# First timer,  install FreeBsd 7.2 problems.



## alex1966 (May 13, 2009)

Being in IT business for over 10 yrs, MCSE and CCNA, I thought that it would be great to find an alternative OS. Started out with Fedora 9 - 5 installs, 5 crashes to a black screen of death. Ubuntu, hmm, 8.04 lts - pulse audio F...d,8.10 - network manager booboo, 9.04 - Intel GMA 950 driver chews up swap - in 6 hrs 2GB swap is full. Wonder why MS still around? LOL.
Aside from pirated OSX, FreeBSD seemed logical choice to try.

Install on Dell Studio 540 with Intel Q9550( which is supported by FBSD)leads me to two problems.
1. Boot after install yields error: F1. Pressing it starts boot. Annoying though.
FAQs suggest installing small dos partition, so OS picks up right HDD geometry on reinstall. Can't do that-this box ain't booting into GParted or PartMagic. Is there more elegant, native solution for that?
2. No usb mouse. Which is generic MS USB mouse. Enabled HAL in rc.conf, as suggested by the Book, no go.
Someone in some forum is positive that I need to compile custom kernel, so module can be loaded for this mouse. Q. Is FBSD plug and play? Is there a way to enable this mouse without years taken away from my life?LOL.:e

I realize that FBSD, being primarily server platform, is configurable mostly through SSH command line. And, obviously, I like tinkering with stuff, as I did some reading before this not so little project.

Any input is welcome. Thank you.


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## kamikaze (May 13, 2009)

USB mice should definitely work out of the box. A lot of people find HAL on FreeBSD very painful and turn it off or compile Xorg right without HAL support. You do not need to compile a custom kernel to use USB mice.

Does the mouse work on the console? If so, HAL should detect it, if you're using it. If not, you should check whether your xorg.conf is using /dev/sysmouse.

The boot loader can be reinstalled with the command boot0cfg, maybe this helps.


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## alex1966 (May 13, 2009)

Wow! That was fast. Thank you, Kamikaze. For a nub like me it is essential to grasp a feel of the OS. I'll try it later and post the results.


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## alex1966 (May 13, 2009)

P.S. mouse not working in the console either.


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## LateNiteTV (May 13, 2009)

the disk geometry error has been there for years. just ignore it.


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## gnemmi (May 13, 2009)

Try to configure the mouse using (as root) `# sysinstall` ... go to "Configure" ... "Mouse" ... and see what happens.

Anyway, as kamikaze told you "USB mice should definitely work out of the box" ...

Could you please do a `% cat /var/run/dmesg.boot >> dmesg.boot` and post what you get on pastebin or somewhere so we can take a look at it?

Regards


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## kamikaze (May 13, 2009)

Does [cmd=dmesg]| grep ums[/cmd] yield any output? If not the mouse driver does not detect your mouse. The command [cmd=kldstat]| grep ums[/cmd] tells you whether the appropriate module is loaded.


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## alex1966 (May 14, 2009)

LateNite, thank you for input.
Gnemmi: Can't do that, as I've reinstalled OS anew without logging in this forum.Sorry.
Here is my report:
1.This time  F1 and wrong geometry issue is solved by - No on warning about geometry, OK for info pop up, in partitioner delete everything, A,Q. That seems to work , as I can boot without hitch.
What's strange,though is that now I have to replug keyboard, so system can see an input.
2. And! now I can see mouse cursor right on login prompt!? In fact, it is present in KDE4, but I can't move it on that GUI.

For my sanity check, is xorg.conf should be in /etc/X11 ?
if so, I don't see /X11 inside /etc. ' ee /etc/X11/xorg.conf ' brings empty file.' ls' inside /etc shows everything, but /X11

Be more than happy to post dmesg.boot, but how?
Thank you.


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## kamikaze (May 14, 2009)

So, now it's time to find out whether this is a KDE or an Xorg problem. I assume you didn't build Xorg without HAL support, so you definitely have to turn that on and restart X. Give us your /var/log/Xorg.0.log contents if that doesn't fix your problem.


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## SirDice (May 14, 2009)

What version of freebsd did you install? 7.1 or 7.2? The reason is the different version of Xorg that's on the CDs. They work in slightly different ways when it comes to detecting keyboards and mice.


