

 

[Björn]

What refresh rate does your monitor use? You should be able to look it up in the monitor settings with a working video signal.

 

[Askarus]

Go for Arch.

The installation is no issue.

It was the first Linux after Pandora Linux used and I had no problems with installation.

The manual on the Arch Wiki is really detailed (I mean it. EVERYTHING is explained).

And for me it's nothing bad if you know what you install.

Also it's nice the first time to see how the system gets alive the first time .

And Rolling release is a must have in my opinion.

 

[b_o_b]

@b_o_b: I used too that distro for a rescue one time, but used as a main OS I suppose it can be limited, or at least not so automated like more "huge" distros

In your case it would really be a good option IMO. Your hardware is dated and puppy works great on older hardware. It amazingly fast. 

There are also projects based on Debian or Ubuntu and those should be working with the Debian/Ubuntu repo. (e.g. TahrPup http://puppylinux.org/wikka/tahrpup) 

There is also a very interesting project that is not a puppy but a derivative from Debian - acting like a puppy. A bit harder to setup though, I would advise to try TahrPup fist) http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=90660

Puppy Linux is too much fun to stick to one Puppy, it is addictive. Slacko, Carolina, Lighthouse.. all great Puppy's with direct support from the guys who created them. Great community. 

 

[Granitehead]

@T4b: Oh, thats a shame. I only remember one of my coworkers installing Ubuntu Server Edition and it had the Debian installer, but with another background color.

Oh, the server edition. Yes, that still exists. And I think it's the Debian installer.I just looked it up, the text based installation CDs which used to exist, called "alternate cd", only exists for Lubuntu now. Lubuntu is probably not the worst choice for an old computer, although I can't fully recommend it (it's stability (LTS version) was below my (high) expectations when I installed it for someone else who mainly needs a stable working computer without a lot of maintenance for internet and office. Plus it wasn't fully localized).

 

[PowerGod]

I tried 3 different Debian ISO, but seems like Plop doesn't recognizes them... so I'm not able to try that distro

Anyway I've done some progress... now I understand better how Plop works and why I wasn't able to change grub options...

I didn't know that the Plop menu was already using grub, and I was expecting ANOTHER grub menu after launching the USB ISO, but what happens is that Plop grub menu actually takes the configuration of the distro and uses them for it's menu...

The problem is that it is not a "Complete" grub menu, and you can't modify the voices before launching them...

I found that the options are taken from the "syslinux.cfg" in the USB stick, and in case of Linux Mint it is pointing to the "/isolinux/isolinux.cfg", so I modified that file adding the "nomodeset" parameter to all the voices.

Now Linux MINT start without killing my monitor anymore... but it still freezes... I attached a picture of what I see when that happen

 

[Björn]

http://kb.digium.com/articles/FAQ/How-to-disable-the-Linux-frame-buffer-if-it-s-causing-problems

Try the kernel options in the section "How to disable framebuffer". Maybe this helps.

 

[Klumpen]

If it's a 10year old PC, why not try an earlier version (of Mint for example) than the current one?

Since it should fit on a CD anyway, you wouldn't have the DVD-problem either.

 

[fusion_power]

Go with debian


It's not as hard as you think

Compared to Ubuntu, Suse etc., Debian is more "hardcore" I would say.

 

[Pickle]

buy a new computer

 

[hitbyambulance]

someone is missing the point...

buy a new computer

 

[Orkekum]

I installed ubuntu on my laptop. Flawless. Also i like yhe fact they recently got skype working.

 

[Granitehead]

I installed ubuntu on my laptop. Flawless. Also i like yhe fact they recently got skype working.

Recently?I've been using Skype on Ubuntu for years, it has been running in always the same way: badly, but not different from the Android or Windows version...