problems with HP a220n/monitor and Knoppix....

[MasterRyu 0]

Ok here's the deal, I am currently running a HP a220n desktop machine (with stock mx703 monitor) which was recently upgraded with a 160GB 7200 RPM Western Digital hard drive, and a MadDog Multimedia 16x Double Layer DVD burner(16XDVD9A2) as well as a MadDog SurePower 350W(400W max) power supply to support the new devices.

 

Before the upgrade, when we were using the stock power supply and stock components, Knoppix Linux worked fine, detected all components fine and everything, but now, for some reason, right after it has set all the device settings, and where it usually clicks and displays the OS component loading screen, the monitor displays the "entering power saving mode" screen. I have tried different command line options to varying degrees of success, with "VGA=normal", it manages to load into the desktop, sees all the drives and everything, but just as I am about to enter an URL into Mozilla, the monitor clicks and goes into power saving mode. Now, the very first time I used Knoppix after the upgrade, I was actually able to use it for like 10 minutes before it clicked into power saving mode...which I don't believe it is actually in, as in Windows the system LED actually flashes when it is in low power mode, and even though the monitor LED is orange, I can still see the CD status light going and the drive is still humming, and the system LED is solid. I don't understand why it would work fine with the old power supply (which was found to be defective when tested with a power supply tester), and now it refuses. All the new components are recognized and work to their fullest capacity in Windows XP, and the power supply and low power modes work as expected in Windows XP. I even turned off all power saving modes in the BIOS to no avail.

 

I have tried several different LiveCD distros, with the same results, I have tried numerous resolution changes and other command line options with little effect...I am really at my wits end here, I enjoy using Knoppix, but I am ready to give up...this is very frustrating. Any help you could provide would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

My system Specs are as follows:

 

System Model: HP Pavilion a220n with Pavilion mx703 monitor

(nForce 2 chipset with integrated sound, video(disabled) and network card)

 

RAM: 768MB

 

Video(Integrated GF4MX has been disabled):PNY GeForce FX 5200 128MB

 

Hard Drives: Seagate 120GB 5400 RPM(stock), Western Digital 160GB 7200 RPM (upgrade)

 

Optical Drives: JLMS DVD-ROM Drive(stock), MadDog Multimedia 16x Double Layer DVD burner(16XDVD9A2) (upgrade)

 

+DSL modem, printer etc. (not really relevant, but I felt compelled to include them)

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, and I apologize for the length of this post, but in this case, I felt elaboration was necessary.

[LinuxCrusader 0]

Did you already go through the kde control center and disabled any power saving mode. Peripherals -> Display -> Power Control.

 

You already went through the cheat codes that you can execute at booting under knoppix.

 

I would suggest booting up your PC with the Knoppix liveCD and see if this problem still happens with the liveCD running. If it doesn't happen, then you could try replacing your current XF86Config-4 with the one that the liveCD provides. This file is on /etc/X11/XF86Config-4. It will be located on the hardrive where your current knoppix installation is, and also in the temp drive of the knoppix liveCD, so bring the one from the temp drive (liveCD) onto your knoppix hardrive. It is worth the tried.

 

Also, try opening up your current XF86Config-4 file and make sure the right monitor with its appropriate model, horizontal sync, and vertical sync are listed there. It might be that you need to tell knoppix the right monitor name, model, and its settings for it to work properly.

 

There's also another program called "xvidtune" which you might be able to use and tune up your monitor.

 

Don't give up. I'm sure it can be fixed. If knoppix is working perfecly fine, then it's just a matter a figuring out your video card. My answer may not be the best...but I hope some else in here will give the right answer.

 

Good luck and hang in there! and keep this thread going if you still having problems. I'm sure someone else will respond.

