Caldera's eDesktop 2.4 - Followup

[Robert Keneely]

Yesterday after a day long struggle, I managed to get OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 loaded and running. After a "quick look" at the KDE desktop I did a normal logout.

This morning after the POST I got the message "no operating system" !!! I booted up again using the "rescue floppy" and when I got to KDE desktop [hold on here I'm not too good at Linux terminology yet]

There was a home window on the desktop, in the window was a desktop folder, I opened this folder it contained a file autostart, I opened the autostart file and it was "empty" !!!

I tried a reboot on the rescue floppy so that I could read some of the "items" during loading and this time I got that old -

Check file-system...............................Fail

I can't do a "normal boot" off the hard drive, the rescue floppy doesn't work any more. So far Caldera's Open Linux has been a TOTAL DISASTER !!!!

[mdwatts]

I used eDesktop 2.4 from the day it was released until Caldera/SCO released their next version and never had any problems at all.

Where did you install the bootloader? mbr or boot/root partition?

If boot/root partition, then you need to set that partition as active.

From the Caldera/SCO knowledgebase.

No operating system (http://support.caldera.com/caldera/solution?11=010710-0019&130=0994794411&14=&2715=&15=&2716=&57=search&58=&2900=kyQE52y9yF&25=6&3=no%20operating%20system)

[Robert Keneely]

MD [This looks like the beginning of a long friendship, to paraphrase Bogie]

On my "successful installation" I accepted ALL the default settings. This included the boot/root section and display setting 1280x1024.

This afternoon [while watching TV] I will install for the "umphteenth" time. But I will select MBR and 800x600 because the present display is much too tiny. See I am "learning Linux" painful as it is.

More later,

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by Robert Keneely
MD [This looks like the beginning of a long friendship, to paraphrase Bogie]


Would seem to be. :)

Where did you install the bootloader, mbr or root partition?

The link I provided explains how to fix just in case you did install the bootloader in the root partition and it has not been set as the active partition.

[Robert Keneely]

MD,

I went back to "square one" and ran MS Fdisk again, taking out all partitions. Did an "Expert" inst of the "Home Computer" version. Selected 600x800 graphics [I am so overwhelmed by what I don't know about Linux I finally figured out that 1280x1024 was what was making my icons/printing so small]. Also install boot loader in MBR [at least that's the box I checked].

I have to admit the KDE desktop "looks beautiful" but it runs "terrible" !!! Questions:

1) Is the "big black X" the normal cursor ??
2) Why does the cursor "freeze" and "stick" all over the place when I click the KDE version of the Start button [that K in the lower left corner].

The cursor moves around desktop just fine, but when I click that KDE button the popup menus are impossible to navigate. The "highlite bar" sticks & freezes all over the place.

I notice on logout a couple of "error messages" popup but they are so complex I can't remember them and I haven't written them down yet. But at least I can log back on again.

This is longer then I originally planned, but Caldera's Open Linux has a LOT of problems on my machine.

[mdwatts]

You have to remember that eDesktop 2.4 is a few years old now and they have released OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 then 3.1.1 and SCO Linux 4.0 since.

Check to see if gpm (console mouse driver) is running as that is known to cause problems/conflicts with the X mouse driver.

ps ax | grep gpm

What mouse model are you using? Could you post the InputDevice or Pointer section from your /etc/X11/XF86Config (or eD may use /etc/XF86Config).

Try the KDE Control Center to see if there is a option to change the cursor.

The link I provided earlier (Caldera knowledgebase) may help for these or other problems.

[mdwatts]

http://www.linux-sxs.org/ should be helpful as they are mostly based on Caldera.

[Robert Keneely]

MD,

Your mouse questions got me thinking, always dangerous. My current mouse was a "no name" optical mouse I picked up at local computer show for about $8.00.

On all previous installations I had always accepted the "default" mouse settings, as long as buttons tested "OK". I don't agree with your recco to use Expert mode. Too many times I don't understand the options, much less what the correct choice should be.

So this afternoon, while watching Daytona 500, I got out the CD one more time and swapped mouse with another optical mouse. When loading got to mouse options "Intellimouse" appeared to be the best of very limited selections.

Meanwhile back to your questions, I ran [I assume you do this at the root user prompt] ps ax | grep gpm and didn't understand the result. As far as posting the Pointer section from /etc/X11/XF86Config - I don't even know where to look for it !!

By now you can see, I still don't know Linux commands !!!

When the packages had finished loading this turned out to be BY FAR the best installation of Open Linux 2.4 !! There are still many "rough spots" and "errors" that need to be cleaned up. But that won't happen until I learn a lot more about what I am doing.

I got this Caldera CD for 99¢ with NO DOCUMENTATION, so I think I'll go back to Mandrake 9.0 [I have a manual for it] and try and learn the "Linux basics"

Thanks again for all your help.