Beginners Guide Improvement

MickeyKnox · 2010-02-27 14:45:30

I just installed Archlinux and stumbled over two issues following the Beginners Guide.
No big deal, but still worth to mention, i think.
I don't feel comfortable as a new user to edit the Beginners Guide myself and therefore
discuss these issues here first.

I did read the Beginners Guide while installing. When it came to configure the Xserver,
i chose the Nvidia driver and configured it immediadiately. It complaint that there was
no xorg.conf. The xorg.conf will be generated later, following the tutorial. I think this
should be rearranged somehow.

The second issue is that after executing nvidia-xconfig, it suggests to start the xserver
to see if everything works properly, which it didn't, because hal wasn't installed nor
configured yet, follwing the Beginners Guide. This let me to fiddle around with it a bit
and several annoying restarts, before i decided to just go on with the Guide, to find
a good reason why it didn't just worked then. I think there should be a warning not
to start X after nvidia-xconfig.

Misfit138 · 2010-02-27 15:20:18

MickeyKnox wrote:

I just installed Archlinux and stumbled over two issues following the Beginners Guide.
No big deal, but still worth to mention, i think.
I don't feel comfortable as a new user to edit the Beginners Guide myself and therefore
discuss these issues here first.
I did read the Beginners Guide while installing. When it came to configure the Xserver,
i chose the Nvidia driver and configured it immediadiately.

Could you explain this further?

It complaint that there was
no xorg.conf. The xorg.conf will be generated later, following the tutorial.

It sounds like you failed to follow the guide, but I am having a difficult time understanding what you want changed. If you followed the order of the guide, wouldn't it have worked out properly?

The second issue is that after executing nvidia-xconfig, it suggests to start the xserver
to see if everything works properly, which it didn't, because hal wasn't installed nor
configured yet, follwing the Beginners Guide. This let me to fiddle around with it a bit
and several annoying restarts, before i decided to just go on with the Guide, to find
a good reason why it didn't just worked then. I think there should be a warning not
to start X after nvidia-xconfig.

Perhaps a note, explaining not to test the server at that point would be appropriate.

sHyLoCk · 2010-02-27 16:47:14

Wait, hal isn't required to test X! Is it? I mean your input devices on't respond but X should launch anyway!

rusty99 · 2010-02-27 17:06:11

Which is ass-backwards.. a new user will think there's something wrong with their setup or wonder where he/she went wrong.
Having no access to ctrl_alt_bksp etc at that point is pretty dumb, as the only option is reboot via power button.

loafer · 2010-02-27 17:13:25

The Guide does point out that starting X without HAL will result in no keyboard and mouse and does so prior to the section about testing X.

MickeyKnox · 2010-02-27 17:48:13

I followed the Guide step by step. I f wouldn't have chosen to use the nvidia driver,
everything would've worked fine (probably). The thing is, that the Guide instructs me
to run nvidia-xconfing before the Configure X section. This means, there is no xorg.conf
yet (first issue). Second, after running nvidia-xconfing, it advises me to test the xserver.
For me it was tempting to do so. This all comes way before hal was even mentioned.

So that later there is a warning about not starting X before hal is configured, didn't help me,
but rather explained to me, what went wrong before.
As i mentioned, i did not read the Guide before installing, but rather while installing, which
i think is a sound approach.

By the way, the Xserver did start, i saw the nvidia logo, but then it appeared to be frozen
(no reaction on input).

Last edited by MickeyKnox (2010-02-27 17:57:16)

pickboy87 · 2010-02-27 18:24:37

Maybe I'm crazy, but doesn't it tell you to perform

$ Xorg -configure

then copy the file from your /root folder to your home folder (well not exactly there, but /etc/xorg something) before installing the nvidia driver? I know when installing using the Beginners Guide, I ran into xorg file being redundantly made. But that wasn't really troublesome.

Edit: Then start xterm through the ~/.xinit file? All before nvidia is installed?

Edit2: No, I guess not. Xorg configure is AFTER nvidia drivers are installed.

Last edited by pickboy87 (2010-02-27 18:35:37)

loafer · 2010-02-27 18:33:26

MickeyKnox does seem to have carried out some of the steps in a different order to those contained in the Guide.

MickeyKnox · 2010-02-27 19:15:20

loafer wrote:

MickeyKnox does seem to have carried out some of the steps in a different order to those contained in the Guide.

No, i did not! The problem i stumbled over is that nvidia-xconfig is, according to the Guide, excuted before the X Configure section.
Well, i did try to run the xserver right after executing nvidia-xconfig, because it advised me to do so.
But at this point i didn't even knew that there'll come a section about testing the xserver.
And i had no idea of the hal issue.

This is no big deal, i got it running anyway. However, i see potential for improvements and wanted to share.

loafer · 2010-02-27 19:17:32

It's good that you want to improve the Wiki. Go ahead and add your suggestions.

Gen2ly · 2010-02-27 21:01:11

The nvidia driver may be the only exception here about starting X without and xorg.conf?? HAL doesn't load the nvidia driver without an xorg.conf (at least on two of my setups) and will fail completely (guess it defaults to vesa which strangely didn't work). Not sure about other drivers like Intel of ATi. In my opinion HAL should do this, especially since the X server marketing of 'xorg.conf not required' anymore. Anyways, blathering...

barzam · 2010-02-28 15:55:50

Just correct any errors you find, or add a small note if you are uncomfortable making big changes just yet.

MickeyKnox · 2010-03-01 14:22:05

Allright, i moved the nvidia configuration instructions to the x server configuration section along with some minor changes/additions.

Xyne · 2010-03-01 15:32:03

Thanks, and welcome to Arch!

Arch Linux

#1 2010-02-27 14:45:30

Beginners Guide Improvement

#2 2010-02-27 15:20:18

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#3 2010-02-27 16:47:14

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#4 2010-02-27 17:06:11

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#5 2010-02-27 17:13:25

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#6 2010-02-27 17:48:13

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#7 2010-02-27 18:24:37

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#8 2010-02-27 18:33:26

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#9 2010-02-27 19:15:20

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#10 2010-02-27 19:17:32

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#11 2010-02-27 21:01:11

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#12 2010-02-28 15:55:50

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#13 2010-03-01 14:22:05

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

#14 2010-03-01 15:32:03

Re: Beginners Guide Improvement

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