[MasterRyu 0]

Yes, I am running the Knoppix LiveCD, Linux is/was not installed on my system, I am using the LiveCD to experiment with Linux without messing up my system. I had been using the older Knoppix version and it worked fine before the new power supply, but now neither that or the newest build works. As I say, the first time I booted the LiveCD after adding the new components, it worked fine for a few minutes before the monitor clicked into endless standby mode. I was able to boot in a second time, and promptly changed the power settings, but it made no difference, the monitor still went into standby. This makes absolutely no sense, as the monitor itself is fine and worked before, as is the power supply. I really hate seemingly illogical problems like this. Thanks for the words of support, I have gotten absolutely no help from the people at the knoppix.net forums. I really want to be able to use Linux with the LiveCD without having to worry about the monitor clicking off.

[LinuxCrusader 0]

So for what I understand, ever since you changed your PCs power supply you've been having this problem.

 

Are you still having the same problem after booting with the older version on knoppix liveCD?

 

What other liveCDs have you tried?...just curious, but it is odd that your monitor will go into stand by mode after a few minutes since the monitor is plugged into a power surge, or a UPS, or a regular outlet to simply get its electrical power, and plugged into the video card of your computer to receive signals to project images from your PC. The power supply on your PC is simply providing power to your Hard drives, motherboard, cpu, cd-roms, etc. inside your PC. I have a hunch that's telling me that this doesn't have to do with your PC's power unit. The only scenario that I can think of me dealing with power units is when I would have to many pieces of hardware connect to it and one of the hardrives would go offline because of over heating, but then again you said this doesn't happen when you PC is running under windows, right?

[danleff 0]

I'm also curious. The new hard drive. Did you install Windows stand alone, or via the recovery HP disks?

 

The dvd drive. Is it the only cdrom/dvd drive in the system, or did you add the dvd drive to the hardware senario (the old cdrom/cdrw drive is still present in the system)?

[MasterRyu 0]

Originally posted by LinuxCrusader:

Quote:

So for what I understand, ever since you changed your PCs power supply you've been having this problem.

 

Are you still having the same problem after booting with the older version on knoppix liveCD?

 

What other liveCDs have you tried?

 

Yes, neither the older previously working version or the latest build work anymore. I have tried Byzantine OS and Gentoo, both with the same results. I am an intermediate Windows user - pretty savvy, but I'm not going to be cracking system files, and I know little to nothing about Linux, which is why Knoppix Linux was so intriguing to me.

 

The added components work fine in Windows XP (pre-installed), have had no problems, and the power supply was tested with a tester and checked out. I had my doubts about the power supply, but it is so odd, and since the LiveCD worked fine with the stock power supply, and the new components are seen fine in Windows, I just figured it's a case of Knoppix not liking/not properly configuring the power supply. I have tried running with PNPbios=off, and all power settings off etc. and it has made absolutely no difference. I have a suspicion this is some issue with HP proprietary components, that's the only thing I can think of...it should work, my components are fairly standard as you can see, not exotic or outdated. The computer initially came with a DVD-ROM drive and a CD-RW drive, after we got the DL DVD burner, it replaced the CD-RW drive. I appreciate the help.

[MasterRyu 0]

Ok, for the hell of it I hauled up an older Dell monitor from the basement to isolate the monitor as a problem....ran default, no options, seemed to be working ok, then right in the middle of IMing a friend (this was a few mins after OS loaded), the Dell monitor blinks into low power mode. I am POSITIVE the comp itself is not going into low power mode, as the CD-ROM drive does not spin down, and the power LED is still solid. I can't for the life of me understand what is going on here.

[LinuxCrusader 0]

You know this is very odd.

 

Is your PCs power unit one of those that it is supposed to interact with the OS. That can't be it. Power units jut provide power and that's about it. I'm puzzled to what could trigger your PC go into stand by mode.

 

What do you think Danleff? Hopefully the other guys in here will come up with a better solution for you.

[danleff 0]

So, the Seagate has Windows pre-installed and the WD is just a data drive (not the boot drive)? What I am getting at is that HP systems have a hidden partition that usually has recovery data, as well as some system settings on it.

 

When you burned the Knoppix cd, what speed did you burn it at? Did you use a cdrw disk or cd-r disk?

 

And I assume that you can't resume the monitor suspend by moving the mouse, or hitting the space bar on the keyboard?

