Re: Struggling to install

[Anthony Hilton <ajh%tinshill.f9.co.uk@localhost>]

In <URL:news:local.netbsd.acorn32> on Wed 20 Feb, Anthony Hilton wrote:
> In <URL:news:local.netbsd.acorn32> on Sat 16 Feb, Chris Gilbert wrote:
> > Anthony Hilton wrote:
> > > I am struggling to install NetBSD 4.0 from a CD onto an ARM610 RiscPC
> > > with 1Mb VRAM, 36Mb main RAM and RIS OS 4.39 in ROM.
> > > 
> > > Following Chris Gilbert's post on 3 Feb I downloaded the BtNetBSD/spk
> > > and generic kernel and the other files but do not know what to do with
> > > them.
> > > 
> > > During the install the screen is barely legible so I've had to accept
> > > defaults not being able to read the various options. Where the right
> > > side of the display wraps to the left of the screen it is fine, and at
> > > the left ofthe display it is OK but rappidly deteriorates towards the
> > > right and shows a lot of movement and apparent partial over-writing of
> > > text. 
> > 
> > Can you describe the illegability, are you getting some text, but 
> > missing the last bits on screen?  (or even a picture from a camera :) in 
> > theory an arm610 does write-through, normally the illegability is 
> > something that a strongarm does (or it did, I tweaked vidcvideo to 
> > improve strongarm output in -current to make it readable)
> 
> I only have a webcam and tiny 100K pixel digicam available so the images
> are not particularly clear but I've put a few at
> http://www.tinshill.f9.co.uk/ant/netbsd/ if you want to have a look.
> 
> In the language selection box at the bottom of the screen the bit at teh
> left which has wrapped from the right is quite clear.
> 
> In the top block of text the CTRL-N but the P of CTRL-P on the same line is
> breaking up.

The was double height characters at teh left of the screen fully legible but
starting to show less than full width or overlapping from about the 12th
character, being totally illegible by the 15th.

The language selection box for the installation messages started part way
across the screen - totally illegible - but the right side of the box
appeared on the left of the screen fully legible so I knew the first
selection was "in English"

> > If you've got an SA I can do you a kernel that should be readable.  I 
> > probably should ask for pull-ups to the 4.0 branch for the next release.
> 
> I have an SA in my main RiscPC which I could swap over - easier than
> swapping the HDD. My main machine has 2Mb VRAM and 96Mb main RAM.

I tried the SA in the machine I've been having trouble with and didn't see
any improvement.

I then moved the HDD into my main machine (2Mb VRAM, 96Mb main RAM) and was
able to complete a minimal install.

I subsequently put the HDD back into the original machine and edited
!BtNetBSD.!Run by removing the pipe from the 2 lines setting display settings
(didn't change the actual lines) and ran the Install Kernel again this time
fully able to read the screen.

Both machines have RISC OS 4.39 (Adjust) ROMs.

> > > As far as I can tell it does somethin with the generic kernel -
> > > counting up to 100% and then moves on to acorn32/binaries/sets/base.tgz
> > > but hangs after a while, the percentage stalls and the other numbers
> > > stop changing. Once it got to 19% and I left it for over 20 minutes
> > > with no change to the screen before I re-booted the box.
> > 
> > Hmm, that implies that it stopped extracting the file.
> > 
> > > RISC OS is running 800x600x32K from the AKF60 MDF driving an Iiyama Pro
> > > 411  and I haven't modified the !BtNetBSD.!Run file from that supplied
> > > as I don't know what the effects might be.
> > 
> > It should display fine, it sounds like you're getting some text.
> > 

Yes, the text was definitely there but not readable.

> Thanks for your interest. If we don't make much progress with this I'll
> just let you have the machine - you'll find it easier to work out what is
> going on when you are in front of the machine than via email.

I'll start a new thread with other enquiries.

Anthony

-- 
ajh%tinshill.f9.co.uk@localhost