On Thu, 12 Dec 2002 23:53:52 -0000 "Greg Harris" greg@deloney.demon.co.uk wrote:
Everything seems to progress fine, including the graphics card selection. The installer picks up the correct card model, RAM type and size.
The problem arises with the monitor selection, it reports "un-probed". I have tried selecting the correct Dell model from the list but it will not give me the test screen or indeed any other help.
If I then continue with the install the boot screen errors on the boot screen with EE for the graphics card and the monitor and then hangs. The error is something along the lines of 'screens found but no usable screens defined' or very similar.
I have only worked very briefly with RedHat and not version 8.0 but I think I can take a guess at what is going on here.
Normally RedHat presents a graphical login screen which in turns relies on the services of a piece of software called XFree86. One aspect of configuring XFree86 involves providing it with possible "Modes" in which it can drive the monitor and the program that configures XFree86 at installation time would normally do that for you as well as telling it what your monitor is capable of.
In the event that the parameters it has for your monitor are wrong it (Xfree86) can conclude that there are no acceptable modes in which to drive the monitor and it effectively gives up which is what seems to be happenning in your case.
One solution is to edit the XFree86 configuration file by hand to correct the problem - to do that you would need to be able to use the system in 80x24 text mode rather than rely on the graphical login screen. If you use Control+Alt and the functions keys F1 to F6 do any of these present you with a text-mode screen with a login prompt?
If so check out the file /etc/X11/XF86Config or /etc/X11/XF86Config-4. You will need the spec. on your monitor, i.e. which H and V refresh rates it can do. if you still can't make sense of it after doing 'man XF86Config' then come back here for more help.
HTH, Steve.