Getting No XServer in new opensuse 11 install

Hello!
I’ve tried several times over the years to migrate to linux, but each time i’ve tried, I get nowhere with installing it. Something invariably won’t work, and the only time i’ve ever seen a linux desktop is inside VMware.

Recently, i’ve just totally lost my patience with Windows. I have zero intention of using Vista ever, and that forces my hand to linux, since i’m not replacing my hardware with mac.

So enter opensuse 11. I downloaded the iso and burned it, booted my machine and ran the install fine. It shrunk my current windows partition, installed itself fine, but on reboot, it gets nowhere. It attempts to boot xserver, but fails due to a “no screens found” error and returns me to the prompt.

I navigated to the xorg.conf file and opened it in VIM, but it only gave me read only, telling me the file was generated and I shouldn’t edit it.

That leaves me here, sitting in my office staring at the prompt with no machine. I can only assume it’s a video card/screen config situation, but I don’t know how to edit that information. sax2 as a command gives me command not found errors. I don’t understand why the installation program has no problem recognizing and running my screens fine, but the installed OS is unable to do so.

It’s also worth noting I have a unique video configuration. I have two Nvidia 7600 cards running in SLI with 3 lcd monitors attached to them.

I’ve seen talk of sli working with linux, so i don’t think i’m out of the water. If I can’t get linux live, i’m going to have to go the hackintosh route, which would be annoying because I have a dual core AMD system. Doable, but annoying.

Any help I could get would be appreciated. I don’t know enough about linux to run diagnostics of my own or get system information from the prompt. I just want to get live again so I can install VMware inside linux and run a winxp install for Adobe CS3, doing the rest of my work out of linux (mostly web based).

Thanks.

I restarted the system and was brought to a boot selection screen. I booted in failsafe and it let me access a graphical interface.

I opened YaST>Software>Software Repositories, added the Nvidia repository and then went to YaST>Software>Software Management and installed the Nvidia drivers.

I restarted, but xserver crashed again with the same error (screen not found).

Restarted into failsafe again. Don’t know the next step.

anyone? ideas?

Well, I still can’t get it to actually boot xserver. But I have been using it in Failsafe mode most of the day. 75% of my work is webbased (google documents) so I can still get things done. I have to admit. I love it.

Other than the usual gripe of Adobe CS3 not running on it (I’ll VMWare an XP install just for graphic design work), linux is wicked.

It’s a horribly brutal install process tho. Why must it be so? It’s slowly getting better, i’ve been trying to migrate for years, but after a day or two trying to get it to function, I would always loose my interest and slide back to windows. Same situation this time, except i’m not going back… too many security problems, i’m just tired.

One day i’ll actually get the not-failsafe version to work!

No screens found, sax2 won’t open, can’t edit xorg.conf for some reason. totally lost.

how about today?
Anyone?

Experiencing the same problem. Any resolution?

Resolved my issue by logging in at command prompt as root, getting to run level 3 by running the command “init 3”, then running SaX2 with the following options:

sax2 -c 0 -m0=nvidia

Rebooted and went right in to full Linux, no Failsafe mode necessary!

Of course, this will only work if you’re having this problem with an NVidia card.