[CLOSED]MGA 6 - complete system freezes-on new instal

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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 12th, '17, 09:24

doktor, is that something I could test somehow before going down the road of blacklist; xorg.conf; initrd etc.??? What would I have to specify in the boot options??
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby doktor5000 » Oct 12th, '17, 10:02

Well, usually you simply run drakx11, select the propr. driver, then do NOT run the test and simply reboot, that's it.
When you got the kwin crash there, did you check which driver was actually used? If you want to prevent loading it via initrd, then you can try rd.blacklist=nouveau as boot option. blacklisting it via modprobe.d configs is usually futile as it will already be loaded by initrd.

In any case, if you want to read a bit more of the details, feel free to read through https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8773

Usually you only need "nokmsboot" as boot option, can you check whether you have that? If not, please add it and try again with the nvidia driver.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 12th, '17, 10:35

[doktor, sorry jumped the gun - I just looked it up, I believe this is the correct syntax (from the wiki doco):
Code: Select all
rd.blacklist=nouveau


I tried this but it failed. Is that what you meant that I had just had to specify the above option and press "Ctrl-X"to boot - but nouveau loads anyway!!!

Do I still have to go through the other steps prior to entering this option???

I am really confused now on what I have to do here to not have nouveau load.

Jiml8 and alf thankyou for joining the discussion and helping.

Now I just need a step by step guide with all that you guys have said as a way forward to rid myself of this nouveau curse!
Is this what I need to do:

1. Create blacklist.nouveau.conf with the entries Peter suggested.
2. Set nvidia driver in xorg.conf (Driver "nVidia")
3.Dracut rebuild (as suggested by Jiml8 and syntax provided by alf):
Code: Select all
    dracut -f --omit-drivers nouveau  --xz

4. Do I need to specify nvidia driver in MCC after all this before rebooting?

The only problem with that final step is that I cannot reboot/shutdown/logout of my system due to the "ksmserver-logout-greeter" problem. If I do a reset of my system and reboot after doing the above steps will I be rid of nouveau????
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby doktor5000 » Oct 12th, '17, 12:41

doktor5000 wrote:Well, usually you simply run drakx11, select the propr. driver, then do NOT run the test and simply reboot, that's it.
[...]
Usually you only need "nokmsboot" as boot option, can you check whether you have that? If not, please add it and try again with the nvidia driver.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 13th, '17, 08:33

My apologies doktor, I somehow missed your initial post that you quoted above.
re: nokmsboot - no I don't; tried and failed as usual. Nothing works, this nouveau "virus" just won't go!

I wrote a whole lot of stuff after the first line above but didn't save the draft! I am writing this from my notebook as I have run into yet another problem!!!!!!! :evil: :?: :?:

After I wrote a bunch of stuff, about trying nvidia, with nokmsboot and rd.blacklist=nouveau I got excited at one point as I got the 3 "???" on a black screen - which I thought meant that the nvidia driver was being built - only to be crushed when nouveau loaded and I got the "system had to reboot due to driver change" dialog box! (nouveau virus got me again!)

I tried the to select the nvidia driver once again, but rather than go through the "ksmserver-logout-greeter" loop again I just did a hard reset.

When I booted my computer I am now greeted by this: a completely black screen with these words at the top:
Code: Select all
"Minimal BASH-like editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible device or file completions.

grub> _"


I have had this before; have no idea why it happens and can't remember what I did to get out of it. I have absolutely no idea what to do on this page with grub.
I tried to re-install the bootloader (which seemed to work) but upon reboot I get this again!!!!! So now my computer is a boat anchor as I can't boot it.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby unklar » Oct 13th, '17, 10:47

Code: Select all
grub>
Try (1)
Code: Select all
grub> search -f /boot/vmlinuz-desktop --set=root
grub> probe -u $root --set=abc
grub> linux /boot/vmlinuz-desktop root=UUID=$abc ro
grub> initrd /boot/initrd-desktop.img
grub> boot


Did you change the login manager sddm for your problem?
Maybe try kdm or lightdm.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 13th, '17, 11:50

unklar,
Thanks for those cmds. But is that actually the actual letters "abc" or do I have to substitute it for something?

