Black screen on BionicPup liveUSB

[Zyrux]

Cheers

I have an old Toshiba laptop with Linux Puppy Wary 5.5 on hard drive, and it works acceptably fast and well.

These are the specifications:

Toshiba Satellite 1805-S253

Intel Pentium.III (Coppermine) Cache 256kb. Frequency 851.98mhz

RAM 506

Hard Drive: 15GB ATA TOSHIBA MK1517GA

Display: 1024x768
OpenGL Render: GLX Indirect table.
X11 Vendor: The X.Org Foundation


I have several days trying to install the new version Linux Puppy BionicPup on the same laptop, and I only get a black screen after every attempt to run the installation software.

The black screen appears just after the BionicPuppy system finishes installing to run from USB and the graphical desktop should appear. Only the black screen appears.

I have tried the different installation options without success and I cannot access the BionicPuppy graphical desktop to install immediately. No matter what you do the result is the same: a black screen just when BionicPuppy finishes loading.

I have tried:

-upupbb 19.03 where .linux starts vmlinuz pmedia = cd initrd = initrd.gz

-upupbb 19.03 (RAM only) where .linux vmlinuz pfix = ram pmedia = cd initrd = initrd.gz starts

-upupbb 19.03 (without graphical desktop) where .linux vmlinuz pfix = nox pmedia = cd initrd = initrd.gz starts

-upupbb 19.03 (for machines with severe video problems) where .linux vmlinuz pfix = ram, nox pmedia = cd initrd = initrd.gz starts


I know that the BionicPuppy system is active behind the black screen because when you press the button to turn off the computer you hear the classic bark of the operating system when stopping.

I have had this problem with this machine testing other Linux distributions. It does not display the graphical desktop after installing the system to run from live USB. Only the black screen appears.

I write down the video settings that I can see on my Linux Puppy Wary installed on the hard disk because I suppose that is what I must configure in BionicPuppy to be able to see the graphical desktop from liveUSB:



Where can I start researching so I can install BionicPup on my old laptop?

Thanks in advance for the help.

________

Por si pudiera servir:

Anoto la información del archivo de mi Linux Puppy Wary que si hace funcionar Linux en mi laptop vieja:

xorg.conf

#Special base config file used in Puppy Linux.

# **********************************************************************
# Module section -- this section is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# **********************************************************************
#
Section "Module"

# This loads the DBE extension module.

Load "dbe" # Double buffer extension

# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection

# This loads the font modules
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"

# This loads xtrap extension, used by xrandr
Load "xtrap"

# This loads the GLX module (if present)
Load "glx"

# This loads dri module (if present)
Load "dri"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Files section. This allows default font and rgb paths to be set
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"

# The location of the RGB database. Note, this is the name of the
# file minus the extension (like ".txt" or ".db"). There is normally
# no need to change the default.

RgbPath "/usr/X11R7/lib/X11/rgb"

# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)

FontPath "/usr/X11R7/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R7/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R7/lib/X11/fonts/TTF/"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Server flags section.
# **********************************************************************

Section "ServerFlags"

# Uncomment this to disable the VT switch sequence
# (where n is 1 through 12). This allows clients to receive these key
# events.

# Option "DontVTSwitch"

# Enables mode switching with xrandr
# There is a report that this can cause Xorg not to work on some
# video hardware, so default is commented-out...
# but i want to use it in xorgwizard so leave on...

Option "RandR" "on"

EndSection

#everything past here is auto-generated by Puppy's Xorg Wizard...


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "X.org Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
Option "XkbLayout" "es" #xkeymap0
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2" #mouse0protocol
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
#Option "Emulate3Buttons"
#Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" #scrollwheel
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
#DisplaySize 290 220 # mm
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "TOS"
ModelName "8 Panel"
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 31.5-48.5
VertRefresh 40-70
#UseModes "Modes0" #monitor0usemodes
Option "PreferredMode" "1024x768"
EndSection

Section "Modes"
Identifier "Modes0"
#modes0modeline0
EndSection

Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: : integer, : float, : "True"/"False",
### : "String", : " Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "AccelMethod" # []
#Option "SWcursor" # []
#Option "PciRetry" # []
#Option "NoAccel" # []
#Option "SetMClk" #
#Option "MUXThreshold" #
#Option "ShadowFB" # []
#Option "Rotate" # []
#Option "VideoKey" #
#Option "NoMMIO" # []
#Option "NoPciBurst" # []
#Option "MMIOonly" # []
#Option "CyberShadow" # []
#Option "CyberStretch" # []
#Option "XvHsync" #
#Option "XvVsync" #
#Option "XvBskew" #
#Option "XvRskew" #
#Option "FpDelay" #
#Option "Display1400" # []
#Option "Display" # []
#Option "GammaBrightness" # []
#Option "TVChipset" # []
#Option "TVSignal" #
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "trident" #card0driver
VendorName "Trident Microsystems"
BoardName "CyberBlade/i1"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 16
#Option "metamodes" "1024x768_60 +0+0" #METAMODES_0
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubsection
EndSection

#PuppyHardwareProfile=Trident_CYBER_8620TOSHIBAInte

[bigpup]

Bionicpup is built to support much newer computers.

Basically the computers hardware is just too old.
Pentium III is really not supported in the newer Puppies.

That was one big reason for making Wary.
A Puppy version for really old hardware.

If you can get Bionicpup to boot to a prompt. (usually boot option nox)
Enter

Code: Select all

xorgwizard

Choose to use the vesa drive. May have to type it into the entry slot.
Choose a resolution you know works.
Finish xorgwizard.
Back at prompt.
Enter

Code: Select all

xwin

Any help?

[cthisbear]

There are some Puppies being rebuilt to run newer browsers.
Both by jrb who has been on a bit of a roll.

However yours looks like circa 2002???

Anyway maybe try

Tahr64-light RC - 12Jan2020 - for older hardware

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=117838

and Precise-light - 17March2019 - for older hardware

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=115843

Others will advise you soon.
Welcome to Puppy.

[Mike Walsh]

@ Chris:-

If that's a PIII, I doubt it'll run Tahr64; PIIIs, to the best of my knowledge, are 32-bit only.... It will probably struggle even with Precise-light, though it's certainly worth a try.....but a useable browser will be all but impossible. Maybe Dillo, or NetSurf?

@ Zyrux:-

I concur with bigpup. Unfortunately, your Pentium III CPU lacks the necessary instruction sets to be functional with anything other than Wary. Modern distros are all coded to use stuff 'hard-wired' into the CPU which that PIII simply doesn't have! I'm curious; what browser do you use with it? Are you even able to get online..?


Mike.