SimplyMEPIS and ASUS A8N-SLI?
Posts: 5
Hi,
On my previous machine I was an avid MEPIS user for some months. Early this year I built myself a new machine based on the ASUS A8N-SLI motherboard with an AMD 64 3200+ CPU.
I had hoped to be able to run MEPIS on this new machine, but despite some starts and stops, each time I try to boot into another copy/version of the CD (latest attempt was some minutes ago using 3.3.1-1), I end up at the login prompt rather than at the KDE login screen. When I log in and type "startx" the screen blanks, as if to load the graphical interface and returns me to the prompt with a set of errors. I previously posted these on Mepislovers in the hope of resolving the problem, but so far to no avail (but thanks to those who replied). I reproduce the error messages here (these were from 3.3.1 but I do not think they have changed with the latest release):
I should mention this is all at the end of what appears to be a parsing of the XF86 config file. So here goes:
(WW) RADEON: no matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:1:0:1) found
(EE) no devices detected
Fatal server error
no screens found
XIO: Fatal IO error 104 (connection reset by peer) on X server ":0:0" after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.
I have suggested that it might be a problem with the PCI-express/SLI technology on the motherboard, but no one has taken this up and been able to confirm or refute this as yet.
As my motherboard also has the Nvidia NForce4 chipset, I hoped the new release would be my salvation, but sadly as yet it has not proved to be.
I very much hope someone has a solution for me, or can suggest the way forward as MEPIS has been far and away my favourite distro and I would be sorry to be unable to run it. At present I have successfully loaded SUSE 9.2, Xandros and (K)Ubuntu, so I know there are potential solutions out there. I just hope it will also be available with MEPIS.
Thanks to anyone who can help me forward with this.
Best regards,
AndyWJ
lo
Posts: 3
hello,
i have the same mobo, but have a 6800 gt g/card....and although i can boot into mepis when the os uses its own driver 4 graphics, if i try to load nvidia`s it does exactly as yours does....so your problem may be with the mepis graphics thingy ?
Thanks
Posts: 5
Thanks for your reply. Good to know I am not alone with this. But the problem I have is even with the default driver. I don't get as far as being able to select installing the ATI driver. Still, slowly but surely, I hope I will get there!
Cheers,
Andy.
Same problem on different board
Posts: 2
I have the exact same problem on all nforce4 PCIe motherboards I have used, irregardless of the video card.
I don't know enough about linux to work around this problem, however it appears that MEPIS may not support PCIe/SLI or possibly the nForce4 chipset.
I hope I am wrong. If anyone knows a solution to this problem, please help.
video
Posts: 2280
Have you tried the Nvidia site ? They have a linux support forum that might put some light on the problem . Poke around there others have posted on this issue im sure .
good luck jim
pci and mepis
Posts: 1
PCI express (to my knowledge) is not fully implemented in the kernel below version 2.6.11. Mepis 3.3.1-1 is 2.6.10.
Some kernels (such as suse) and others have been compiled for compatibility and patches for a larger number of drivers, or have backported features.
In my experience mepis 'simply' works better... it just sometimes takes longer to get it to do that. I'm sure they're working on the newest stuff even as we write. 
Additional information
Posts: 5
In case it helps to mention it, my graphics card is a Radeon X600XT and I run two 17" CRT monitors from it.