Okay, I decided to turn the old PC into a dual booter and put Mandrake Linux 8.0 on it in addition to Win98. Everything went fine during the install of Linux until the setup program got to the X Window System configuration. It started doing its routine and then the machine basically locked up. I could move the mouse pointer around the screen, but nothing on the screen would respond to it. So after waiting twenty minutes for it to do something, I turned the PC off and restarted it. The machine booted to the options menu and I chose linux, then I got what looked like a DOS interface which asked me to enter username and password. Typed it in, figuring the gui would pop up shortly thereafter. Nope. Scanned the manual looking for information on what to do, and got no help. Went to the website looking for information, and couldn’t find anything that related to it. So, obviously, I’ve cocked it up someplace. Anybody got a quick and easy solution for this that doesn’t involve my reformatting my entire drive? (So far that seems like the simplest solution, but not one that I want to undertake.)
I think you’ve answered your own question–your X-Windows never installed properly. Either that, or the Lindriver for your vid-card wasn’t found.
If you’ve got a fairly common vid-card, try re-installing the packages for X-Windows.
-David
Well, when it was doing the initial install it showed the correct vid-card for my machine, though I’m not surprised that there might have been conflicts as my PC came with another vid-card hardwired on to the mother board. So how do I get it to reinstall the packages for X-Windows. Doesn’t seem to be anything in the manual about it.
I’m guessing from your post you can get into the shell prompt, but cannot get X to run. If not configured to auto start, you must type “startx” at the prompt.
If so, maybe try this: type “xf86config” (w/o the quotes)from the command line. If you are prompted for info, this might work, but you will need to manually enter parameters for your mouse, monitor and vid card. Mandrake might have some newer utils for configuring X, but this has always worked for me.
If not, you can install X, or any other package, from the command line using “rpm”. These packages will be on the Mandrake cdrom, or can be downloaded.
Examples:
To install a package: rpm -ivh packagename.1.1-4.i386.rpm
To see if a package is installed: rpm -q packagename…
Those are just two of many options/flags for rpm.
I am not sure of your knowledge level, (I am NOT a Linux expert.) and might not be explaining myself well. http://www.linuxnewbie.org is a great Linux site with an active message board.
If all else fails, you can do a reinstall, and just reallocate your linux partitions (thru DiskDrake) w/o effecting Windows.
Klaatu, I just did a reinstall and that’s fixed it. Until about 30 minutes ago, I had no experience with Linux at all! 
Gotta say I like it better than Windoze already! Now if I can just figure out a way to get an internet connection with this puppy. (Not sure if my modem’s compatable with linux, and Amateurs On Line doesn’t have a version for linux anyways. 
)
Glad you got it working!
As far as modems go; this site has a comprehensive listing of linux compatible modems.
If you do have one that’s compat, you can (this is in KDE, and Gnome has something similar) click the “K” (like win start button) and go to Internet> Kppp , it’s pretty easy to set up.
Re: Amateurs Online, yep, it works or maybe that was…never mind…
Klaatu, sigh, it looks like my modem’s not compatable :(, but that’s okay as I really hate winmodems anyways. So, in addition to buying a new hard drive, it looks like I’ll have to get a new modem. Oh well, such is the price of free oneself from the tyranny that is Micro$oft. 
Well, Tucker, at least now you can jump into the “Platform Wars” threads, and say “Thou must eschew thy evil OS of the False Prophet Gates.”
That was meant in jest of course. 