Can't install. Installing openSUSE, computer freezes

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hi,

I recently bought a Dell Alienware X51. i5 processor, 8GB Ram, NVidia555 graphics card. Have Dell U2410 24" monitor DVI connected.
I’m using latest version that I download of this site yesterday:
‘openSUSE-DVD-x86’
VENDOR openSUSE
VERSION 12.1
RELEASE 1.4

When I try to install openSUSE, I boot from DVD, the green screen comes up welcoming me.

I select ‘Installation’

I get the ‘Loading Linux Kernal’ progress bar… it goes to 100%, then the screen flashes black, then back to green displaying the openSUSE screen…and freezes.
I left for 10 mins and nothing happens. It sounds like hard disk or dvd moving but this then stops.

Sometimes with opther options, screen goes to black then freezes.

BUT I tried the same disk on my laptop and openSUSE works fine and I can install it… just not on my Dell X51, where I need it the most.

I’ve read on other sites eg Ubuntu, that there were problems with the new X51.

Could anyone suggest a fix other than getting a new computer ?:slight_smile:

Thank-you Kindly

#2

During bootup, when prompted for installation, first hit F3 and change to “text mode” (or whatever it’s called). I smell glitchy graphics driver for your beefy graphics card. Once installed via console (be sure to select initlevel 3 for default bootup), you can hopefully sort out the proper nvidia drivers. By default openSuSE uses the “nouveau” open source nvidia drivers. If that’s what’s causing the freeze (just a guess here), then you can try installing the proprietary drivers using: SDB:NVIDIA - openSUSE

hope this helps.

#3

On 08/03/2012 06:46 PM, regikeyz wrote:
> Could anyone suggest a fix other than getting a new computer

i would first try the nomodeset the way directed here
http://tinyurl.com/23mgej6

if you can get it installed that way then you can put in the correct
nVidia driver…

or, that i5 may need a kernel newer than the one in 12.1 (you didn’t say
what version of openSUSE you are trying!!)

you might want to try 12.2, it is still in testing and it may not work
for you either…i’d say get the live cd and see if it will run, if so
then you could install from it, get the Release Candidate 2 here:

http://software.opensuse.org/developer/

if it doesn’t work you may have to wait a while until we catch up… or??

–
dd http://tinyurl.com/DD-Caveat

#4

Hi thanks for the idea mr0z,
I tried that and right now I have
'udevd[130] timeout killing ‘/sbin/modprobe -bv pci:v00008086d00000102sv00001028sd00000527bc03sc80i00 [135]’
repeating itself every second scrolling down my screen in white text on black background…

I’ll try the other suggestion below, hopefully that will work… I’m new to Linux and dont really know what Im doing!
Thanks for your quick reply

#5

hi dd@home.dk/guest

I’m off out but will try this later when Im back.
Ps my versions is
VENDOR openSUSE
VERSION 12.1
RELEASE 1.4
*

I read another fix for Ubuntu here: Installing Linux 12.04b - QuantumBeach
Infact I’ll copy the text:
Installing Linux 12.04b
http://www.wikidot.com/avatar.php?userid=569522&size=small&timestamp=1344016999](http://www.wikidot.com/user:info/arturodeza)ArturoDeza 12 Mar 2012, 21:12 GMT+0000

1) Download 12.04 iso image file and create it with Startup Disk Manager in a USB stick (to avoid CD/DVD issues on the X51).
2) When booting, press F12 to choose boot via USB stick.
3) On the grub screen have your cursor over “Install Ubuntu”, and then press “e” to activate booting options.
4) Locate where it says : “splash quiet” and change them for “nosplash noquiet” and add “nomodeset”
it will look like this at the end: “nosplash noquiet nomodeset”
5) Press F10 and start booting Linux and complete intallation process.
6) Reset your computer.
7) After the BIOS splash screen is over press “ESC”
8) Repeat operation 3 but instead of selecting “Install ubuntu” you will find your new Kernel.
9) Proceed with pressing “e” and changing the splash and quiet for “nosplash noquiet” and “nomodeset”.
10) Log into your session and enjoy ubuntu!
NOT DONE YET!
11) open a terminal and type: $gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub
12)
edit:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=“quiet splash”
to:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=“noquiet nosplash nomodeset”
13) Save the new file, close gedit and run: $ sudo update-grub