And no, I didn't change anything else that time, just selected nvidia as the driver in drakx11 and did a hard reset to avoid the ksmserver loop on logout/reboot/shutdown after selecting the driver.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby unklar » Oct 13th, '17, 13:53

Myles wrote:But is that actually the actual letters "abc" or do I have to substitute it for something?


why don't you test it?
or, do you have the UUID in mind?
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 13th, '17, 21:37

Myles wrote:Also re: nouveau driver. I originally selected to use nVidia driver but after about the 2nd or 3rd boot (maybe more, but not by many) of the newly installed MGA6, if failed to be built and defaulted to nouveau ...


Myles wrote: At the moment it seems I have both drivers that cause problems


If it is the build of the nvidia dkms modules that failed (e.g. after a kernel update), you have a non functioning nvidia install. This would cause a fall-back to the nouveau driver.

What is the contents of /lib/modules/4.9.50-desktop-1.mga6/dkms/drivers/char/drm ? (assuming you have updated to latest kernel)

You should have these four modules:
nvidia-current.ko.xz nvidia-drm.ko.xz nvidia-modeset.ko.xz nvidia-uvm.ko.xz

If you don't, an easy way to have the modules rebuilt is (after you are again able to boot with nouveau):
un-install nvidia packages
reboot
select proprietary driver in MCC

The ksmserver-logout-greeter crash is a bug (probably related to this one: https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20153)
The workaround is to get to a root prompt and type reboot

The test in MCC fails because a driver change requires a reboot. Just skip it.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 14th, '17, 08:45

unklar, the result of the very first cmd:
grub> search -f /boot/vmlinuz-desktop --set=root


is: "error: no such device: /boot/vmlinuz-desktop." so not much point continuing with the rest of the them.

arnesp, thanks for the additional info, very helpful to know.

as for:
What is the contents of /lib/modules/4.9.50-desktop-1.mga6/dkms/drivers/char/drm ? (assuming you have updated to latest kernel)
did you mean"/usr/lib/" as I can't find a /lib directly under /root. I am able to use the Mageia DVD to install the Windows boot loader (I have a Windows partition dual boot set-up) and use a pgm to inspect /root.
In /usr/lib/modules/4.9.50-desktop-1.mga6/ there was no sub-folder named /dkms.

I thought I had got out of this before by installing the Windows bootloader from the Mageia DVD, booting to Windows a few times and then re-installing the GRUB2 bootloader. But this time it's not working. I just get the "grub" screen.

So for the time being I'm going to re-install the Windows boot-loader and at least I'll have a system (that I can view files on my Mageia Partitions with). And continue to monitor this problem from my notebook.
So anybody, where to from here????? Things are getting desperate. I don't remember seeing a black cat whilst walking under a ladder! :?
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 14th, '17, 12:57

Myles wrote:as for:
What is the contents of /lib/modules/4.9.50-desktop-1.mga6/dkms/drivers/char/drm ? (assuming you have updated to latest kernel)
did you mean"/usr/lib/" as I can't find a /lib directly under /root.


/lib should exist as a symbolic link to /usr/lib. mkinitrd might very well depend on its existence.
Are you checking from the grub prompt?

Myles wrote:In /usr/lib/modules/4.9.50-desktop-1.mga6/ there was no sub-folder named /dkms.


So nvidia dkms modules have not been built for the latest kernel. The question is what made it fail.

Myles wrote:is: "error: no such device: /boot/vmlinuz-desktop." so not much point continuing with the rest of the them.


