(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hello,

Tried for two days now... this machine doesn't have a CD drive so I created a bootable USB as described here: http://blog.puppylinux.com/?viewDetailed=00009 This works fine on two other laptops and one desktop. But on my Asus UX51VZ, all I get after the grub menu is a black screen.

For info, the UX51VZ has a Nvidia GT 650 M graphic card and a 2880x1620 native resolution.

I tried many boot options: pfix=ram,nox nomodeset nouveau.modeset=0 acpi=off verbose 7, all advanced boot options etc... nothing worked, same behavior, no error message nothing. I tried with Slacko 6.3, Xenial and even the testing version of slacko 7... same behavior every time... For the sake of it, I also tried an Arch Linux USB that I made with Rufus: this boots just fine. So I also tried to make a puppy USB with Rufus: same freeze after the grub menu (not black screen but frozen on the png splash screen this time).

While experimenting, I removed vmlinuz from the USB stick. In this case after the grub menu, I get an error message that vmlinuz is not present (but I think that is still a grub message?). Tried the same but this time removing initrd.gz, and I also got an error message that the file is missing. Tried again but this time removing the sfs files... back to black screen and no messages...

I am running out of ideas... any clue?

all I get after the grub menu is a black screen

You do not even get to the prompt? With pfix=nox?
For the graphic card you will have to look for the nvidia driver, but I would expect you to get at least at the prompt, even without de nvidia driver.

Your machine is rather top class ! Maybe Puppy is missing some firmware. This may help: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=97276

foxpup wrote:

all I get after the grub menu is a black screen

You do not even get to the prompt? With pfix=nox?
For the graphic card you will have to look for the nvidia driver, but I would expect you to get at least at the prompt, even without de nvidia driver.

Your machine is rather top class ! Maybe Puppy is missing some firmware. This may help: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=97276

Nope, no prompt with pfix=nox... no messages, nothing. I've been waiting up to an hour and nothing happens... Then when I press the power button, the machine switches off within a second or two, also without any message.

Interesting concerning the firmware. I will give that a go when I have a minute. If I download the sfs file, how do I then use it? Just copy it to the root of the USB drive and rename it as... what? Will it get loaded automatically or should I add a parameter to the kernel line in grub?

To troubleshoot this. let's stick to one version of Puppy.
Xenialpup 7.5 32bit or 64 bit.

All the files you are removing are needed to run and boot Puppy.
Removing files is not going to help you.
SO PUT THEM BACK!!!!


Tahrpup 6.0.5, Slacko 6.3, Xenialpup 7.0.6, and Xenialpup 7.5

For Nvidia hardware these Puppies are trying to use the Nouveau driver, which is a generic driver for Nvidia hardware.

If it does not work correctly on first boot.
Try using this option added to the boot command. How to use this.

If you are booting a Live Puppy CD or USB.
At the Puppy boot screen.
Hold down F2 until the option screen pops up.
Add the command
Press enter.
If you already made a save for the Live Puppy.
Use this option: If booting from a boot loader menu like Grub4dos.
Select the correct menu entry.
Press E key to enter edit mode.
(This will edit the menu entry, but only for this boot)

Add the option to the end of the kernel line. Example: If this gets you to a working desktop.
Installing the correct Nvidia driver will give full supported hardware features.

How to install a Nvidia driver run package
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=110611

After getting the correct Nvidia driver installed and using it.
Stop using the nouveau.modeset=0 option.

Interesting concerning the firmware. ... Just copy it to the root of the USB drive and rename it as... what?

Place it next to the puppy_main.sfs. I think you rename it like this: If your main sfs is
puppy_tahr_6.0.5.sfs
you name it
fdrv_tahr_6.0.5.sfs

If I may add to bigpup's explanation. If it fails, also try, to be sure, to see if you can get at the prompt.

Another small check: you got the right version, 32bit or 64bit?

- I was just experimenting with removing the files to try and see at what stage the boot process was hanging. I put them back after that of course.

- already tried nouveau.modeset=0 and pfix=nox, and the combination of both in the kernel line of my grub.cfg, no chance, no prompt... black screen only

- yes, using the 64 bit version. Ok to stick to Xenial for troubleshooting purposes.