I’m extremely new to Linux, I know ‘ls’ and ‘ls -la’ and how to change folders in the shell, but thats literally the extent of my knowledge!
Could the above be applied to openSUSE somehow? Is the link you sent me solving a similar problem as this? It’s not just an openSUSE issue as I had the same issue when I tried to install latest version of Mint two days ago before I was advised to go with openSUSE.

Thank-you very much*

#6

On 08/03/2012 09:16 PM, regikeyz wrote:
>
> hi dd@home.dk/guest
>
> I’m off out but will try this later when Im back.
> Ps my versions is
> VENDOR openSUSE
> VERSION 12.1
> RELEASE 1.4

did you download the DVD or CD? if CD which desktop did you choose? if
DVD with bit did you choose, 32 or 64?
just make sure you do this prior to attempting install:
http://tinyurl.com/3qde66h and/or http://tinyurl.com/455hbml (depending
on CD or DVD)…

> I read another fix for Ubuntu here:

my advice: do not read Ubuntu prescriptions until long after you no
longer consider yourself “new” to linux…(well, i’ve been around linux
a long time, but having never run Ubuntu i can’t comment on what they
did or why…)

when searching the net for info/solutions/tips remember this: treat
every linux distro as different from each other as WinXP is different
from Win7… really!!

when you want info about openSUSE use Google’s “site specifier” to
narrow the search to inside the openSUSE universe, like:

site:forums.opensuse.org

‘Installing Linux 12.04b -
> QuantumBeach’
> (http://quantumbeach.wikidot.com/forum/t-452990/installing-linux-12-04b)
> Infact I’ll copy the text:
> -Installing Linux 12.04b-
> -’[image:
> http://www.wikidot.com/avatar.php?userid=569522&size=small&timestamp=1344016999]’
> (http://www.wikidot.com/user:info/arturodeza)‘ArturoDeza’
> (http://www.wikidot.com/user:info/arturodeza) 12 Mar 2012, 21:12
> GMT+0000-
>
> -1) Download 12.04 iso image file and create it with Startup Disk
> Manager in a USB stick (to avoid CD/DVD issues on the X51).

i do, however note they say: “create it with Startup Disk
Manager in a USB stick (to avoid CD/DVD issues on the X51)” which causes
me to wonder about the CD/DVD drive issues they speak of…

is their point that one cannot install Ubuntu because the optical drive
is broken in your machine, or???

> 2) When booting, press F12 to choose boot via USB stick.

is F12 the key one presses on an X51 to access the BIOS (and in there
switch from CD/DVD to USB boot)? if so you would have to do that also
if you see that your CD/DVD drive is broken–so, be SURE and test the
disk you burned

> add “nomodeset”

i told you to do this, it may be all you need to do with openSUSE (i do
not know)

i suggest you:

  • TEST your install disk as shown above. if it does not test good read
    the instructions in http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Download_help (this and
    other very helpful links are all on the 12.1 download page (most below
    the huge “Download” button

  • investigate the need to bypass your CD/DVD by making an install USB
    (don’t know why they did that!)

