Installation of Linux on Compaq Armada 7400/7800 Portables
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0206-0799-A
18.
PCI Probe which finds the S3 Virge/MX. Compaq has occasionally observed the PCI Probe not finding the
Virge/MX. If this happens Setup will present a list of video controller, choose S3 Virge/MX.
19.
Monitor selection: Choose LCD Panel 1024x768
20.
If PCI Probe found the S3 Virge/MX, Setup will suggest 32 bits per pixel as default. Go ahead and choose
Default, we will fix this after installation. If you had to select video chip then Setup will present a list of
resolution and color depths. 32bit color is broken in the Virge/MX don’t choose it. After installation we
will manually edit the XF86Config file so your choice here is not that important.
21.
Configure LAN. Say No, networking can be setup after installation.
22.
Choose your timezone.
23.
Services to start at boot. Enable the APM daemon, apmd.
24.
Choose your printer. Linux provides extensive support of Postscript printers!
25.
Choose root password.
26.
Create a bootdisk. Need to be docked or use external floppy to this during install. It can be created later.
27.
LILO Installation. Choose install LILO to MBR (Master Boot Record).
28.
LILO parameter. None are required
29.
LILO menu. There should be three partitions listed. The Linux partition will be named Linux and marked
with an asterick to show it’s the default. The Microsoft Windows 9x partition will be labeled as dos. The
third partition is the Computer Setup partition. Highlight this entry and choose edit. Enter a name for this
partition, i.e. f10. Press OK or Done.
30.
Setup is finished.
Post RedHat installation configuration:Boot diskette creation:
It is a good idea to have a backup mechanism to boot Linux. A boot diskette can be created at any time using the
following method.
1.
Log in as root
2.
Put a known good floppy diskette in the drive
3.
Execute the command: mkbootdisk 2.0.36
4.
This creates a boot disk based on the current kernel
5.
See the man pages on mkbootdisk for further information
Sound Configuration:
1.
Write down what the audio resources are from Computer Setup
2.
Boot Linux and log in as root
3.
Execute sndconfig
4.
Select ESS1868 from the list
5.
Use your Computer Setup information to choose the card settings. For example, the BIOS defaults are
I/O=0x220, IRQ5, DMA1, MPU=0x330. The ESS1879 uses two DMA channels, you want to use the
second one for the Linux driver.
6.
If sndconfig is able to play a sample sound then you have succeeded.
X Windows configuration:
Note, Compaq has a sample XF86Config file available configured for 1024x768, 16bit color mode.
1.
Log in as root.
2.
Change directories to /etc/X11
3.
Make a backup of the file XF86Config
4.
Edit XF86Config
5.
Find the label HorizSync in ‘Section “Monitor”’
6.
Change the value to 31.5-60.2
7.
Scroll down to the label VertRefresh
8.
Change to value to 59-85
9.
Find the sections labelled ‘Section “Screen”’
10.
Check the entire “Screen” for the entries Depth and/or DefaultDepth. This is the number of colors to
display in bits, 8(256 colors), 16(65536), 24(16777216)
11.
Make sure all Depth and/or DefaultDepth values are 8, 16, or 24. Do not use 32 as Virge/MX is broken at
this color depth.
