I've been using Slackware longer than I can remember (spanning two
millennia), but I've never been stumped like this. I made a Slackware 12
DVD per the instructions (I downloaded the tree using rsync). All 7336
files in CHECKSUMS.md5 on the DVD are OK. I installed into a VM on my
machine at work so I'm pretty sure the disk is OK. It boots in my machine,
but when I get to the "select a keyboard" question it acts as if I don't
have one and nothing I do lets me past that point. I've tried a different
keyboard, but that didn't help either. I've tried every kernel command
line option I thought might make a difference. I googled for help on this,
but either I'm alone (or nearly so) with this problem or I'm not using the
right words. I'm currently using Slackware 11.

Any hints or help would be very much appreciated,

Andy Johnson

--

Windows does one thing well. Pick that one
thing, don't install anything else, leave it
alone, and it will keep doing that one thing
well.

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:58:49 -0500, Andy Johnson wrote:

> I've been using Slackware longer than I can remember (spanning two
> millennia), but I've never been stumped like this. I made a Slackware 12
> DVD per the instructions (I downloaded the tree using rsync). All 7336
> files in CHECKSUMS.md5 on the DVD are OK. I installed into a VM on my
> machine at work so I'm pretty sure the disk is OK. It boots in my machine,
> but when I get to the "select a keyboard" question it acts as if I don't
> have one and nothing I do lets me past that point. I've tried a different
> keyboard, but that didn't help either. I've tried every kernel command
> line option I thought might make a difference. I googled for help on this,
> but either I'm alone (or nearly so) with this problem or I'm not using the
> right words. I'm currently using Slackware 11.
>
> Any hints or help would be very much appreciated,

Probably using a USB keyboard, eh? If so, the problem is probably that
your BIOS is either configured wrong or incapable of recognizing the
keyboard until there's an OS running. Go through the settings in the BIOS
and enable stuff like "USB Legacy Devices" and such.


--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

Dan C wrote:

> On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:58:49 -0500, Andy Johnson wrote:
>
>> I've been using Slackware longer than I can remember (spanning two
>> millennia), but I've never been stumped like this. I made a Slackware 12
>> DVD per the instructions (I downloaded the tree using rsync). All 7336
>> files in CHECKSUMS.md5 on the DVD are OK. I installed into a VM on my
>> machine at work so I'm pretty sure the disk is OK. It boots in my
>> machine, but when I get to the "select a keyboard" question it acts as if
>> I don't
>> have one and nothing I do lets me past that point. I've tried a
>> different
>> keyboard, but that didn't help either. I've tried every kernel command
>> line option I thought might make a difference. I googled for help on
>> this, but either I'm alone (or nearly so) with this problem or I'm not
>> using the
>> right words. I'm currently using Slackware 11.
>>
>> Any hints or help would be very much appreciated,
>
> Probably using a USB keyboard, eh? If so, the problem is probably that
> your BIOS is either configured wrong or incapable of recognizing the
> keyboard until there's an OS running. Go through the settings in the BIOS
> and enable stuff like "USB Legacy Devices" and such.
>
>

No, it's a PS/2. I'm running the test 2.6.18 kernel from Slackware 11, so
it isn't like it's a big jump in versions. The box is about six years old,
so there isn't anything new to cause problems. Hardware wise it's fairly
generic.

Andy

--
Andy Johnson

Windows does one thing well. Pick that one
thing, don't install anything else, leave it
alone, and it will keep doing that one thing
well. Want to do more than one thing with
Windows? Get another Windows box.

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:06:18 -0500, Andy Johnson wrote:

>> Probably using a USB keyboard, eh? If so, the problem is probably that
>> your BIOS is either configured wrong or incapable of recognizing the
>> keyboard until there's an OS running. Go through the settings in the BIOS
>> and enable stuff like "USB Legacy Devices" and such.

> No, it's a PS/2. I'm running the test 2.6.18 kernel from Slackware 11, so
> it isn't like it's a big jump in versions. The box is about six years old,
> so there isn't anything new to cause problems. Hardware wise it's fairly
> generic.

Hmph, dunno then. It might be the home-grown DVD, perhaps you could try
downloading the first two CD ISO's and use those. Good luck.


