Installing Debian on my laptop. :(

Toaster · Post by **Toaster** » Mon 25 Jul, 2005 6:16 pm

I am not sure if this goes here.... There's no forum on computer help so I will post it here.

I have tried installing debian on my dell inspiron 7000. It has an ATI graphics card in it I think not sure.

but when I install it asks what setting to use for the GFX I tried ATI but that did not work I also tried another one but it also would not work.

This is my first time useing a linux OS. I can still run debian but there's no desktop it's all command line. (I am learning it slowly

) Also I have not been able to get the mouse to work.

It says it cant find a mouse I thought mabey it had something to do with the fact that iam useing a touch pad.

Thanks for an help in advance!

Post by **benryves** » Mon 25 Jul, 2005 6:27 pm

Linux is pretty horrible with hardware (at least, in comparison to Windows). ATi drivers are especially crappy too, so I'm led to believe, on Linux. (I know that I can't go over a crummy 1024x768!)
Are there some standard VGA/SVGA modes you can select (VESA) - they won't require specific drivers, but won't give you full access to the features of the card.

Toaster · Post by **Toaster** » Mon 25 Jul, 2005 7:14 pm

Thats the other one I selected.

vesa

coelurus · Post by **coelurus** » Mon 25 Jul, 2005 7:45 pm

Laptops, I've never dared to touch one

http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/inspiron7000.html
A little bit of info on how to setup various things.

dysfunction · Post by **dysfunction** » Mon 25 Jul, 2005 9:35 pm

Try downloading the linux driver for your card off ati's site and install it (it's probably a .sh file, so to install it cd into the directory and type install FILENAME), then type

emacs etc/X11/xorg.conf

Look for the display adaptor driver section, then replace whatever's there (should say "ati" by default?) with "fglrx" which is the proprietary ati linux driver. Man you shoulda gone nvidia, they are far easier to install in linux.

And Ben, it's not Linux's fault that hardware support is poor (at least for newer stuff, such as graphics and wireless net- in other areas Linux's hardware detection rapes Windows)- if the hardware companies would show the same support for Linux that they show for Windows, then Linux could have better hardware detection than windows all the time. The reason things often work better in Windows is because the companies always release full, official support and drivers for Windows, whereas Linux drivers often have to be hacked or emulated simply because the companies release poor drivers (or have no Linux support at all).

Andy_J · Post by **Andy_J** » Mon 25 Jul, 2005 10:57 pm

dys, that'd be either `chmod +x file; ./file` or `sh file`, not `install file` -- install is something different altogether. Also, I prefer nano. (Though I've never used emacs -- and I can't understand vim for the life of me.)

nVidia IS much easier to get going, though. Install it, modprobe it, edit xorg.conf, and fire X up. That easy.

blueskies · Post by **blueskies** » Tue 26 Jul, 2005 12:08 am

is debian using x.org yet? i thought they just added that to the sid distribution...

Andy_J · Post by **Andy_J** » Tue 26 Jul, 2005 2:24 am

Whatever. xorg.conf, XF86Config.

blueskies · Post by **blueskies** » Tue 26 Jul, 2005 6:54 am

I just figured it's better to know which server you're talking about before you run off some instructions. He's going to have a hell of a time finding xorg.conf if it isn't even installed.

Kalimero · Post by **Kalimero** » Tue 26 Jul, 2005 10:22 am

If it's your first linux os, why don't you try a live cd or a easier distro like ubuntu or kubuntu?

coelurus · Post by **coelurus** » Tue 26 Jul, 2005 10:22 am

The xorg-transition in the testing-version of Debian was utterly... terrible. Hardly anything worked, it got to the point of total badness that I couldn't even compile my project, I had to manually compile and install the fullscreen mode extension into xorg :p Plus gaim was not installable for a few days.

So I installed Ubuntu which is infinitely much nicer, officially supports amd64 and you can get free CDs from their site! I would recommend Ubuntu to pretty much anybody using linux, there is no reason at all to stick with Debian as it is now and Gentoo's compile-install thingy is kinda boring. The rest of the distros aren't that interesting.
Don't like gnome and no root? Type "server" or "server-expert" before install and you got that bit sorted out.

Toaster · Post by **Toaster** » Tue 26 Jul, 2005 4:36 pm

okay I will start to download Ubuntu then.