[NOT SOLVED BYPASSED]Mageia#2B3 Black Screen following logon

[Myles]

Still Magaia N00by.
Okay, since I completely stuffed up my virtualbox installation on Mandriva 2011, I decided to install #2B3 onto a test partition I had not used for a while. the install went fine, I re-booted, logged onto Mageia and got a completely black screen! clicking the mouse did nothing but if I pressed Enter I got the outline of a Dolphin box but it was also black. Anyway yesterday I discoverd the reason for the problem - no nVidia Driver was loaded and whatever driver that was loaded wasn't cutting it! Then yesterday I discovered why, I hadn't noticed this disclaimer on the download site previously:
Note that these DVD and CD ISOs are made of Free Software exclusively. As a consequence, proprietary Wi-Fi and video drivers are not included. If you need WiFi or specific video drivers at install time, you should go with below LiveCDs instead. You may, if you will, add nonfree software repository after the installation.

Okay now I want to install #2 RC onto the test partition. I have a nVidia GE Force video card. Am I able to install #2 RC using the DVD iso and include my proprietary nVidia driver at install or do I have to use the LiveCD to install the system and my nVidia driver (and how do I do this?)

And how do I specify the "nonfree" respository?
Confused.

[Myles]

Okay so I downloaded Mageia # 2 RC1. LiveCD. I booted this and guess what - I still have a black screen - obviously with no nVidia Driver loaded to support my nVidia GEForce card. So how exactly am I to test this release? I can't install the DVD iso and the LiveCD is also c#$p!

What the hell do I have to do to install this??????

[alf]

Did you have a look here?

[isadora]

Myles, please use different topics for different questions.

Topics merged due to same question.

[Myles]

oops - my bad! I had a look at the toolbox the other day just to see what was in there (not to solve my problem) but I obviously hadn't noticed this little bit of quite important information. Okay I'll load up the LiveCd again and give this a go and see how it works out.

[Myles]

So I had a look at the link above and found this for nVidia drivers: "If you see "The system has to be rebooted due to a display driver change" then it reboots and ejects the CD.
As a workaround you can add xdriver=nouveau before launching the Live at the Grub "
Okay, just tried the LiveCD again but I don't get the msg above and I cannot see how to enter the "xdriver=nouveau" on the LiveCD boot menu so all I get is the system loads I get the hard drive icon, the spanners icon and the globe icon and then it starts to load the desktops icon and goes completely black as it did before.
So how can I get the relevant driver loaded that will work with my nVidia card with the LiveCD?

[Myles]

Okay, so I installed RC1 onto my test partition - specifying my http://mirror.internode.on.net as a separate source for download - also my ISP (was this correct?) - hopefully that would install my nVidia Driver. That was a vain hope as I didn't even get as far as the LiveCD version - it started to load the disk icon and the spanner icon and then the globe icon and went completely black! What do I have to do to install this Mageia # 2 RC to my hard disk and supporting my nVidia GeForce 5700VE card?

~topic moved by moderator, please don't open new topics for every other post concerning the same issue, thanks in advance!!!

[atleeit]

Okay, so I installed RC1 onto my test partition - specifying my http://mirror.internode.on.net as a separate source for download - also my ISP (was this correct?)

I used to be with Internode ISP and from previouys experience sometimes they have corrupt packages so best not to use them Use aarnet which is Telstra or kernel.org which is updated regualry but overseas repo. By overseas I mean i'm from Aust and this repo does not live around here

[Myles]

Yes I noticed that Internode seemed a little behind the French repositories so I switched to them. I might have to move to AARNET for Oz. But why am I still getting a black screen - is the default driver in Mageia #2 (nouveau?) not working for my GeForce FX 5700VE card???? If I could just get a logon to Mageia I could probably download the nVidia Driver from "nonfree" repositories - but I can't get to that point. I installed the RC onto my test partition and it still f$%$&d up!

[atleeit]

Yes I noticed that Internode seemed a little behind the French repositories so I switched to them. I might have to move to AARNET for Oz. But why am I still getting a black screen - is the default driver in Mageia #2 (nouveau?) not working for my GeForce FX 5700VE card???? If I could just get a logon to Mageia I could probably download the nVidia Driver from "nonfree" repositories - but I can't get to that point. I installed the RC onto my test partition and it still f$%$&d up!

change boot params to init 3, so when it reaches Mageia boot screen, press f3, escape then remove vga=788 and replace with init 3 then enter and goot. Login as root then just add nonfree like this.
urpmi.addmedia nonfree http://dadada.com whatever it is.

You can always login as root then type "drakconf" then change display driver to xorg vesa and see if it let's you boot.

good luck.

[Myles]

Excuse my n00biness, but how do I change the init parameters if it is already burnt to CD? Do I have to stop the loading of it or something before it gets to the boot menu?

[martinw]

When it gets to the boot menu, press the F3 key, then select "Default". This brings up a text box containing the default boot options, which you can then edit.

[patrickdarcy]

i have had this problem and this is what i have found works .

install mageia, then when u get the screen that give u location and driver for video etc
put in vesa. finish up and then reboot.

then open up magaia control center. u will get asked to install some software, do it.
then go to software mangement and then configure media. click on add and then click
on full set of sources.

after u get a full set of sources make sure u click non free and tainted sources.

after u have those in the mageia control center go to hardware, then browse and
configure hardware. then click on the video card. then run config tool.

then check on graphic card. make sure your proprietary driver is chosen and then
u will be asked for some software. allow it and u should be set.

[patrickdarcy]

this was from a dvd install. i would think if u have installed the live cd it would work.

[Myles]

Martin, thanks for the help but it didn't work. You actually have to press F6 at the boot menu to get the boot options, F3 only get you a menu to select "Text" or 3 other video resolutions. After working out how to get to the options to edit them (press Home key) I deleted "vga=788" and replaced it with "init 3" and booted. Logged in as root and issued the "urpmi-addmedia nonfree http://URL whatever" for every single mirror on the Mageia mirror list! Every single one failed with "download failed:curl failed, code = 22". But but for 2 it sort of worked but I got "download failed invalid MD5SUM detected". So I got into drakconf and eventually worked out I could change the display driver to "vesa". It then wanted me to re-boot to have changes take effect!So I re-booted only to have the CD ejected and asked to "Press Enter or CTRL+J". So no go getting a system loaded with vesa driver. I think I am going to try Patrick's method which he has suggested when he used the DVD iso.