Dell: The PC ain't done until Linux won't run.

**CptKrf** · 07-25-2005, 05:59 PM

I could almost believe in a M*I*D conspiracy if I had any proof. We have had considerable success in getting our district off of Bloatware Inc OS, but none at all in getting purchasing to stop dealing with the Willie Wanka Trinket Factory in Texas. Although this may do it.

Got some new Optiplex Gx280 small form factor PCs and they will not run any version of any live CD that we have. Before I start a manual troubleshooting load of Slackware or Debian line by line, I thought I would see if anyone has been down this path before - especially since school is about to start and I have lots of other stuff to do besides reverse engineer Dell's "standard design".

Vanilla machines - Intel of course, 1gb of ram, sata 80 gbhd, normal stuff on MB, nothing else - fortunately, since very little else will fit!

Booting Knoppix (since that is what we run on Linux desktops) 3.8. Starts fine, gets splash screen, enter to boot and it stops on "Running Linux Kernel 2.6.11" DVD lite goes out, all activity stops.

So far, no combination of standard cheat codes that I have tried will get past that part but I ran out of day before I could get really creative with them. My hunch is that it is breaking on finding/not finding the sata hard drive although we have had no sata problems with the 2.6 kernal on many other machines. But it doesn't have a PATA connector so that troubleshooting method is down the drain.

Anybody hit this model before?

CptKrf

**DimGR** · 07-25-2005, 10:45 PM

try another cd maybe?

**paj12** · 07-25-2005, 11:05 PM

https://www.scientificlinux.org/docu...optiplex.gx280 also reports having some problems with this model. Apparently, the only driver that would work for them was the vesa module. So maybe "knoppix xmodule=vesa" is what you're looking for.

Personally, I just can't fathom buying a desktop PC in a box. When you build from parts, you save money and you get to determine exactly what goes into your box so you don't get blind-sided by crap like this. Hope everything works out for you and you remember this the next time an upgrade rolls around.

**StarTiger** · 07-26-2005, 08:03 AM

One thing to consider befor you go on about Microsoft-Intel-Dell conspericy, remember that Dell was the first major retailer to offer linux pre-installed on some of their systems. Admiditally, it limited to their server and high end workstation lines, but the do offer it.

Something to consider.

That having been said, I'd agree with paj12, if possible build your own. I might consider dell for a laptop, but only after I've looked as several others first.

**Hayl** · 07-26-2005, 08:34 AM

I dont really find this surprising... Dell changes standard (or used to) pin-outs such as IDE cables so its customers are trapped into buying parts from them for the lifetime of the PC.

I am sure this can/does cause problems.

**CptKrf** · 07-26-2005, 10:18 AM

Well, I don't really believe in an active conspiracy, although the three of them have a good thing going and are not going to deliberately rock the boat or allow it to be rocked by a forth party if said party can be quietly pushed overboard during the night. That is just normal business.

With Dell, it looks like a carbon copy of IBM in the 80s. That is, "We are on top therefore anything we make is automatically "Standard" and it is up to the rest of the world to change."

I would love to build the machines. I have built all mine at home for years. But two problems arise at work. 1. That is not my decision. 2. If I stole half the parts, I still could not beat the price that Dell makes to a school district. Not even close.

All I can do is gradually try to wean the district off of buying from one manufacturer.

CptKrf

**ph34r** · 07-26-2005, 10:24 AM

No issues running Linux on any of the Dells I've had here at work since '97. GX1, GX110, GX1p, old P75s, GX240, GX260, GX270. On the 260 and 270 you need to set the video memory in the bios to use 8mb instead of 1mb.

**heckle** · 07-26-2005, 02:11 PM

You could try the dell linux website.

http://www.dell.com/linux

Which redirects to http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topi...555&l=en&s=biz

**soulestream** · 07-26-2005, 02:25 PM

One thing to consider befor you go on about Microsoft-Intel-Dell conspericy

that a michael dell owns Redhat stock

soule

**paj12** · 07-26-2005, 04:04 PM

that a michael dell owns Redhat stock

Actually, it was an investment company that Dell owns. He has realeased public statements distancing himself from the decision to invest in RedHat. Just something to think about before you go accusing him of being some pro-linux hippie communist.

**celticgeek** · 07-26-2005, 05:05 PM

I had (still have, my son is using it with Windows ME) a Dell Dimension 4100 that I ran various Linux distros on, although I don't remember running any live CDs on it.

I have had problems with some distros on Gateway computers, although I believe that the problem was (is) proprietary hardware items. For example, Red Hat 9 and White Box 1 hung up during the install process on an older Gateway. And some distros cannot find the sound system built into the Gateway, including my current distro (Scientific Linux) Fedors Core 3, CentOS 3, ubuntu (live and installed), and kubuntu all failed to find the sound system. Others also failed to find the sound system.

However, Linspire can play music from the harddrives (downloaded mp3s, but cannot produce sound from a CD in the CDROM, or a DVD in the DVD player. Again, I don't have any real solution, but I still believe that missing Linux drivers for the proprietary hardware are the problem there.

**Seven up** · 07-27-2005, 12:00 AM

I know this doesn't help at all, but I did just purchase Dell's cheapest laptop, no upgrades nada. No problem loading Ubuntu other than it could not autodetect the driver for video. Everything else it detected and configured just fine.

**Daedrus** · 07-27-2005, 02:03 PM

Just did a test on the GX280 sitting next to me. Knoppix 3.9 booted with no problem.

**CptKrf** · 07-27-2005, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Daedrus

Just did a test on the GX280 sitting next to me. Knoppix 3.9 booted with no problem.

Yep. It works on some of our bigger and older 280's also. The problem is that the term "GX280" is like the old IBM "300GL" in that the word covers a multitude of totally different boxes of totally different parts and configurations. Kind of like walking into a parts store and asking for a fuel pump for a "Chevy".

To be specific you would have to use the shipping model and part number, which on ours is DHP-F3755, but you could still wind up with two machines, ordered at the same time, with the same specs, and delivered on the same truck and which have completely different insides.

CptKrf

**Daedrus** · 07-28-2005, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by CptKrf

Yep. It works on some of our bigger and older 280's also. The problem is that the term "GX280" is like the old IBM "300GL" in that the word covers a multitude of totally different boxes of totally different parts and configurations. Kind of like walking into a parts store and asking for a fuel pump for a "Chevy".

To be specific you would have to use the shipping model and part number, which on ours is DHP-F3755, but you could still wind up with two machines, ordered at the same time, with the same specs, and delivered on the same truck and which have completely different insides.

CptKrf

True. The GX280 I tested on is one of 400 that we ordered 4 months ago. I have yet to see different configurations in any of them, but this does not say that the configurations between our 280's and others aren't different.

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