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## alex1966 (May 14, 2009)

Kamikaze,
I'll do that later tonight and get back to you with this.

Sir Dice,
I am using 1st install DVD for FBSD 7.2 amd 64.

Thank you.


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## alex1966 (May 14, 2009)

Kamikaze,
It looks like Xorg problem, with or without HAL enabled in rc.conf - test of a new xorg setup doesn't move cursor.


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## alex1966 (May 15, 2009)

*super*

I ve bin smiling about this whole bsd thing, it looks like my gefelte fish diet needs some upting.


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## kamikaze (May 15, 2009)

Well, can you provide us your /var/log/Xorg.0.log?


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## alex1966 (May 15, 2009)

Hi Kamikaze,

First of SAMBA implementation on FBSD is superb and works out of box.:e

I finally got it to work, maybe not 'right' way, but it worked.
Anyway, I enabled HAL support in rc.config, configure X with: X  -configure and after scientific method of applying whatever I saw in forums, added  'Option"AllowEmptyInput" "Off" ' to server layout in xorg.conf.new and copied this file to /etc/X11.

This method isn't pure and clean, but at least it worked. Information that new Xorg doesn't need configuration and is smart enough to detect Iron all by itself wasn't that explicit. And in my case it did a poor job of detecting both keyboard and mouse.? 

Thank you for help. And please let me know your opinion on this whole thing.

PS. Can't upload log files it it says invalid file.


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## alex1966 (May 16, 2009)

To conclude this little saga.
After all of that Konsole quits working after a single use. KSystem log utility whines about nonexistent files. And so on ...
Are you sirus? 
I am running to a store with my $109.00 to buy  OSX DVD.ï¿½e
As I have their junk box I've picked up in the garbage bin.
Back to my ole trusty - THE Debian.
Live and learn, mofos.


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## kamikaze (May 16, 2009)

alex1966 said:
			
		

> I finally got it to work, maybe not 'right' way, but it worked.
> Anyway, I enabled HAL support in rc.config, configure X with: X  -configure and after scientific method of applying whatever I saw in forums, added  'Option"AllowEmptyInput" "Off" ' to server layout in xorg.conf.new and copied this file to /etc/X11.


If you set _AllowEmptyInput_ to _off_, you can turn HAL off, unless you require it for something else.


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## jtm (May 16, 2009)

*First timer, install FreeBsd 7.2 problems.*

can anyone point to additional sources to aid in the proper config of bsd 7.2 specific to how to edit the .xinitrc file? was able to install freebsd a few times, once with gnome, once with kde, once with xfce etc. can start the respective desktop, ie /usr/local/bin/"gnome"-session, but then the mouse/keyboard dies. unable to fix troubleshoot my problem. thank you.


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## alex1966 (May 17, 2009)

Kamikaze,


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## alex1966 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks,
 As I mentioned before, I have life.Any OS which requires some drivers  installed(Win 7 still has this idiotic issues) is fine.

Jtm,

Most comprehensive, as I know of, is ARCH linux wiki. Still, their forum is pretty much abuzz.

Overall,

FBSD is awesome, crisp, clear. HW support is my main problem here.Some drivers are missing, those in BSD that work, seem to be a top quality.


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## jtm (May 17, 2009)

will give the arch wiki a shot. thanks for the feedback.


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## curtiw (May 19, 2009)

*FreeBSD 7.2 Stuck Cursor*

Don't give up on FreeBSD; it's a very solid OS.  I'd been following the 7.2 ever since the beta.  I installed it on a VMware virtual machine and experienced the stuck mouse cursor problem with Enlightenment 16.  I had the same problem with Fluxbox and Blackbox.  I just figured it was either something quirky with the virtual machine or because the software was still beta.

When the 7.2 RC became available I immediately downloaded and tried it in the virtual machine and still got the stuck cursor with Enlightenment 16.  Then I installed it on an HP dv8000 laptop that I was running FreeBSD 7.1 on.  Once again, stuck cursor using Enlightenment 16.

In the end, I just dropped back down to FreeBSD 7.1 and everything is running beautifully (with Enlightenment 16) as it was before.  I have Apache22, MySQL 5.1.34, and PHP 5.29 all working great.

Regards,
--cw


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