[MasterRyu 0]

You are correct, the Seagate is the main drive with XP pre-installed, and the WD is a secondary data drive. I used a CD-R to burn the original at 16X I believe, and I know it's not the media, because the LiveCD works fine in another computer. And if the Video card wasn't seated correctly, I would think there would be problems in Windows, unless Linux is very sensitive to small changes.

[danleff 0]

If you can, try burning another cd of Knoppix using 4X or 8X speed. These iso files need to be burned at a slow speed, or they will not read properly. You may be getting a read/seek error, the cd stops reading and the system monitor goes into suspend mode.

 

All that I can say, is that different cdrw/cdrom drives have trouble reading the tracks, if the cd disk is burned too fast.

 

This happens a lot on some laptop cdrom drives. My 24X cdrom on my laptop would not read burned cd disks, but I switched out to a 20X and it worked fine. One would think that the faster (newer) drive would read the disk correctly, but it does not.

 

try getting into a terminal window and typing in dmesg.

 

See if you get a message about a seek error of some sort on the cdrom drive, which should appear at the bottom of the output of dmesg.

 

Look at my guide, located here.

[MasterRyu 0]

Nope, I had burned another disc at 8X to check, and it STILL did the same thing, and the previously burned at high speed LiveCD had worked fine before we added in the power supply and extra drives. I have also tried booting it from the new 16X DVD-RW drive, and it still does the same thing. I don't know what is going on, but I seriously doubt it is a faulty burn. Thanks for the help though. I think I am going to have to wait for the next Knoppix build for them to possibly rectify the problem. Thanks for the link, but I knew all that stuff already, I am fairly experienced with computers. I just wish I could solve this problem, so far, all command line options have done very little to help. I really don't want to be burning and burning trying to get lucky and possibly get a disc that will work with my machine. As for my burning software, I had burned the the LiveCD on Sony Media at 8X with BurnAtOnce.

[MasterRyu 0]

--EDIT--

I ran a complete array of system tests with the included PC Doctor diagnostic software - every test passed, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with my video card or monitor or any other devices.

 

Tried to boot the older, previously working CD again just for the hell of it - same results, surprise, surprise. Anyway...I collected my BIOS settings if they can be any help. Hopefully somebody can shed some light on this strange problem....

 

Main Settings:

 

Plug and Play OS = Yes

 

Primary Video Adapter = AGP/Onboard

 

Local Bus IDE Adapter = Both

 

USB Legacy Mode Support = Auto

 

Onboard LAN = Enabled

Onboard LAN Boot ROM = Disabled

Onboard Audio = Auto

Onboard 1394 = Enabled

 

 

Power Settings (I did change all settings to disabled with no effect):

 

After AC Power Loss = Power On (alternate options = Stay Off/Auto)

 

APIC = Enabled

 

S3 = Enabled

 

Boot Device Priority -

 

1. JLMS DVD-ROM

2. Seagate Hard Drive

3. Floppy Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Edited by MasterRyu on 2005-05-13 14:31:12]

 

[Edited by MasterRyu on 2005-05-13 14:31:39]

 

[MasterRyu 0]

ok, I ran the auto identification number for my monitor reported(HWP2585), and it checked out - detects my actual monitor (mx703), so it's definitly not a monitor detection issue - and I ran the tests, so I know nothing is wrong with the BIOS checksum or anything - and everything seems to work fine in Windows, and the media is fine as I had somebody test the CD on their computer and it worked fine for a normal computer session, so what in the @!#!@#!@# is wrong here. I am at the end of my rope here, all the connections are sound, everything is seated correctly and it all worked fine before, so I don't understand why the addition of a hard drive, DVD writer and new power supply suddenly makes Knoppix Linux refuse to run at all or run for more than a few minutes (not even that in some cases). The drive itself keeps spinning after the system is reported to go into standby, and I know the OS is running because if I turn the monitor-mounted speakers on, I can hear the static coming from the TV card audio (normally mute the line-in volume shortly after it boots). I tried unplugging the monitor, waiting a min or so and plugging it back in, but it still claims the system is in standby. The only thing I can think of that MAY (and that's a pretty big if) have some sway is the CMOS battery dying recently, but it was promptly replaced, and I reset all the values - values that booted Knoppix fine with the stock power supply. Please tell me there's something I'm missing...it seems forces beyond my control do not want me to boot Knoppix.I apologize for rambling/double posting, but this is possibly the most frustrating computer problem I have yet encountered.