What is the output of
Code: Select all
ls /boot

If /boot is not found, try the format
Code: Select all
ls (disk,partition)/boot

For possible (disk,partition) values, use the ls command without arguments
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 15th, '17, 06:08

arnesp,
Thanks for that info. I tried mucking around from the cmd line from the DVD Rescue system and discovered the symlinks to those folders. I couldn't see the symlinks from where I was looking at them on my Windows system, hence my question (and lack of knowledge about internal linux stuff - but, as I said earlier, I'm learning in a big hurry).

But late last night, (after I had posted my update), I had a brainwave. I had an stock-standard install of Mageia 6 installed (entire system + new /home all in the one install + successfully using the nvidia driver as well!
) on another partition when I still had a beautifully working #5.1 :cry: It is still there.

So, I thought, why not try and see if I can re-install the bootloader for that partition and see if that works!

Well, I just did that and it does! Major breakthrough! So, on the GRUB2 menu I selected to boot my MGA6 install for my broken system and discovered why I'm having so much trouble with it now (not the nouveau problem; just the grub> problem) - When I try and boot my broken system I get:

Code: Select all
"error: file '/boot/vmlinuz-server' not found.
 error: you need to load the kernel first.
 Press any key to continue..."


So at least that explains why I can't boot my system, but doesn't explain what happened to it, (and why it got so screwed up), just by selecting the nvidia driver and doing a hard reset of my computer (which I have done numerous times by the way)!!!! Why would that delete/screw-up my system files??????

Would I be able to copy over some system files from the other MGA6 install somehow??? I can take an image of that partition (using Macrium Reflect) from my Windows install and then maybe select the files I need from the image file to restore to the broken system. Although, thinking about it, that's not a good idea as my broken system has been updated lots of times since install ,whereas the other one hasn't.

And since I wrote that the pgm/s I was/were using on Windows to view my linux partitions updated itself and no longer works as well as the previous one that was rock-solid for years till I tried it yesterday!!!! I can't take a trick! :( :(

SO, should I just cut my losses and re-install the system from the DVD, again, or poke around a bit on the CLI (using the DVD Rescue or grub) with you good people's help and see if we can rescue my system? Can it be rescued?
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 15th, '17, 11:58

Myles wrote:SO, should I just cut my losses and re-install the system from the DVD, again, or poke around a bit on the CLI (using the DVD Rescue or grub) with you good people's help and see if we can rescue my system? Can it be rescued?


I am pretty sure your system can be rescued, but it is your decision based on how interested you are in learning, how much data you would need to secure before re-installing, the delay due to responders being in different time zones, etc. etc.

Myles wrote:But late last night, (after I had posted my update), I had a brainwave. I had an stock-standard install of Mageia 6 installed (entire system + new /home all in the one install + successfully using the nvidia driver as well!
) on another partition when I still had a beautifully working #5.1 :cry: It is still there.

So, I thought, why not try and see if I can re-install the bootloader for that partition and see if that works!


By this, do you mean you installed the bootloader using the rescue menu on the DVD?
Can you boot the system on that partition?
If yes, that may be the best platform for fixing the broken istallation.


Myles wrote:Well, I just did that and it does! Major breakthrough! So, on the GRUB2 menu I selected to boot my MGA6 install for my broken system and discovered why I'm having so much trouble with it now (not the nouveau problem; just the grub> problem) - When I try and boot my broken system I get:

Code: Select all
"error: file '/boot/vmlinuz-server' not found.
 error: you need to load the kernel first.
 Press any key to continue..."


It would still be interesting to know what files are in the /boot directory.
Are there any old kernel versions there, or did you uninstall those after the update to the latest version?
If not uninstalled, those should be available in the advanced option boot menu for the broken system

Myles wrote:So at least that explains why I can't boot my system, but doesn't explain what happened to it, (and why it got so screwed up), just by selecting the nvidia driver and doing a hard reset of my computer (which I have done numerous times by the way)!!!! Why would that delete/screw-up my system files??????


Unless the /boot updates were still in progress, when reset was pressed, it shouldn't. Most likely, the corruption occurred before the reset.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 16th, '17, 07:31

arnesp,
Thanks for sticking with me and for all your help so far, I really appreciate it.