- I will try the sfs firmware file, see if it helps. Can't download until later tonight though. I'll get back to you.

not sure if this will help, my son had an asus that would boot but crash immediately

it had dual graphics which confused puppy, turning off the second in bios sorted the problem

may be worth a look

ally wrote:not sure if this will help, my son had an asus that would boot but crash immediately

it had dual graphics which confused puppy, turning off the second in bios sorted the problem

may be worth a look

I was thinking of that possiblility too, but this machine has one graphic card only.
EDIT: I am wrong. It probably has intel's HD Graphics 4000.

foxpup wrote:Your machine is rather top class !

Mm. Rather a 'top class' price, too. Just a hair shy of $2,000 when new..... (*ouch!*)

https://www.cnet.com/products/asus-zenb ... 71/review/

It's looking like a graphics problem, certainly. Not to put a 'dampener' on proceedings, but certain Asus machines are known to simply be impossible to boot Linux on at all, due to the degree to which the UEFI 'SecureBoot/FastBoot' stuff has been 'locked-down' by the manufacturer.

Let's hope this doesn't prove to be one of the latter. Bigpup's right; those are 'essential' files you tried removing. 'Vmlinuz' is the Linux kernel itself (no way will it boot without that). 'Initrd.gz' is the 'initial RAMdisk' that Puppy sets-up in RAM, prior to loading its own files into it. Again, an integral part of the way in which Pup runs.

And the 'puppy_xxxxx_xxxx.sfs' file is, of course, Puppy itself.....






Mike.

foxpup wrote:Place it next to the puppy_main.sfs. I think you rename it like this: If your main sfs is
puppy_tahr_6.0.5.sfs
you name it
fdrv_tahr_6.0.5.sfs

Disappointment, that didn't work... downloaded the latest sfs firmware file, copied it on the usb, renamed it fdrv_xenialpup64_7.5.sfs... (no need to add a kernel parameter, the file should be loaded automatically, right?)

Tried to boot, same black screen...

In the meantime, I found this concerning the Asus UX31 Ultrabook:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 327#581327

Could it be that the USB is unmounted and the sfs files therefore cannot be loaded? Would I get an error message if that was the case?

I'll try putting the sfs files on the hard drive and pointing to them in the kernel parameters when I have some time. Need to sleep now.

Any other idea?

This works fine on two other laptops and one desktop.

You know that your flash drive is fundamentally correct, so messing around with it won't fix anything.

This is almost certainly a problem with the video driver. With new hardware, the solution is a new kernel with upgraded drivers.

I believe that the newest kernels are in LxPup.

Hi daviddem,

I believe that you'll find a link to the LxPup rcrsn51 referred to at http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 840#814840. LxPup is built using Slackware binaries.

Peebee, its creator, is also the creator of, I believe, Puppy's most recent Kernel package. All recent Puppies are constructed as modules:
initrd(gz) -- the initial Ram Disk with instructions for assembling the system (at least, that's my understanding);
vmlinuz -- the kernel (I think of this as the engine and structure onto which the rest is placed;
Puppy_Distro-specifics.sfs -- a compressed file containing applications; and most have a
Zdrv_Distro-specific,sfs --containing firmware and drivers.

Some, however, use an fdrv.sfs for that purpose. Others may include other SFSes for other purposes.

I mentioned the above because, to a large extent, regardless of which Puppy they were created in and for use in, vmlinuzes zdrv.sfses and fdrv.sfses can be used in (substituted for) those provided in a Puppy creator's ISO. Kernel packages provide the replacement vmlinuz and zdrv.sfs, albeit named in the package "kernel-modules".

Peebee's most recent kernel package is available from this link, where peebee posted: "1st release of the latest LTS kernel.....needs an fdrv....can also be used with 32-bit pups as long as your cpu is 64-bit capable. " The link will take you to a page on SourceForge where you can obtain both the kernel and the fdrv.sfs.

I am successfully using them with Xenialpup64. But uncertain whether Xenialpup64 was "fdrv aware --would load it on bootup" [and also not sure if the rule '6 maximum SFSes' still applied] chose to combine it with the Kernel-Modules (you rename it to zdrv_YOUR_PUPPY_SPECIFIC.sfs) contained in that package.

