On Tue, Apr 05, 2011 at 05:42:49PM +0530, Arvind wrote: > Hello, > > I am trying to install debian squeeze amd64 on my girlfriend's > macbook. It already has OS X installed, so this is a dual boot system. > Following are the hardware specifications: > > System: Apple macbook, Intel core 2 duo - T8100 @ 2.10GHz, 1 GB RAM > > As explained on the debian wiki: > http://wiki.debian.org/MacBook/DebianInstallTutorial > i installed OS X initially, installed rEFIt, and then did an absolute > minimal install of debian squeeze amd64 on the rest of the hard disk. > > For what it is worth, my filesystem structure has /boot and swap > on separate partitions, and / /usr /usr/local /var /tmp and /home on > lvm. I have used ext4 filesystem on all the partitions. > > At the stage of minimal installation, rEFIt menu provided options to > boot into both OS X and debian gnu/linux. When i selected gnu/linux, > it booted as expected, and provided a console prompt. I could log in > and work. At this stage, i installed some other necessary softwares > such as openssh, gnu screen etc. > > Next, i did: > aptitude install xorg icewm > It installed everything alright. I created a .xinitrc file with the > lines: > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > #!/bin/bash > exec icewm-session > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > and issued the command 'startx' (as user). X started, and i could get > the default icewm setup. > > So far, so good. However, when i rebooted the machine, and selected > gnu/linux at the rEFIt prompt, it showed the grub selection menu, > selected the default kernel, showed a few more lines scrolling down > and then the screen just went blank. I could not make out if it was > doing anything at all. > > So i took the machine to my workplace, put it on a network and found > that i could ssh to the machine. So i presume it is a video driver > problem.
Over the weekend, i had time to investigate some more. I purged Xorg and all its dependencies. Since my graphics card is intel, X only requires xserver-xorg-video-intel, xserver-xorg-video-vesa, xserver-xorg-video-fbdev and xinit (for startx). I installed each of these packages alone, and rebooted the machine. It is only the xserver-xorg-video-intel package that leads to a blank screen on reboot. When i purge this package and install the other three X packages, the problem does not recur on rebooting. So presently, i am running X only using the generic vesa video driver. That would perhaps lead to a sub-optimal use of the video card capabilities. But the only workaround is to purge xserver-xorg-video-intel before every shutdown, and reinstall it after every boot. I do not like that option. A clarification: both xserver-xorg-video-intel and xserver-oxrg-video-vesa depend on xserver-xorg-core. I have checked and made sure that xserver-xorg-core and its dependencies do not cause this problem. It is specifically (and only) the package xserver-xorg-video-intel. One more clarification: i have not installed X/G/KDM, so X should not (try to) start at boot. Davide had suggested that as a possibility. I don't think xserver-xorg-video-intel package alone should lead to X starting at boot. In summary, if i do 1) an absolute minimal installation of debian amd64 on a macbook (see above for configuration details of the machine), 2) install the package xserver-xorg-video-intel and 3) reboot then the kernel gets selected at the grub prompt, i see few lines scrolling down, and then the screen goes blank. I can ssh to the machine so i know it does complete the booting process. Thanks for any pointers. arvind -- Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20110411155322.ga21...@mbu.iisc.ernet.in
