Installation on MSI K9N2GM-FD

[lfd]

Hello guys,

I'm being a bit down at the moment. After fucking around with some older and noisy hardware I decided to build a new setup with brand new components all coming from the Wiki setups to save some time and money. Here are the parts for the sake of the conversation:

- Antec fusion remote
- MSI K9N2GM-FD
- 4GB RAM
- AMD X2 4450E
- Intel Pro/1000GT PCIe x1
- Adaptec EC 1430SA + 2*TB disk mirrored

I went trough the wiki and my local distributor was able to get MSI K9N2GM-FIH which is the second listed model from the wiki but with the HDMI output instead of the DVI.

I tried the LinuxMCE x32 installation DVD. The installation goes through with no problem but went restarting as script fails when starting LinuxMCE and just fails so often/fast repetitions that I cannot switch to a different terminal to login and try to debug.

Then I tried the LinuxMCE x64 DVD installation. The installation won't work: the installer starts but as soon as it starts copying data on the hard disk, black screen and there nothing to do...

The installation won't work with Kubuntu 7.10 x64: The installer starts but as soon as it starts copying data on the hard disk, black screen and there nothing to do so I bet the this is a Kubuntu installer issue.

I have now tried to use the multiple CDs (x32) to install Kubuntu 7.10 first and then LMCE. It gets stuck as well

With all the installations, I have tried to remove the cards on the 2 PCIe ports and plug the hard disks straight on the motherboard to remove the variables, but it didn't change a thing.

The Wiki states:
   1. download and install alternate kubuntu 7.10 install
   2. download Nvidia 1.71.06 driver (Beta)
   3. install drivers (per nvidia instructions)
   4. reboot and begin install of LMCE
   5. run avwizard and configure display
   6. reboot into recovery mode and reinstall nvidia drivers
   7. proceed with normal setup

It also states that this mother board has been performing well especially on x64 setup as MD and core hybrid so I don't get why it just won't work with me.

Would anybody be able to help me there? I'm really desperate to get it working.

Thanks,

-Damien

[Stutch]

Hello Damien,

I had a similar issue with the 64 bit installer on an MSI motherboard as well.  To fix it, I had to update the bios.  The funny thing is that the dos version of the bios update utility acted like it worked, however I came to find out days later that it actually hadn't.

Your best bet is to load XP on this machine temporarily.  This will accomplish two things.  First of all, you can isolate whether the problems you are having are hardware related or some quirky issue with Linux.  Secondly, if XP loads successfully, you can use the MSI update utility to update the bios and validate that it completed successfully.

I am a huge fan of MSI boards, and I am running about 6 or 7 of them here at the house, including the K9A2 Platinum for my core.

Good luck.

[lfd]

Hey Stutch!

Thanks for the tips! I have updated the BIOS as you suggested by installing XP first and using the MSI Live update utility.

The current BIOS on the MB is now 3.2, updated on 2008-08-18 according to the software, and it shows "A7508NMS V3.2 081808" which seams to confirm that it went well. Everything works like a charme under XP. Which exclude a hardware issue variable.

Unfortunately I still have the same issues:

- Kubuntu x64 installer gives me a black screen after loading the kernel; I have time to see a message saying "kernel direct maping table up to...." it goes quite fast. After I hear the CD spinning quickly and the hard disk activity as well.

- Kubuntu x32 installer: it goes throught until the point where kdm tries to start. Then I'm prompted a shell. If I start to perform a startx, it fails telling me that there is no display found. If I do a lspci it prompts all the NVIDIA components as unknow. Here is a little sample:

...
00:06.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0759 (rev a1)
00:07.0 Audio interface: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0774 (rev a1)
00:08.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 075a (rev a1)
00:09.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0759 (rev a2)
00:0a.0 Ethernet controller: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0760 (rev a2)
00:0b.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0569 (rev a1)
00:10.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0778 (rev a1)
00:12.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 075b (rev a1)
00:13.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 077a (rev a1)
00:14.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 077a (rev a1)
...
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0849 (rev a1)
...

The second ethernet card as well as the RAID are properly detected though! I'm now wondering if the chipset is supported by the installer

I checked also properly the specs on MSI website and MSI K9N2GM-FD has the same hardware than MSI K9N2GM-FIH.

The wiki states in the first point "to download and install alternate kubuntu 7.10 install". Does this mean that there is a spcific version of the installer to download?

