[SOLVED] Installing on Acer Aspire One AOA150 1447

[tbrauch]

I used to use Gentoo, back in 2003. Then, for various reasons, including changes in employment, I moved around between OS's and left linux around 2005. Now I would like to install Gentoo on my Acer Aspire One AOA150-1447. It seems that in the last 9 years or so, either I've forgotten a lot of stuff or the installation has gotten more complicated.

I tried to follow the Handbook and things seemed to work, I even got gnome installed. However, I learned wireless internet didn't work, nor did my mouse, the keyboard wasn't working, and there were a lot of other problems. I figured rather than trying to fix problems, since I haven't made any changes to the install, a clean install might be the easiest way to go. So my plan is to take this one step at a time.

I am using install-x86-minimal-20120710 through a USB CD drive.

First problem, getting internet to work so I can install Gentoo.
I have wired and wireless. I can get wired running by using the command net=setup eth1. I can't get wireless to work, and it didn't work with my last attempt to install. Should I worry about wireless at this point or not? Here's the output of lspci -k:

[maxim.251]

Enter this code and see what answers.

[tbrauch]

That was helpful. I've now learned that my wireless is wlan0. There was a comment in the Handbook stating that wireless might be wlan0, but the examples all went through using eth0 and since I had eth0 (my wired connection) I never thought to look for wlan0. I've also learned (by searching these forums) that if I have WPA2 on my network, that I'm better off waiting until I have X set up before dealing with WPA2.

So, I pressed on when I had a few minutes free today and I'm at my next question:

Selecting a profile

I plan on using gnome. When I use eselect profile list my results show:

[BillWho]

[tbrauch]

I thought so... last time I didn't check that option.

Now I'm on to the part where I think I messed up last time, configuring the kernel. Last time I used the genkernel, but something went wrong. Right now, as I am installing, I can use both my mouse and my touchpad. After installing and using the genkernel, I couldn't use either. That seems odd to me. And there were problems with wireless and other things. Let's try to get them right this time.

Configuring My Kernel

It would be really great if there as a document like http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Acer_Aspire_One_A110L for the A150. Here's my lspci -k output:

[The Doctor]

For compiling a working kernel my advice is to
1) forget about genkernel
2) forget about doing it all by your self, and don't trust a wiki to tell you everything.
4) use http://kernel-seeds.org/ to get a nice, efficient .config. The webite also has an app that will identify all of your hardware and exactly what options you need to enable. Literally the only things you should need to find yourself is your processor type and your file system. Both of these should be trivial.
5) good luck, and don't give up if at first you don't succeed.
_________________
First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

Apologies if I take a while to respond. I'm currently working on the dematerialization circuit for my blue box.

[tbrauch]

[The Doctor]

Oh, I almost forgot. Since you still on the command line menuconfig some options will be greyed out until their prereqs are satisfied. I beleve that if you search for the option in question you can see the prereqs.
_________________
First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

Apologies if I take a while to respond. I'm currently working on the dematerialization circuit for my blue box.

[BillWho]

tbrauch,

To find where to set your modules after identifying them with http://kernel-seeds.org/ is when in menuconfig press the '/' key and enter the name and it will tell you what the setting is and where to navigate.

Symbol: ATH5K [=n] │
│ Type : tristate │
│ Prompt: Atheros 5xxx wireless cards support │
│ Defined at drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath5k/Kconfig:1 │
│ Depends on: NETDEVICES [=y] && WLAN [=y] && ATH_COMMON [=n] && (PCI [=y] || ATHEROS_AR231X) && MAC80211 [=y] │
│ Location: │
│ -> Device Drivers │
│ -> Network device support (NETDEVICES [=y]) │
│ -> Wireless LAN (WLAN [=y]) │
│ -> Atheros Wireless Cards (ATH_COMMON [=n]) │
│ Selects: MAC80211_LEDS [=y] && LEDS_CLASS [=y] && NEW_LEDS [=y] && AVERAGE [=y] && ATH5K_AHB [=n] && ATH5K_PCI [=n]