The fdrv.sfs contains only firmware, which I would guess to be that for the most up-to-date hardware. If Xenialpup is, in fact, "fdrv aware" perhaps an "easy" solution would be to:

Download the fdrv.sfs.
Right-Click it. Select Rename. Rename it "fdrv_xenialpup64_7.5.sfs"
Place it next to the vmlinuz and initrd.gz files.
Reboot.

The text in blue above is because I don't know which Puppy you are using.

If, for example you were using Slacko64_6.9.9,9 you would rename it fdrv_slacko64_6.9.9.9.sfs. -- overwriting the fdrv which came with that Slacko's ISO.

For the most recent 32-bit Xenialpup, you'd rename it fdrv_xenial_7.5.sfs,

If, the Puppy you are using is not 'fdrv aware', someone can explain how to combine the contents of fdrv with the zdrv.sfs your Puppy uses or the Kernel-modules contained in peebee's package.

mikeslr

Edit: Sorry, forgot to include the link regarding peebee's kernel package: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 272#974272

Hiya, Mike.

mikeslr wrote:I am successfully using them with Xenialpup64. But uncertain whether Xenialpup64 was "fdrv aware --would load it on bootup" [and also not sure if the rule '6 maximum SFSes' still applied] chose to combine it with the Kernel-Modules (you rename it to zdrv_YOUR_PUPPY_SPECIFIC.sfs) contained in that package.

The 'max of 6 SFS' rule no longer applies with the newer Puppies, Mike. If you look at my Tahr64 /mnt/home, here:-




.....then, not counting the puppy_tahr64, z_drv & 32-bit_compat_libs SFSs, I have at least 12 currently loaded.....although I believe I am getting near the 'limit' now, 'cos I had to unload one to use the devx a week or two back. But even so, I'm pretty sure the old rule no longer applies these days.


Mike.

daviddem wrote:I'll try putting the sfs files on the hard drive and pointing to them in the kernel parameters when I have some time.

I used to boot like this for a long time. It's worth trying.

Any other idea?

What the other guys say: trying a cutting edge Puppy. That should be LxPupSc from peebee.
http://lx-pup.weebly.com/blog

That may not be enough if it is a video driver problem. Maybe your machine will only work with the nvidia propriety driver. So you would have to compile it for the kernel/Puppy you are using. Once you have an sfs for the nvidia driver, you could rename it to adrv/ydrv/zdr/fdrv (whatever is not used) to load it on boot.

This laptop could be setup using the new Nvidia Optimus graphics for laptops.

Basically the laptop starts and runs using the integrated Intel graphics built into the lntel processor. Uses this for all normal stuff.
The Nvidia hardware gets used when a big graphics demand happens.
This is suppose to save on power usage for battery life.


Puppy is not really setup to use Optimus, but it usually does work with the Intel part of it.

Wonder if this boot option will help. This is an option for Intel driver sometimes needed.

Could look in the computers bios setup for graphics mode options.
Optimus
Uma

Changing this may help.

Example bios.
Yours may be different with enable/disable or something.

If the above gets it working.

Installing the Nvidia driver and using it may get Optimus working.

The Linux kernel in Xenialpup, I think, is Optimus ready.

Really, not much has been done with Puppy, to get everything working for Nvidia Optimus graphics.

Someone with a laptop with this setup is going to have to do the testing and tweaking.

But, people with Optimus in their laptops do report Puppy works OK with the Intel graphics part of it.

bigpup wrote:But, people with Optimus in their laptops do report Puppy works OK with the Intel graphics part of it.

I have such a machine and you are right bigpup. Puppy just uses the intel driver and the intel graphic card. I did not have to do anything for that, not in bios (Optimus is still on) and no boot parameter to add. It is possible that some Puppy chose modesetting/nouveau/nv at first, which worked also. I changed the driver to intel in xorg.conf (device section) or with xorgwizard. For Tahr I had to add in the Device section of xorg.conf, otherwise I got some tearing.
When I run windows I suppose it runs in Optimus mode.

This from the Xenialpup thread:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... &start=633
Could it be KMS?

KMS
Why not try and see what happens.

foxpup,

Do we have a Nvidia Optimus Puppy support developer volunteer?

Always use computers in a room that has no windows.
Well, unless you need a new window!

bigpup wrote:foxpup,

Do we have a Nvidia Optimus Puppy support developer volunteer?

When I find the time, I will try it. But my skills may not be enough. But then there is always this forum to help ...