I am pretty sure your system can be rescued, but it is your decision based on how interested you are in learning, how much data you would need to secure before re-installing, the delay due to responders being in different time zones, etc. etc.

The answer is yes to rescue if I can and learning more. My data should be safe as I have backups of my /home drive files - but I'll take another image anyway.

BTW, after I posted my update I was mucking around on my Windows system with the original pgm I use to read my Linux partitions, and it is working - I can see what files and folders are present in /root or /boot etc. It appears just the "file preview" portion that, for some reason, is not working suddenly. So I may be able to save the file to my Windows system (which is how the pgm works) to view if I had to view files. I'll test that. (Nope, today that pgm is playing up again and locks up when I try to access the /boot folder; but I have another one - trialware - that I used to get the below screenshot. I have raised a support ticket for my original pgm and hope to get it working ASAP). So we have that option as well as CLI from the Rescue Environment from the DVD.

By this, do you mean you installed the bootloader using the rescue menu on the DVD?
Can you boot the system on that partition?
If yes, that may be the best platform for fixing the broken istallation.


Yes, I installed the bootloader from the DVD pointing to the non-updated MGA6 install on the other partition.
Yes, I can boot that system just fine.

It would still be interesting to know what files are in the /boot directory.
Are there any old kernel versions there, or did you uninstall those after the update to the latest version?
If not uninstalled, those should be available in the advanced option boot menu for the broken system


Files in /boot:

[img]
Mageia%206%20-%20boot%20folder%20contents.JPG
[/img]

I booted whilst in the process of writing this update (has taken a while) and yes there are 2 previous versions: 4.4.82-server-mga5 and 4.4.79-server-mga5 plus associated desktop versions. But they are of course, I presume, from my previous install of MGA5.1 None of them work anyway - I get the same error as before:

Code: Select all
"error: file '/boot/vmlinuz-server' not found.
 error: you need to load the kernel first.
 Press any key to continue..."


So no joy there either.

Should I update my other MGA6 system to be up-to-date so we can possibly use it to rescue - would that be a wise idea?
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 16th, '17, 09:03

Myles wrote:BTW, after I posted my update I was mucking around on my Windows system with the original pgm I use to read my Linux partitions, and it is working - I can see what files and folders are present in /root or /boot etc. It appears just the "file preview" portion that, for some reason, is not working suddenly. So I may be able to save the file to my Windows system (which is how the pgm works) to view if I had to view files. I'll test that. (Nope, today that pgm is playing up again and locks up when I try to access the /boot folder; but I have another one - trialware - that I used to get the below screenshot. I have raised a support ticket for my original pgm and hope to get it working ASAP). So we have that option as well as CLI from the Rescue Environment from the DVD.


Now you have the option of mounting the root partition of your broken system on your non-updated MGA6 install.

Myles wrote:Should I update my other MGA6 system to be up-to-date so we can possibly use it to rescue - would that be a wise idea?


No need for the moment

The boot configuration on your non-updated install seems to be looking for a server kernel, while the /boot contents shows that you have the desktop kernel.
(For some reason, you don't have the vmlinuz-desktop and initrd-desktop.img symbolic links, which explains why unklar's method failed.)


This is what I would try first at this point:

Boot into the non-updated MGA6 install and update its boot configuration, for example by clicking through the boot-loader setup in MCC (without making any changes).
If all goes well you should then be able to boot the broken MGA6 install
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 17th, '17, 07:25

arnesp,
You wrote: (I don't know how to get the "arnesp wrote:" bit into the quote).
This is what I would try first at this point:

Boot into the non-updated MGA6 install and update its boot configuration, for example by clicking through the boot-loader setup in MCC (without making any changes).
If all goes well you should then be able to boot the broken MGA6 install

And you would be a genius! I couldn't/don't understand why this approach worked, but all I care about is I'm writing this update on my original (though still flawed with nouveau) Mageia 6 sytem!
Perhaps you could explain why this approach worked so I can learn from this experience.

