X Window |
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I guess that pretty much everyone that wants to set up Linux on a laptop will want to use graphics. If this is not the case, then ignore X Window, and much of the following setup information. The debian CDs contain a lot of X Window software, but we will only look at setting up the basic X Window system here. Please note that, depending on your version of Debian, X might not work from the box.
Use the dselect program to install the x-window-system package.
If you were to restart the machine now, then it will try to start XDM but fail because
of problems with the driver. Hence the next section.
The supplied X drivers do not work with the video chip in the Acer. However, help is
at hand from the guru of graphics and SIS at http://www.winischhofer.net/.
You will need to download and unzip the sis_drv.o and sis_dri.so
files. Make sure that you chose the correct ones. For my version of Debian, I needed
the ones built for XFree 4.1.
Once you have these files, they must be copied as follows:
sis_drv.o into /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/driver
sis_dri.so into /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri
You should now be able to restart the machine and have the XDM screen greet you. There is no need to alter anything in the XFree configuration files.
To swap between the virtual consoles, you will need to use Ctrl-Alt-F?. You may find the initial X system a little bit restrictive to say the least, and will need to install a Window Manager.