On Thursday 23 October 2003 3:44 pm, Kevin Miller, Jr. wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > Thanks Robert. I tried compiling the 2.6 kernel last week but the Dell > notebooks are so finiky. I used menuconfig and chose similar settings to > my 2.4 .config file but failed miserably. We can't use the 2.4 .config can > we? If not, I will still like a copy so that I can manually edit the > .config for the 2.6 kernel and then compile it myself. > > Kevin -------------------------------------------------------------- Since I don't have a Dell Inspiron, and never have had the opportunity to use one, without knowing what happened when you compiled the 2.6 kernel, it's difficult to diagnose, other than looking at the config, and seeing an obvious error. Some input from Dell Inspiron users would help.
We need to know: 1. Did the compile itself error out (and at what point), or did it compile, and reboot not succeed? Next time, if compile fails, save the history (in console, under menu-edit-save history as), and post the last section where it stops. 2. I looked up the 8000, (can't find 8100), and they have ATI Mobility M4 or NVIDIA GeForce2 Go. With ATI, compiling into 2.6 works fine (I use Radeon 9000 Pros on all my boxes). Nvidia is a different animal. We need to know which one you have. If the compile and install succeeds, but on boot you get a black screen, it might be an xconfig problem. If you get compiling errors, its likely a kernel config problem, followed by an x problem. 3. I noticed in your 2.4 config, you have lots of things supported as modules, and compiled in, like: SCSI ISDN infrared stuff In file systems, you have all the XFS as "Y." Do you use that? USB- do you need everything? In # Native Language Support, all things are modules, get rid of all you don't use. This is unlikely to transfer to 2.6 at the present state of 2.6 maturity, without major pruning. If you use these things, fine, but in short, with a 2.6 kernel, get rid of ANYTHING you don't need. I never had success with 2.5, or 2.6, until I realized virtually anything could cause inexplicable failures. Took me 2 months to hone it down to a rock stable bare-bones .config- now it works perfectly, first time, with every new test-x, on my hardware, and I'm still refining it, and add things on recompiles. Always save a working config, and name it! The deal is, don't expect everything to work! Get it so it works with your most important things, and accept the fact it's not perfect. ADDENDUM: After you've done it a few times, a kernel recompile is very fast, and safe, if you compile your kernels as USER, not in /usr/src, as root. FOR 2.6 tests, follow this procedure: I've been downloading from kernel.org, and getting mm patches for each 2.6 version, with excellent results, over 100 times. Here's my method, for 2.4 or 2.6 kernels. I never compile as root in /usr/src anymore. I made a /home/wrc/kernel directory, and untar there, then cd as user to the linux-2.6.0-testx directory, and do a normal: Optional: apply mm patch (or others I might wish to try) make mrproper make xconfig Optional: after xconfig edit Makefile cflags and console output for 2.6, they have compile output "silent" by default. I'll post my edits if anyone wishes) make clean make bzImage make modules THEN SU TO ROOT make modules_install mount /boot cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/linux-2.6.0-testx-mmx (I use no System.map, or initrd) Edit grub with nano -w /boot/grub/grub.conf and add your new kernel stanza to grub.conf, then reboot to new kernel. Works for me every time, with no problems whatsoever. I've had mixed results with genkernel, and any Gentoo kernels, so I've settled on the above "method of choice." I do however, run very lean systems, and others might need support for scsi, drivers, etc that I don't use. But for the basics of getting a 2.6 up and running, this works very well. Hope this helps, Robert Crawford -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
