Super Newb to Gentoo - contemplating an install - have Q's

John R. Graham · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 12:29 am Post subject:

No, because the likelihood that something's going to burn out is so low that it might as well be zero. Really, I do think you're over thinking this. A lot of the learning is by doing and you're depriving yourself of that.

- John
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Chiitoo · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 1:11 am Post subject:

I agree, it seems to me you are over-thinking and worrying about it a biiit too much here. ^^;

The post you refer to seems peculiar, I'm not sure what that is about, but I, for one, have not been able to burn my hardware up yet so not sure how anyone else could!

It's a good idea to fully understand your software, and hardware before you use it. But in reality, you will probably learn those things QUITE a lot faster by going ferit and learn that way, instead of scourging the internet for the information (which by the way a lot of times is mis-leading as you surely know).

If you do not feel comfortable with configuring the kernel yourself just yet, or using the 'seeds' from Pappy, you could try Genkernel. I used that for quite a while, before I finally got myself into doing it manually, which is very simple and easy in the end. It really does not take much time to learn it for most people I would imagine, and you can get see what each option does right there when doing it via 'make menuconfig'. And if you feel the explanation there is not enough, you can use the info it does give to find some more via your favourite search-engine.

I will look into that post you referred to more tomorrow or some other day when more sober and not so tired, I have not seen anything like that before.

Either way, using the commands while installing Gentoo, or rather building your own Linux this way, I think the most damage you can do is wipe data you did not want to wipe (think of partitioning).

Okay I will end my tipsy-sleepy-thoughts-sharing-moment here this time.
Also, don't worry about the amount of memory, you really can just add it in later. You wont need much at all especially during the preliminary builds.

Will conclude it with just goferit!
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Kindest of regardses.

ClientAlive · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2011 Posts: 33

John R. Graham · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 12:48 pm Post subject:

Heh. I was a little snippy with you, too. Like I said at the very beginning, I think you'll do well. It's the people that want to be spoon fed everything that have trouble with Gentoo.

- John
_________________
I can confirm that I have received between 0 and 499 National Security Letters.

ClientAlive · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2011 Posts: 33

idella4 · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 3:47 pm Post subject:

ClientAlive,

let's be clear, the eager friendly tones you have swapped for some hardened defensive ones, until the last one.
No-one would want to vigorously pursue an argument undermining the merit of your approach. That said, you're still talking about doing gentoo and not started.
You have done some preliminary reading. Your hardware is what you have and we have said a couple of times it will do gentoo fine.

John R. Graham · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:14 pm Post subject:

Also, one more note. The Gentoo Handbook does explain what you're doing—in brief. It's not just a rote set of instructions. What it's also not is a textbook on the theory of boostrapping a source based Linux distro (which is what you're doing when you install Gentoo), but you don't need that.

Come on in; the water's fine. The worst thing that can happen is that you'll drown but, in that case, I promise that the pool (your hardware) will survive the experience.

- John
_________________
I can confirm that I have received between 0 and 499 National Security Letters.

ClientAlive · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2011 Posts: 33

Well I must have done something to the thing because now I don't seem to even have bios. :oops:

When I bought this machine I paid $50 for it; and, after the person who sold it to me tore out the door I discovered it was full of cockroaches. Cockroaches! (No kidding! Chock-full of them). So, until recently I hadn't 'thoroughly' cleaned it but the other day I took the whole thing apart (labeled everything - where it came from), cleaned everything up with denatured alcohol and put it back together but adding more stuff from the other units I have sitting around (3 expansion cards, an additional disk and two disc drives).

Today, I got to remembering how, when I tried to install Linux on that machine before I had all kind of problems and it would not complete the install (I had tried like 5 different distos at that time). It then sat for months, until now. I also remembered what someone said to me recently regarding those install problems and that he had said they were running across a lot of HP machines where there was some problem between the system clock and the clock in Linux.

I got to looking over the specs for my mobo again on HP's site . . .

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00496280&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=1843604

. . . and I saw that there is instructions at the bottom of that page on clearing cmos using a jumper on the mobo. I put 2 and 2 together (so I thought) and followed the procedure (for both clearing cmos and password - 2 separate jumpers).

When I turn the machine on it get no output to the display at all and all it does is the fans run like a bat out of hell. When I try to use the power button to shut down it does not respond. I have had to remove the power cord from the back of the machine to power off.

At first, I realized the RAM I have was not installed and I made sure to insert it. I powered on again but with the same result. I have been over and over every plug, cable, those jumpers and everything else I can think of and nothing seems to be out of place. I don't know what to do here. I was just now about to get going on this. I connected all the peripherals and the power cord and was ready to begin - but now this. I'm completely out of ideas unless I see something on google, one of you guys has a suggestion, or there is something I overlooked and somehow find it.

This sux!

ClientAlive · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2011 Posts: 33

I got it. Well, it wasn't me. The thing sat for a few minutes, I found a plug I didn't realize I'd missed, tried it with that plugged in but no change, it sat some more; and, don't ask me why, but when I powered it up again it was a go. Got into my bios setup and all the major stuff seems to be recognized. Just need to dial it in now and get going on this Gentoo build. I'm working on it.

Thanks guys.