[LinuxCrusader 0]

Have you tried looking into other forums?

 

Sometimes if I can't get an answer in a forum, I will post it in another one. Hang in there man.

www.linuxquestions.org

www.mepislovers.org

 

Let us know if you succeeded. I love to hear what was the problem.

[danleff 0]

As long as you know that you have the jumper set correctly on the dvd drive and that the cabling is correct for the jumper (master vs. slave vs. cable select), try installing the old cdrw drive back as it was and see if the problem goes away.

 

If it does not, think about the power supply not handling the load. Those 160 gig hard drives take a little juice, also.

 

If it works OK, I would suspect a faulty new Mad Dog drive.

 

How is the dvd drive currently jumpered? Primary, seconday, master, slave, cable select?

 

If you have Windows installed, is the drive working properly otherwise reading data media?

[MasterRyu 0]

Originally posted by danleff:

Quote:

As long as you know that you have the jumper set correctly on the dvd drive and that the cabling is correct for the jumper (master vs. slave vs. cable select), try installing the old cdrw drive back as it was and see if the problem goes away.

 

If it does not, think about the power supply not handling the load. Those 160 gig hard drives take a little juice, also.

 

If it works OK, I would suspect a faulty new Mad Dog drive.

 

How is the dvd drive currently jumpered? Primary, seconday, master, slave, cable select?

 

If you have Windows installed, is the drive working properly otherwise reading data media?

 

I appreciate the help, but unfortunately, all drives work fine in Windows as does power saving mode - the MadDog drive is the second drive on the secondary IDE channel, replacing the old stock CDRW drive. And on the rare occasion when Knoppix does decide to boot (albeit very briefly before deciding to incite more of my rage and go into that endless standby) - I can actually see all the HD and Optical drive icons on the desktop - so it sees them fine. I can't figure out why this is happening, it really makes no sense. It sucks even more, because I have tried different combinations, and sometimes it boots and stays on for a little longer, and I get my hopes up and THEN the monitor clicks into standby - changing power settings in the control panel makes no diff (in fact, last time, they were disabled by default). I had posted this problem at Knoppix.net, but all suggestions were command-line, and had little effect. Perhaps Knoppix does not like my power supply, or does not like the combo of my particular monitor and a non-stock power supply (though the monitor is identified correctly by ddc)I know that seems ludicrous, but that's all I can think of. I appreciate the help.

 

[MasterRyu 0]

Do you think the fact that the CMOS battery recently died and was replaced would be a factor? After the new battery was in place, I went through the BIOS and changed all the options to their correct former values - and as I say, Windows XP works fine. I also ran BIOS Wizard, and my BIOS is ACPI and APM capable, capable of booting form CD etc...I just don't see how adding a new generic power supply and couple of (correctly identified) drives should screw everything up. I have search google, only found one guy having troulbe with the onboard network card - which isn't an issue for me as I use an external DSL modem which worked fine before the upgrade. I have tried many different cheat code iterations, and they don't help much. Here's hoping somebody with the same model and problem finds this thread and posts a solution. I would rather not have to recompile the LiveCD, as I am not very knowledgable when it comes to Linux. Well, anyway, thanks for trying.

[danleff 0]

If you don't mind trying one more thing...

 

I don't remember if Knoppix gives you the ability to add boot options. If so, try adding acpi=off to the command line (or if it is a menu boot option). If it is a menu option, it may be noapic.

[MasterRyu 0]

Yeah, tried those already - didn't help the problem. Thanks just the same. I also tried turning Plug and Play settings to BIOS, didn't do anything. I even turned off the power settings in the BIOS, which logically should solve the problem, and the stupid monitor STILL goes into standby. Thing is - Linux correctly IDs my monitor and refresh ranges, so I don't think that's the issue. This is bizarre.