--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

Andy Johnson wrote:
> Dan C wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:58:49 -0500, Andy Johnson wrote:
>>
>>> I've been using Slackware longer than I can remember (spanning two
>>> millennia), but I've never been stumped like this. I made a Slackware 12
>>> DVD per the instructions (I downloaded the tree using rsync). All 7336
>>> files in CHECKSUMS.md5 on the DVD are OK. I installed into a VM on my
>>> machine at work so I'm pretty sure the disk is OK. It boots in my
>>> machine, but when I get to the "select a keyboard" question it acts as if
>>> I don't
>>> have one and nothing I do lets me past that point. I've tried a
>>> different
>>> keyboard, but that didn't help either. I've tried every kernel command
>>> line option I thought might make a difference. I googled for help on
>>> this, but either I'm alone (or nearly so) with this problem or I'm not
>>> using the
>>> right words. I'm currently using Slackware 11.
>>>
>>> Any hints or help would be very much appreciated,
>> Probably using a USB keyboard, eh? If so, the problem is probably that
>> your BIOS is either configured wrong or incapable of recognizing the
>> keyboard until there's an OS running. Go through the settings in the BIOS
>> and enable stuff like "USB Legacy Devices" and such.
>>
>>
>
> No, it's a PS/2. I'm running the test 2.6.18 kernel from Slackware 11, so
> it isn't like it's a big jump in versions. The box is about six years old,
> so there isn't anything new to cause problems. Hardware wise it's fairly
> generic.
>
> Andy
>
I have been bumping into a similar problem lately with systems of this vintage in
both Linux 2.6.x and WinXP. People bring me their box because of lockups and
everything but keyboard works - especially on hot days with no a/c - the ps/2
keyboard just locks up but all else is ok. no problems found with the keyboard but
switching to USB (with appropriate BIOS settings) seemed a permanent fix.

Incidentally, these were all Intel mobos with early P4 CPUs.

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:06:18 -0500, Andy Johnson wrote:

>> Probably using a USB keyboard, eh? If so, the problem is probably
>> that your BIOS is either configured wrong or incapable of
>> recognizing the keyboard until there's an OS running. Go through the
>> settings in the BIOS and enable stuff like "USB Legacy Devices" and
>> such.

> No, it's a PS/2. I'm running the test 2.6.18 kernel from Slackware 11, so
> it isn't like it's a big jump in versions. The box is about six years
> old, so there isn't anything new to cause problems. Hardware wise it's
> fairly generic.

Before you try anything drastic download the first *CD* and see if it
will boot and detect a keyboard.

Several times I've gotten an ISO and burned to media and even though
the md5sum checked some mysterious error would creep in that no one else
was having. Sometimes it was with the install portion and sometimes it
was with the applications.

It's usually a good idea to reduce your burn speed to something less
than the maximum also.

--

Email - rsgibson@verizon.borg
Replace borg with net

I got it working. I bought a relatively inexpensive USB keyboard, and I was
then able to install. After that I put the PS/2 keyboard back on and
everything still works fine. So.... Why didn't the PS/2 keyboard that I'm
using now work initially?

Andy

"Andrew S. Johnson" (andy@asjohnson.com) writes:
> I got it working. I bought a relatively inexpensive USB keyboard, and I was
> then able to install. After that I put the PS/2 keyboard back on and
> everything still works fine. So.... Why didn't the PS/2 keyboard that I'm
> using now work initially?
>
> Andy

Something ridiculous like it wasn't plugged in properly?

I just upgraded my RAM to 385megs on Saturday. I bought two 128Meg DIMMs
at a garage sale for five dollars, figuring it was not much to lose if
it didn't work in my computer. The first one worked right off the bat,
and then I decided to try the 128meg DIMM I bought new some years back
for twenty dollars. It hadn't worked when I tried it in this computer
a few years back.

I put it in, turn on the computer, and it won't boot. Reminds me of
what happened before, and I didn't play with it because the complete
lack of boot made me worry.

I turn it off, jiggle the DIMM, reboot, and there's the 385megs. I clearly
hadn't got it in the socket properly, not once but twice. The third time
did it.

Michael

On Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:16:33 -0500, Andrew S. Johnson wrote:

> I got it working. I bought a relatively inexpensive USB keyboard, and I
> was then able to install. After that I put the PS/2 keyboard back on and
> everything still works fine. So.... Why didn't the PS/2 keyboard that I'm
> using now work initially?

Bad cable perhaps?

--
Linux Help: http://rsgibson.com/linux.htm
Email - rsgibson@verizon.borg
Replace borg with net

On Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:26:23 +0000, Michael Black wrote:

> I put it in, turn on the computer, and it won't boot. Reminds me of
> what
> happened before, and I didn't play with it because the complete lack of
> boot made me worry.

> I turn it off, jiggle the DIMM, reboot, and there's the 385megs. I
> clearly hadn't got it in the socket properly, not once but twice. The
> third time did it.

Some of the DIMM sockets take a lot of force to seat the module. That
always troubles me as you can feel the mobo flexing under the stress.
You know the mobos are mounted on 6-8 stand off connectors that
concentrate stress and strain in a bad way IMO (Long explanation of
loadings and forces would be involved so trust me on that).

I find myself really easing them in. When I build one from scratch I
install the memory before I put the mobo in the case and place it on a
level surface to evenly distribute the load and minimize flexing.

--
Linux Help: http://rsgibson.com/linux.htm
Email - rsgibson@verizon.borg
Replace borg with net