I’m trying to get chainloading Windows working, and change the default VGA mode on boot, but whenever I go to edit a bootloader entry in YaST, the entire machine locks up. I can’t find any errors in /var/log/messages or /var/log/YaST2/y2log that could account for it. It also happens when I try using the Hardware Information tool in YaST, so that may be related. Editing the menu.lst will solve my current problem, but I’d really like to get to the bottom of the problem and report it. Any ideas on where to look?
Also for reference: I’m running 11.4 on an AMD Athlon II X4, 8GB RAM, nVidia chipset, with an ATI PCI-E graphics card.
You talk about changes you made to “the default VGA mode on boot”. It would be more informative to the potential helpers when you post where you did change what into what. Remember that we can not know this when you do not tell. Never assume that what you (try to) do is so obvious that all others will immediatly understand in depth what it is about.
Also I want to point you to the feature to post computer text between CODE tags. This may be something you allready found out, but as this feature is rather hidden I dare to point you to: Posting in Code Tags - A Guide
Sorry if I wasn’t clear. These are changes I was trying to make, not changes I’d already made, meaning they have no bearing on the lockup I’m experiencing. Although to be complete as possible:
Initially I was using the graphics functionality in the nVidia chipset, but recently I’ve purchased the ATI card, so I removed the nVidia drivers and installed the ATI drivers. This change of graphics adapter meant the VGA mode that had been selected when I installed OpenSUSE was no longer valid for the new adapter, meaning I was prompted every boot which screen mode to use. I went to change this using the YaST2 Boot Loader settings and experienced the lockup (which I tried a few times, just to make sure it’s 100% reproducable).
I have now changed the menu.lst file (changes in bold below) to use the right VGA mode for my screen which works, but I still get the lockup if I try to use the Boot Loader option in YaST2. I should point out I get the main Boot Loader window, and the lockup only occurs when I click ‘Edit’ on one of the entries (it does the show the new edit window before it locks up though).
Original:
###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title Desktop -- openSUSE 11.4 - 2.6.37.6-0.7
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.37.6-0.7-desktop root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD103UJ_S13PJDWQ704478-part2 resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD103UJ_S13PJDWQ704478-part1 splash=silent quiet showopts vga=**0x348**
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.37.6-0.7-desktop
New:
###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title Desktop -- openSUSE 11.4 - 2.6.37.6-0.7
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.37.6-0.7-desktop root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD103UJ_S13PJDWQ704478-part2 resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_HD103UJ_S13PJDWQ704478-part1 splash=silent quiet showopts vga=**0x31A**
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.37.6-0.7-desktop
If the two lockups are related (the Boot Loader screen lockup and the Hardware Information lockup), then I don’t think any of this is relevant, since the Hardware Information lockup was happening right from when I first installed OpenSUSE, it just never effected me enough for me to take the time to investigate it.
Sounds like you have a bad install ie one or more of Yast’s files are corrupt. Is this a new install? Is this an upgrade from a previous version?. If install or upgrade from a DVD/CD did you run the media check?
On 09/30/2011 07:56 PM, gogalthorp wrote:
>
> Sounds like you have a bad install ie one or more of Yast’s files are
> corrupt. Is this a new install? Is this an upgrade from a previous
> version?. If install or upgrade from a DVD/CD did you run the media
> check?
+1 all of those questions are crucial to finding the correct repair path…
and, let me add a few more that will make it easier to track down what
or how the system was corrupted:
What is the operating system and version in use.
What is the desktop environment, and version.
If this is a system upgraded from a previous version of openSUSE:
which was the previous and how was the upgrade accomplished?
If it was a new install over a previously installed, different
distro, then which distro was overlaid? and, was /home retained?
is the system running on bare metal, or in a VM? if in a VM: which?
and what is the host system?
to boot, are you using the grub which shipped with the version of
openSUSE installed? if not, how are booting and what is in the mbr?
what is the output of
sudo /sbin/fdisk -l
and, again -=WELCOME=-
–
DD
openSUSE®, the “German Automobiles” of operating systems
Again, nobody’s going to profit from “in the window or something. I forget exactly where and how, but poke around”. Poking around only fixes things by sheer luck. And the opposite of sheer luck is utter misery. FYI: linux is an operating system, and system management is not done by poking around.
Another example in this single reply: you’re suggesting the usage of “dd” without checking whether your syntax is correct, even telling that it may copy the entire disk (don’t explain, but do you realize that one cannot copy an entire disk to itself).
If you cannot give decent advice, please refrain from posting. With a “please” added for now.