On Wednesday 16 June 2004 15:32, you wrote:

John,

Try logging in via one of the virtual terminal screens: ALT+F1. If that works,

This has been the problem, both with 'Woody and 'Sarge' will not respond to ALT+F1!

it proves that there's nothing wrong with the actual installation, only with the configuration of the window system or the particular window manager you're using. It looks to me suspiciously as though it's your X server, though I guess you've realized that already.

As far as the Xserver goes, on one of my attempts the installer set it up properly, and on one of the others I did, the login screen is perfect beautifully sharp, and KDE went so far as to give me the set-up wizard before the login box on initial start up. KDE gets as far as the second Icon, (28% in the progress bar), and then stops and goes back to the grey screen with the cursor, Gnome tells me that it could not look up the internet address of the name, and to add the name to /etc/hosts.

The names, I left the first as debian, not knowing what was expected, the second I made debian.experiment, the third I used the series of english philosphers.enlightenment .net, in this case thomashobbes.enlightenment.net. wwwofle also shows as failing in the, scroll past at opening.

As far as I and my son-in-law can diagnose, its down to ineptitude on my part, I just can't get the hostname, networking bit right and it wont start fully.

HTH.

(Hope that helps?)

On another matter, I see that there are members/a member in the Ipswich area seeking start meetings. The next nearest LUG South, is Southend-on-Sea, and to the west Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. There must be more than just yourself in Colchester, and I can't believe there's no-one in Chelmsford. Then there's the rest of Essex and the whole of South-West Suffolk apparently a dessert for ALUG or any kind of LUG members. What's your assessment of the need/demand for LUG activities in that area, would it be worth a recruitment notice in uk.comp.os.linux?