[MasterRyu 0]

Is there any way I could disable DPMS before Knoppix loads without editing the LiveCD config files? Is there perhaps a hidden DPMS cheat code? I have tried disconnecting different components with no luck. I would think turning off power management in the BIOS would fix it, but it doesn't. What I'm thinking is that the BIOS reports the standy timeout as way too low, because most times, if I press enter right away, I can get into the desktop for a bit before it flashes into standby, but if I wait and type some cheat codes, sometimes It won't even get through the boot up text before the monitor goes into standby. I appreciate all the help, and I really hope somebody in a similar situation can help me shed some light on this. I would blame the power supply, but it works fine in Windows, so I don't know. Linux SHOULD set my monitor parameters properly, as it worked before, and it recognizes the monitor as a mx703.

 

http://www.mdmm.com/products/techietoyz/power-SurePower_350.asp

 

- here is the general info for my new power supply (yeah, I know it's not a top brand, but works well in windows, and was free after rebate)

 

the motherboard is am ASUS A7N8X-LA, I guess a crappy OEM board they made for HP and have no mention of on their site. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to buy another computer at the moment, so I am hoping to find some workaround.

[Edited by MasterRyu on 2005-06-10 00:51:18]

http://www. .com

[Edited by MasterRyu on 2005-06-10 00:52:23]

 

[Edited by MasterRyu on 2005-06-10 00:52:52]

 

[MasterRyu 0]

I would update the BIOS, but I hear the latest BIOS revision for my board creates much instability, and apparantly once you flash the BIOS with the HP utility, you can't go back to the earlier versions.

[danleff 0]

OK, let's recap.

 

The battery went dead for the bios, which means that you lost the old settings. You apparently reset what the old settings were supposed to be.

 

Try getting into the bios setup (make a note of what the current settings are). Pick the option to set the default values. Then see what happens.

 

If the problem does not resolve, try getting back into the bios settings and set PNP OS to off. While you are in there, make sure that the new drive is recognized correctly (brand and total capacity). Note if the drive(s) are set to auto for detection or LBA. It should be the setting on the far right of the drive descriptions.

 

See if then setting PNP OS to off has any effect. If not, report back. There is one more thing we can try.

[MasterRyu 0]

Originally posted by danleff:

Quote:

OK, let's recap.

 

The battery went dead for the bios, which means that you lost the old settings. You apparently reset what the old settings were supposed to be.

 

Try getting into the bios setup (make a note of what the current settings are). Pick the option to set the default values. Then see what happens.

 

If the problem does not resolve, try getting back into the bios settings and set PNP OS to off. While you are in there, make sure that the new drive is recognized correctly (brand and total capacity). Note if the drive(s) are set to auto for detection or LBA. It should be the setting on the far right of the drive descriptions.

 

See if then setting PNP OS to off has any effect. If not, report back. There is one more thing we can try.

 

already tried the PNP OS setting, made no difference. As for the drives, the correct capacity and brand is detected, and the LBA setting is auto.

 

[MasterRyu 0]

Is it possible Knopppix linux uses stricter power requirements than windows? is there any way to turn off DPMS with a cheat code? I have tried unplugging different USB devices, and disabling DHCP with varied success - I just don't understand why sometimes it boots in fine for a minute or two before clicking into standby - it always worked fine before, and if the BIOS were compromised, I wouldn't even be able to boot into windows - would the fact that the new power supply has a fan speed and power switch have any bearing? Probably not, but I am mystified. It worked fine with same monitor, video card and motherboard before the new PSU, HD and DVD burner were added, and it IDs the new hardware correctly, so why won't it work? I really don't feel like ripping the new PSU or hardware out to boot Knoppix, and I don't see why I should have to. I apologize for rambling, but this is very frustrating, I am a newbie to Knoppix, but fairly experienced with computers in general. Thanks in advance for any light anybody can shed on this - I have been scouring the net, and the solution for this problem is always cheat codes, which do little, if anything for me.