Have one of these one me!
[img]
beermug.png
[/img]

Now we still have to fix the original problem which was nouveau.

Now after all the previous suggestions, and this really annoying sidetrip, I'm still none the wiser on how I approach the blacklisting of nouveau loading and just using nvidia.

Do I follow all/some of these steps????

1. Create blacklist.nouveau.conf with the entries Peter suggested.
2. Set nvidia driver in xorg.conf (Driver "nVidia")
3.Dracut rebuild (as suggested by Jiml8 and syntax provided by alf):

Code: Select all
dracut -f --omit-drivers nouveau --xz

4. Do I need to specify nvidia driver in MCC after all this before rebooting?
.
NOT selecting normal reboot, but from a console as root as suggested by you arnesp:
The ksmserver-logout-greeter crash is a bug (probably related to this one: https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20153)
The workaround is to get to a root prompt and type reboot

The test in MCC fails because a driver change requires a reboot. Just skip it.
.

So, any guidance on how to get rid of nouveau now would be fantastic!

Thankyou so much for all you have done so far, I really do appreciate it.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 17th, '17, 11:14

Myles wrote:(I don't know how to get the "arnesp wrote:" bit into the quote).


Code: Select all
[quote="<id>"]


Myles wrote:Perhaps you could explain why this approach worked so I can learn from this experience.


The fact that the boot options for the broken install didn't match the screen-shot of the /boot directory listing indicated that updating /boot/grub2/grub.cfg is not part of re-installing boot-loader from the DVD rescue menu.
The boot-loader setup in MCC by default includes a scan of all disc partitions for bootable systems and adding these to the grub configuration. It also includes more (like installing bootloader) that was not needed here. The essential part could also be done from the command line (by executing update-grub2, I think. I was too lazy to confirm this before posting).

Myles wrote:
1. Create blacklist.nouveau.conf with the entries Peter suggested.
2. Set nvidia driver in xorg.conf (Driver "nVidia")
3.Dracut rebuild (as suggested by Jiml8 and syntax provided by alf):

Code: Select all
dracut -f --omit-drivers nouveau --xz

4. Do I need to specify nvidia driver in MCC after all this before rebooting?


Since the proprietary driver has been previously installed and working on your system, I would start by trying something simpler (unless you have already tried this):

EDIT: forgot the first important step:
Code: Select all
click through the boot-loader setup in MCC to re-create grub.cfg and get the boot-loader back to this system
un-install nvidia packages
reboot
select proprietary driver in MCC


I also have nvidia graphics and am using the proprietary drivers. I don't think I have a blacklisting of nouveau, and if I do, it was added automatically by the proprietary driver install.

Myles wrote:So, any guidance on how to get rid of nouveau now would be fantastic!


It is hard to get rid of as the module part of it comes with the kernel, and even if it is prone to freezing, it may still be stable enough to act as fall back, when something goes wrong with the nvidia drivers.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 17th, '17, 13:06

arnesp,
I thought all was okay, till I did a reboot to see what happened. The very first time I booted when I thought it was fixed, I got a whole lot of msgs that I don't usually get. Then on the reboot, I got even more with a lot of "FAILURE" msgs in amongst them.

Then, just for some more fun, I had an update for Thunderbird, so I chose to update it and this is what happened: (curl error msg, code:3)
[img]
Thunderbird%20Update%20errors%20-%20Screenshot_20171017_205537.png
[/img]

A further msg suggested I update my database. So I went into MCC and tried to do that; this is what I got: (similar curl error msg, code:6 or something)
[img]
Errors%20updating%20Software%20Repositories%20-%20Screenshot_20171017_205328.png
[/img]

So I tried to chg my mirror, and got this:
[img]
Cannot contact Mageia website to download mirrorlist error msg -Screenshot_20171017_210851.png
[/img
(my network was up and working, so no idea what that was about, but it seems as though my repositories and RPM database were pretty screwed)??

