antiX-17_386-base boots, but no graphical environment

[Anonymous]

So, I’ve been experimenting with Antix-17 on an old laptop, and I think it will be perfect for my old IBM NetVista 225732U. Notably, this machine has:

*1300/100 Mhz Celeron Processor
*256MB RAM
*Intel(R) 8xx Chipset Video BI

I burned the 32-bit antiX-17_386-base.iso image to a CD and booted up the machine. Immediately after loading the kernel, I am hit with this error:

Undefined video mode number: 317
Press <ENTER> to see video modes available, <SPACE> to continue, or wait 30 sec

After multiple reboots I’ve tried all three; none of them seem to make a difference. The machine eventually begins to load antiX, scrolling through colorful lines of text, apparently without incident. However, when it reaches the point where every other machine I’ve tested it on loads the graphical desktop, the IBM freezes on a black screen. I have noticed that the IBM reacts similarly to almost any Debian/Ubuntu-based distro. It boots Q4OS and Slacko Puppy Linux without difficulty. It also used to boot Lucid Puppy, but booting Tahrpup results in the same screen blanking as soon as the machine tries to load the graphical environment.
Is there anything I can do to load antiX properly. Could it be that this machine is just too far behind the times? Any, and I mean any feedback would be appreciated.

[Forum Admin rokytnji]

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I’d bump the ram to max if me.
Check out using cli installer I guess on 256MB of ram if you wanna stick with 256Mb.

Sometimes I drive a crooked road to get my mind straight.
Not all who Wander are Lost.
I'm not outa place. I'm from outer space.

Linux Registered User # 475019
How to Search for AntiX solutions to your problems

[Forum Admin rokytnji]

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I just wait for video modes instead of hitting enter or space key.

Sometimes I drive a crooked road to get my mind straight.
Not all who Wander are Lost.
I'm not outa place. I'm from outer space.

Linux Registered User # 475019
How to Search for AntiX solutions to your problems

[Anonymous]

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Thank you for the suggestions.

When I waited 30 seconds for the video modes, everything loaded normally, however, when preparing to display the graphical environment, there was a quick burst of black and white fuzz, then a back-lit black screen again, the same as all the other times.
You mentioned RAM; since I don’t have any extra RAM sticks handy, I will probably try the cli-installer like you suggested. I’m beginning to suspect that 256 MB is insufficient for booting a live system; if I can manage to get antiX installed, things may work better.

Thanks again. I will post an update as soon as I can.

[Anonymous]

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So I’ve narrowed the problem down to the Linux kernel; all the Linux distros that have run well on the IBM run kernels from Linux 3.xx.xx. I installed antiX-17_386.iso to a USB drive, booted it on my main computer, and installed the following packages via Synaptic:

*linux-headers-3.7.10-antix.5-486-smp:i386
*linux-image-3.7.10-antix.5-486-smp:i386

They installed without any errors. I then opened the terminal and ran the following command:

sudo update-grub

The command finished without errors. I powered off the machine, plugged the USB drive into the IBM, and booted from it. When I reached the GRUB menu, I chose “Advanced Options for antiX” and selected kernel 3.7.10. The computer returned the following errors:

(See attatched image)

I’m not sure if I missed a step, or if there’s some configuration file I need to edit (I’m not a coder, so editing files with root privileges makes me a bit nervous). Any ideas?

[Moderator caprea]

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Did you update the kernel on the live-usb this way?
https://mxlinux.org/wiki/help-files/help-live-usb-kernel-updater

Its in the mx-wiki on 6.6.1
https://mxlinux.org/user_manual_mx17/mxum.pdf

I’m not really sure, if its a tool in controll-center on antix when running live, I never did.

Edit: Booted my live-stick, it’s a tool in control-center under live

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by caprea.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by caprea.

[Anonymous]

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caprea wrote:

Did you update the kernel on the live-usb this way?
https://mxlinux.org/wiki/help-files/help-live-usb-kernel-updater

I did not; I installed the kernel packages via Synaptic Package Manager, as I am trying to make modifications to an installed system stored on a USB pendrive.

[Anonymous]

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top result of my quick websearch for “linux boot Undefined video mode number”
https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/undefined-video-mode-number-891916/
suggested:

try using a bootline parameter (value: hexadecimal equivalent to the reputedly “unknown” mode 317)
vga=0x13D
or try bootline parameter
vga=normal

If the above doesn’t solve, read about the further boot parameters which are avalable:
http://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-17/live-boot/alpha-index.html
http://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-17/live-boot/personalize.html#boot-options
——————

edit:
After websearching “linux boot run-init current directory on the same filesystem as the root”
I’m not confident the suggestion above will solve this (run-init) problem.
So, give it a few days… wait for other replies.

[Anonymous]

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Thanks, skidoo, for the advice. I’ll try those vga codes and also wait to see if an answer to the run-init issue presents itself.

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