Rescuing a veteran : F14, PowerEdge SC1420, HP w2207h : SUCCESS
Beartooth
beartooth at comcast.net
Tue Jan 11 19:41:35 UTC 2011
On Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:34:39 -0500, Ted Roche wrote:
[....]
> If you execute Xorg :0 -configure as root, it will write out an
> xorg.conf.
>
> man Xorg for more details.
>
> You would need to stop X before you issue that command, either booting
> into a non-X runlevel or switching to one. I'm not sure how you'd do
> that in a liveCD, but hope that helps a bit.
[....]
I'm already forgetting details, especially as to sequence, but
the machine is again running largely as it should.
I think I misunderstood the directions above at least once; and I
couldn't begin to slog all the way through man Xorg, even with Konqueror
helping.
I *think* I tried some of that, without mounting things, using
the live medium -- and didn't seem to succeed. Then I rebooted, took out
the DVD, and got the usual hang before boot completed.
From there, as usual, I was able to ssh into the machine, and
tried the directions above again.
I recall a generated xorg.conf in /root/<whatever>, moving the
generated xorg.conf I had stoked up in /etc/X11 under ssh to a backup
(which I had to become root to do), and then moving the one under /root
into its place.
At that point, iirc, I rebooted -- and got a usable display.
HOORAY!!
The present GUI does have a couple of oddities. First, the app
that looks much like system-config-display (which I don't have and can't
seem to get with yum any more) is now labeled Livna. (Good old Livna! I
thought it had been absorbed.)
Second, it has a feature that system-config-display never did :
it can offer resolutions higher than the one on display.
I tried running that clear up to 1680x1050, the monitor's actual
size -- and, oddly, got a display cramped into no more than half the
screen. (I did not try leaving that, then logging out and back in; didn't
think of it; maybe I should.)
Anyway, I believe I'll now be able to copy the masses of data on
the veteran (archives of my own email and of a couple of lists that I run
or help run) onto an external USB hard drive, and thereafter onto a
second external one -- where, I trust, my newer machines will be able to
get to everything even if I bollix the veteran again -- or if our
otherwise excellent developers embrace something that it can't begin to
handle ...
Many heartfelt thanks to Ted and to Richard!
--
Beartooth Staffwright, Neo-Redneck Not Quite Clueless Power User
I have precious (very precious!) little idea where up is.
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