Sorry: there were images uploaded but for some reason they are not showing up. No idea why.

I did another reboot to see if the msgs] came up again - yes - but then it got a whole lot worse!!!! I had screen after screen ( I reset the computer after about 12 or more) all with similar msgs, I was taking a video of the reboot to see what was happening but couldn't keep my arms up after these pages of stuff started coming up.
So I am retiring hurt. :?
My system is just too messed up and I don't want to risk having to ask for help every 5 mins when something else goes wrong. :(

So at this stage. I am currently re-installing my system, just to be sure I have a stable, working system.

I will, of course, choose the propriety nvidia driver and see how it goes.
I'll let you know how I go, give it a few days.

And, once again, thanks for your help so far.

I'll leave this problem open till I know nouveau isn't going to rear it's ugly head again.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby isadora » Oct 17th, '17, 13:13

Upload your pictures to a hosting-service like:
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And use the links given.
Or just use the "Upload attachment"-tab, when posting
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 17th, '17, 13:25

Myles,
For the record, did this occur after trying my suggestions above?
If yes, did you do it before being aware that I had done an edit?
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 18th, '17, 10:30

arnesp,

For the record, did this occur after trying my suggestions above?
If yes, did you do it before being aware that I had done an edit?


arnesp,
Sorry, no I didn't see the edit till after as my email notification said I had a private msg (I've never had one so didn't bother looking at it till after). Anyway as you can see below, I'm not sure that that would really matter.

I don't know what is going on but I have serious problems with this system! So it turns out those repository errors may have been something else entirely!
The install last night just stopped at the kernel-desktop etc part of the install. I rebooted, and tried to install again this morning - several times! Each time I would get error msgs about missing files in the mirror! (not the same files each time though). :shock:
Then on the final try, I couldn't even see my second internal HDD which has my /var partition on it! :o :shock:
So I set the bootloader to boot into Windows and checked my 2nd HDD - it seems okay??????

Do you or anyone have any idea where Mageia stores the files it downloads as part of the install process??? Would it be in /var? I had problems once before where my printer wouldn't print. I eventually worked out it was because /var was full (I had duplicated 1 large folder twice for other reasons). At the moment at only has 21.8Mb free!!!!!!!

Would this be the cause of "curl error x" errors? (where x=number)

I'm copying off the said large folder I want to keep (just in case) as I have a small partition adjacent to /var that I might be able to expand into.

Also, another tactic: would I be able to just copy over the files and folders from the stock installed MGA6 (excluding /home and /var folders - which are separate partitions for my "real" MGA6 system)????? Would that work and let me boot my old system if I re-install the bootloader for MGA6 stock-standard?
Myles,
Canberra, Australia
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 18th, '17, 12:22

Myles wrote:Sorry, no I didn't see the edit till after as my email notification said I had a private msg (I've never had one so didn't bother looking at it till after). Anyway as you can see below, I'm not sure that that would really matter.


Sorry to keep pursuing this, but I also still have a lot to learn.
The reason for the edit was, that the switch to nvidia drivers entails change of boot options (e.g. adding nokmsboot). It would do this in the local boot configuration, while you might still be using the configuration in the non-updated MGA6. Booting into and updating the boot configuration of the non-updated MGA6 installation before first boot with the nvidia drivers might also have worked, I am not sure. Anyway, as you say, this would not have anything to do with the repository problems.

When you wrote that everything seemed to be working before the repository problems, do you mean that you very actually running the proprietary drivers or could you have still been running the nouveau drivers?

Myles wrote:Do you or anyone have any idea where Mageia stores the files it downloads as part of the install process??? Would it be in /var? I had problems once before where my printer wouldn't print. I eventually worked out it was because /var was full (I had duplicated 1 large folder twice for other reasons). At the moment at only has 21.8Mb free!!!!!!!