  • add “nomodeset” to the boot options if it turns out it is needed
    (probably is)

ignore all the other tips and tricks you find for Ubuntu…(nothing wrong
with Ubuntu–just if one tries some openSUSE stuff on Ubuntu it WILL
break their system, and vice versa…)

gather up some patience…and do some reading:

http://doc.opensuse.org/documentation/html/openSUSE/opensuse-startup/

http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/how-faq-forums/new-user-how-faq-read-only/424611-new-users-opensuse-pre-install-general-please-read.html

http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/how-faq-forums/new-user-how-faq-read-only/477124-new-users-opensuse-12-2-pre-installation-please-read.html

if you wanna install to a machine with Windows installed, and you want
to keep it, also look at:

http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/how-faq-forums/advanced-how-faq-read-only/451831-install-opensuse-alongside-win7-vista-guide.html

so, that looks like a LOT, because it is! but, in the long run it will
save you time because what i wrote over a year ago remains true today:

“It is far easier to read, understand and follow the instructions than
to undo the problems caused by not.” so wrote dd on 23 Jan 11

–
dd

#7

Guys thanks for all your help. I’ve been grateful (and impressed) by your quick responses.

I’ve put a number of hours into this, although OpenSUSE is not currently working on my main computer, the install works on my laptop, so I’m just going to install it on that now… its not ideal, butmy priority is I need to get started with my project now and been up to speed with Linux, so it will do for now.

I also have two other installs that work on my laptop, Ubuntu and Mint, I don’t know my ass from my elbow in the Linus world and I just need to pick one, and since I was impressed with your support on this forum, I’m going to go with OpenSUSE. So Look forward to more beginner posts from me in the future :slight_smile:

I’ve like to provide you feedback, after you generously took your to make suggestions:
See below:

I tried a number of things, firstly the tinyurl link in a previous post:
SDB:Configuring graphics cards - openSUSE

I tried ‘first thing to try’ 1,2,3 (the rest was starting to go well out of my depth).
I noticed the link is for an older version and the screenshots are different, but I used a bit of common sense…

For ‘1st thing to try’
typing: nomodeset, the progress bar popped up and just froze, it didnt even count to 100% like normal

For ‘2nd thing to try’
Press F5 and boot with safesettings, it didnt work, I cant remember where it got stuck, but it froze at some point

For ‘3rd…’
Pressing ‘3’ did nothing, so I assumed it was smart to press ‘f3’, I then selected text mode, hit enter, and brilliant, a lode of white text on black background came up the screen… I thought ‘great it’s working’ but then it just froze, no error message, text still on screen… DVD or Harddisk came to a halt ,went quiet and made occasional noises but mostly quiet…

I tried all sorts of permutations eg typing ‘nomodeset’ AND ‘safesettings’, but still freezes…

Some further responses below: My replies are in >>RED

#8

One problem is that Alienware tends to cutting edge hardware and tuned to the max thus not really known to the Linux developers, at least yet. Hard to say where the problem is.

#9

On 08/07/2012 04:56 AM, gogalthorp wrote:
>
> One problem is that Alienware tends to cutting edge hardware and tuned
> to the max

and, i guess “tuned to the max” for windows gaming…

> thus not really known to the Linux developers, at least yet.
> Hard to say where the problem is.

very true! it may be totally unusable for Linux…what does the
Alienware documentation say about non-Window’s operating systems???

that is, this might all be a waste of time.

–
dd

#10

I think we might have the same problem… http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/install-boot-login/477256-boot-fails-after-ram-upgrade.html

Just to be sure;
could u boot with less ram (<3GB) ?
could you boot with a 32 bit OpenSuSE install CD/DVD ?

#11

I’m having the same problem. My attempts to install always freeze at 39% of packages installed (see Installation freezes). I posted that in June, but foolishly omitted to say that I was trying to install SUSE on Alienware.

I’ll have a try at loading 12.2 and see what happens.

#12

I’ve successfully installed openSUSE 12.2 rc2 on my Alienware machine, so this appears to be the fix. Of course, I can’t yet say whether whether it actually runs properly :slight_smile: but it’s loaded and I’ve got a web page showing in Firefox - considerably better than before.

Could I ask a supplementary question? Will the updates slowly build me the stable version, bit by bit, or am I going to have to re-install at some point? I’ve never installed a release candidate before. Some reassurance as to how to proceed would be useful to me and, I suspect, to the OP as well.

Thanks for your help on this, guys!