│ Symbol: R8169 [=n] │
│ Type : tristate │
│ Prompt: Realtek 8169 gigabit ethernet support │
│ Defined at drivers/net/ethernet/realtek/Kconfig:105 │
│ Depends on: NETDEVICES [=y] && ETHERNET [=y] && NET_VENDOR_REALTEK [=n] && PCI [=y] │
│ Location: │
│ -> Device Drivers │
│ -> Network device support (NETDEVICES [=y]) │
│ -> Ethernet driver support (ETHERNET [=y]) │
│ -> Realtek devices (NET_VENDOR_REALTEK [=n]) │
│ Selects: FW_LOADER [=y] && CRC32 [=y] && NET_CORE [=y] && MII [=y] │
│
Actually you have everything listed with your lspci output so it should be easy.

Also check /etc/make.conf for INPUT_DEVICES="evdev". You might also need synaptics for the touchpad.
_________________
Good luck

Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge

[tbrauch]

I might have a problem. I've gotten as far as configuring GRUB in the handbook (I think things with the kernel went well...). I just noticed that my command line says:

livecd linux #

I know that at some previous point I chrooted and after that point, the command line was different. I used the up arrow key to go back through commands and I don't see where I entered anything to mess that up. It was just a lot of "nano <something>" and "emerge <something>" Is this a problem?

[cach0rr0]

[tbrauch]

Hmm.. the question is, though, when did I exit the chroot? I guess I'm going back a few pages in the handbook and we'll try again. I'm gonna get this installed. The second time has gone much faster than the first attempt (and the first attempt didn't even work).

[Logicien]

Hello,
a couple of years ago, I had an Acer Aspire One AOA-150. I remember I had troubles with the Intel graphic card with Xorg 3D acceleration. It was the time who the Kernel Mode Setting arrived in the Free Softwares Area.

I compiled a kernel that I keep trace of, config-2.6.30-Acer-One-AOA150.txt. It was working, but I did not optimise it. I would not suggest to use it without a meticulous check to see if it can be adapted to your actual material configuration and needs.

It can just be an other kernel configuration source in plus of the one mentioned.
_________________
Paul

[cach0rr0]

[tbrauch]

I've had some time today to work with configuring the kernel (and I'm chrooted this time). I have a few things to do later today, but hopefully this works. I'll report back later.

[tbrauch]

I've compiled my kernel and I'm at the step set up automatically load modules. I seem to have a LOT of modules., based on step 7.e of the handbook. Do I need to list all of them /etc/conf.d/modules? Here's some output

[BillWho]

[cach0rr0]

modules will be, generally, hotplugged by the system as needed.
especially for the modules i see in your list above, there's nothing that's critical to bootup

if your other kernel bits and pieces are squared away, and assuming grub has things where they need to be, you should be good to go
_________________
Lost configuring your system?
dump lspci -n here | see Pappy's guide | Link Stash

[tbrauch]

I found a problem with the Gentoo Install Handbook. Or maybe the problem is with GRUB.

After step 10a, when you emerge GRUB, it un-chroots you, or at least the (chroot) disappears from the command line. How do I know if I am still chrooted? How do I know if GRUB was installed on the chrooted system or the non-chrooted system?

Edit to add:

I'm not sure it was GRUB. The last time I remember chroot being shown in the command line was at the end of step 8, when I did the following. I had chroot before I issued this command.

[The Doctor]

Try typing ls /mnt/gontoo/boot If you are still in the chroot it will fail.
_________________
First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

Apologies if I take a while to respond. I'm currently working on the dematerialization circuit for my blue box.

[tbrauch]

[tbrauch]

And, my next problem.

I'm at this step in the Handbook:

[tbrauch]

Well... it didn't install correctly. I couldn't reboot (I figured that would be a problem). But, I held down the power button to force a reboot.

I start it back up. A bunch of stuff flashes across the screen, then it stops flashing across the screen. In the middle of the screen:

[BillWho]

tbrauch,

1) What partition is your /boot partition (sda1 sda2 )

2) Paste back your menu.cfg
_________________
Good luck

Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge

[tbrauch]