I am not sure, but I would expect somewhere in /var/cache

Myles wrote:Would this be the cause of "curl error x" errors? (where x=number)


The curl error codes you mentioned were:
3 URL malformed. The syntax was not correct.
6 Couldn't resolve host. The given remote host was not resolved.

So a possible explanation for the problems would be corruption of the package management database due to lack of disk space.

Myles wrote:I'm copying off the said large folder I want to keep (just in case) as I have a small partition adjacent to /var that I might be able to expand into.


Depending on the size of the small partition and/or whether you can find something to clean from the /var directory, I would go with the expansion. I don't remember if the installer supports lossless resizing of partitions. Otherwise use gparted from the non-updated MGA6

Myles wrote:IAlso, another tactic: would I be able to just copy over the files and folders from the stock installed MGA6 (excluding /home and /var folders - which are separate partitions for my "real" MGA6 system)????? Would that work and let me boot my old system if I re-install the bootloader for MGA6 stock-standard?


I haven't thought this through, but I am sure it is not as simple as this. I am afraid there would a lot of pitfalls.
Maybe someone else could comment on this?
arnesp
 
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby wintpe » Oct 18th, '17, 17:18

21 meg is not a lot of space these days.

most definitly causing you issues, log files will jam, let alone updating patches.

i had a system that i was looking after (nurse maiding more like it)

had a prob where log files were not roling.

look in /var/log

du -sk *|sort -n

look at the largest

regards peter
Redhat 6 Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Sometimes my posts will sound short, or snappy, however its realy not my intention to offend, so accept my apologies in advance.
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby Myles » Oct 19th, '17, 09:27

arnesp and Peter,
I am writing this update on my finally re-installed system! :)

To cut a long story short - yes you are right arnesp (and it was as I suspected, that when installing the system, it does indeed write the files to /var (somewhere I know not where - but arenesp your supposition may well be correct it's /var/cache).
The reason my /var filled up is because I have a folder on there - that I need for one of my pgms - and it was taking up 2.81Gb of the 6.8Gb space. But then when I tried the first reinstall the other night that froze at the
myles wrote:just stopped at the kernel-desktop etc part of the instal
"I had to do a hard reset to get another reinstall happening, thus - probably - retaining all of the files Mageia had already downloaded and filling up /var, thus the 2nd reinstall didn't get very far before again failing. I tried a 3rd time and managed to take a shot of where the installer crashed out to a black screen with msgs - one being: "error: db5 error (28) from db->close: No space left on device" (then other msgs then eventually saying reboot.

So, how did I get a successful reinstall? I copied the folder I need off /var to another drive (twice actually, just to be sure!); then reinstalled and specified to format /var! That did the trick....finally!
I also selected the nvidia driver, so I'll leave this open and see how the system goes and if when I reboot, that nouveau doesn't rear it's ugly head again. Otherwise I'll have to seek help and guidance with the exact steps to stop it loading!

arnesp, Peter and everyone who poked their head in at times to help - thankyou so much for your time and patience, I really appreciate it. I learned a lot more through this adversity!

Hopefully I can keep using nvidia driver and close this problem!
Myles,
Canberra, Australia
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Re: MGA 6 - complete system freezes - even on new install.

Postby arnesp » Oct 19th, '17, 13:05

Myles wrote:I also selected the nvidia driver, so I'll leave this open and see how the system goes and if when I reboot, that nouveau doesn't rear it's ugly head again. Otherwise I'll have to seek help and guidance with the exact steps to stop it loading!


If your /var partition was already close to full when the kernel was updated to 4.9.50-desktop, that might also be the cause of the original driver issue.
The nvidia dkms modules need to be rebuilt for each new kernel version. That rebuild needs space in /var/lib/dkms.
If that space was not availabe, the rebuild would fail, explaining the missing /usr/lib/modules/4.9.50-desktop-1.mga6/dkms you observed.
Without the dkms modules, booting with the nvidia driver would always fail, causing a fall-back to nouveau.
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