Crash on GUI install of FC6/7

[mr_mich]

Hey all,

I'm running a multiboot setup with XP/Vista/FC and have run into some strange issues...

I used to have XP/FC6 and wanted to try Vista, so I wiped FC6, installed Vista, tried it out, and decided I wanted all 3. I ran into a problem though with reinstalling FC6...when trying to install with the GUI it would start loading and then what I presume is the x-server just crashes and dies.

It doesn't freeze -- it just doesn't render properly. Instead of images I get a bunch of vertical colored lines. I'm currently working on installing it via the text client, but I'm worried that once it's done I won't be able to get anything running.

The strange thing is that I used this exact same FC6 DVD on this same exact computer before -- without any problems. The DVD checksums fine. Figuring there might just be something wrong with it, I downloaded FC7, only to run into the same exact problem.

Any ideas?

[mr_mich]

Ok, I've installed it and get the same problem when I try to start the X server. When I kill it off and go back to the command prompt, I see that it printed out the following message:

** (nm-applet:3522): WARNING **: <WARNING> nma_dbus_init():org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.NoServe r raised: Failed to connect to socket /var/run/dbus/system_bus_socket: Connection refused


No idea what that means, or why it would all of a sudden happen on this installation when it didn't on the last.

[PoorLeno]

I get the same exact problem. And I don't want to install in text mode to render my only PC useless and unable to resolve this problem.

2 monitor setup, on 7800 GTX. AMD CPU. Trying to install from the mini-image...

When X is supposed to start, it displays... funny on both monitors. no error messages or anything.

[kflorek46]

Well, it does look like the wrong video is detected, doesn't it? The text installer is the way to avoid this. You can install a GUI desktop with the text mode installer. True, after installation you might get mis-detected video when the X server attempts to start, but you are liable to get the same thing after the GUI installer is done too if mis-detection is the problem.

The other thing to do is add to the boot line. I see these options to the installer

lowres Force GUI installer to run at 640x480.

resolution=<mode> Run installer in mode specified, '1024x768' for example.


nofb Do not load the VGA16 framebuffer required for doing
text-mode installation in some languages

To pass options to the kernel there is

linux vga=788

OTOH, a crashed installer might put scrambled video on the screen for any reason. The text mode installer at least gives another possibility.

Man, am I glad I don't have this particular problem!

[PoorLeno]

I've actually figured out (through interwebs and fellow troubled humans) that just adding "vesa" as startup parameter downgrades the video from autodetect nv-driver. For some reason that helps.

However this will be the umpthinth time i'm reinstalling F7, because of some troubles with my HDD configuration. I'm starting to think that this upgrade was a big mistake. ;(

[mr_mich]

I found the problem.

Looking at the Xserver logs, it seems that I was only encountering an error because it was having trouble outputting to the 2nd output port on my video card.

I thought, "that's strange...where do I have something plugged in to the 2nd port and not the 1st?" Then I realized that I wanted to ensure that both outputs worked on my videocard, as I'll be moving to a dual-monitor setup eventually. My monitor only has VGA, but my 2nd output port is a DVI output, so I hooked up a DVI->VGA converter to ensure that the second output works.

It does in Windows. But it looks like Linux senses that I have a VGA monitor and sends out a VGA signal over the DVI port, not knowing there's a converter in between. I'm not sure if this is actually what's happening, but it's my best guess. As a result, the converter tries to convert VGA signal thinking it's a DVI signal, and everything looks like crap.

I solved this by simply unplugging the monitor and converter, and plugging it right back into the 1st VGA slot in the video card. Voila, works perfectly.

PoorLeno, I'd try it first with one monitor. Make sure that you don't have any converters and get everything up and running that way, then work on compatibility with the next monitor.