I tried to install openSUSE 11.4 from the live CD’s both the KDE and GNOME version. Unfortunatly both the installations fail.
The problem is due probably to the graphic card ATI HD 3650.
I tried installing it even with the only text type but after the loading of the kernel, I always get a black screen with a lot of colored lines, and the image doesn’t get back.
After a while the hard disk stops and the installation freezes. I tried installing it with various options, and various 11.4 supports but i always get the same problem.
Does the computer install or run a Windows system normally? If yes, then maybe there’s nothing wrong with it. If you have a different computer dual booting Windows & openSUSE I’d suggest a long and tedious process, so it depends on how much you want the Toshiba to run an openSUSE system.
Step 1. On the dual booting Windows system, install Acronis true image.
Step 2. Create a backup of all partitions.
Step 3. Install Acronis on the Toshiba
Step 4. Startup Acronis on the Toshiba and use the backup from your other computer to “recover” the Toshiba. This will replace your Toshiba system with the backup.
Step 5 (optional). Delete the windows partition if you don’t want it.
I have a Dell Studio 1537 laptop with Radeon HD3450, and I wrote a bug report on openSUSE-11.4 (where the bug crept in during the RC versions of 11.4) that PCs with the Radeon HD3450 (and also 3650 and some other Radeon versions) will freeze during a normal boot right after the kernel load with the symptoms you mentioned.
That will boot your Radeon HD3650 to the ‘radeonhd’ open source video driver. Thats not ideal, but its a start. Now before installing, you can also test this a bit further !
Once in the GUI with X running, open a terminal and type ‘su’ (use ‘enter’ for the password) and type ‘init 3’. That will push the liveCD back to run level 3 (a full screen text mode).
Log in as user ‘linux’ and again use ‘enter’ as the password.
Then go to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-device.conf file, and remove the ‘#’ from in front of the line " #Driver “radeon” " and save that change. You will need to do that change with root permissions. I typically install the program ‘mc’ (midnight commander) into memory on the PC running the liveCD, as running ‘mc’ in text mode gives one a menu driven text editor that works great in full screen.
Then once the change has been made/saved to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-device.conf (which of course is a change in RAM) then exit your editor and with root permissions type ‘init 5’ and that should restart X with the ‘radeon’ graphic driver that you will find has superior performance to the ‘radeonhd’ driver.
For long duration testing with a liveCD, I have even installed (into RAM) the proprietary Catalyst driver which gives great performance (relative to the radeon and radeonhd drivers). Of course once one turns the PC off then all is lost (since one is operating out of RAM in a liveCD).
Once you install, you will still need the nomodeset boot code all the time until the proprietary driver is installed.