I keep digging


-Damien

[itspac]

I've updated the Wiki for the K9N2GM-FIH.

Here is what I went through to get it to work as I had problems also. First off, I did not try every scenario imaginable. the DVD and CD installs failed when my DVD-ROM was plugged into the any SATA port. The CD install would get so far as to tell me I didn't have a CD/DVD-ROM drive installed. I do not have any IDE drives available to me to try. I just happened to have a SATA to USB converter around from a recent project.

I used the 32bit alternative install Kubuntu CD
I used the SATA to USB adapter for the installation of Kubuntu to boot the CD from USB CD-ROM
After the kubuntu install I downloaded the appropriate Nvidia drivers (and in my case wireless LAN drivers) and installed per provided instructions.
Powered down the PC and installed the drive back onto the first SATA port.
Powered up and installed LMCE via the CD images I had on my LAN shares (it was nice that the install picked up my wirelles NIC).
Powered up.
Ran AVWizard
Rebooted
Installed Nvida drivers again

Life has been good since then, the most time consuming part was figuring out the install of Kubuntu and LMCE had no drivers for the BUS that runs optical drives.

[lfd]

Hey itspac,

I now managed to install Kubuntu x32, I have been fighting a bit with the x64 but no success...

You said in the Wiki that you installed Nvidia 1.71.06 driver (Beta). Could give a little bit more instructions for this. Do you get it from apt or would you have a URL to get the package and instructions?

Thanks,

-Damien

[lfd]

Alright work in progress!

I finally managed to install Kubunt x32 and the video drivers. I updated the wiki: http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/MSI_K9N2GM-FIH

The fresh Kubuntu install cannot find the audio device; I cross my fingers and hope it will be fixed after installing LMCE!

-Damien

[lfd]

So, just to keep up the subject on this motherboard here is the status.

The audio appeared with LMCE installation. It is a bit strange and sometimes gives some cracking. It is mostly random but I could notice almost everytime that the processor was quite busy... I'll try to find a partern and share it with you guys.

Now the new issue is the onboard network card. It just won't work. MSI uses a Realtek 8211BL ship for this motherboard and I couldn't find a solution; if someone has a fix please post it and we could complete the wiki.

This really sucks cause this mobo is listed in the "newbie" pack I thought that it would be plug and play and i would spend my time enjoying the beautiful media center instead of fighting. I don't know what the newbie stand for in that case: newbie to LMCE or newbie to Linux world? They are 2 things to consider and I think this model shouldn't be listed as a newbie pack since some non-linux user might have fall in love with the demo video on the net as many of us but if they buy such hardware, they might just give up and miss the nice experience of this system.

What I would keep in mind is mother board is that:
- no possibility to have a x64 environement with Kubuntu 7.10 (seams to be fix on 8.10 will verify that). Sucks for x64 hardware environment
- you will need to install manually the video drivers which almost insure that there will be issues with the upgrade
- crunchy sounds randomly
- the onboard NIC isn't supported so you'll probably need to purchase 2 separated NICs and may actually run out of PCI/PCIe port if you plan to have a TV card and one other.

Once you manage to go through the installation, the image is very bluid with UI2+alpha blending. So it would probably suit better used in a media director config if the few points above are not seen as an issue for you.

From some reading on the net the NVidia Geforce 8200 seams to be much better supported on Kubuntu 8.04.

-Damien

[johanr]

Hi!

hmm..Posted the very same problem in the 7.10 thread. Seem like you started off having the same issues as I had, Nice to hear it's going forward. (mine is the FIH model)
 I never found the problem. SATA Hdd seem fine, SATA DVD as well.
 But I found an interesting thing after recording the boot(text dissapears so fast) with the camera.
Yes, there is an issue with the kernel that 7.10 uses. That is fixed in the version in Kubuntu 8.04. Tried to install 8.04 and that went fine. Although it does not helped me much since LMCE does not work on 8.04.

This was the bug that I found very similar to the problem I am experiencing.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/153991

I have now installed the Motherboard in another case so I can try to get it to work without having to mess around to much(bought another board that others Are using)

Anyways

Had problems with the realtek driver on my new board and found a nice guide that helped me. Guess you've tried the similar already since you say it's not supported.
Basically, check with lspci  if the hw is known. If it does not. copy the row of the complaint into google and you will most likely find a way forward
Here is a thread that can give you some help forward(didn't get if your problem is solved or not)
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-482731.html

I agree with your opinion that this board should not be recommended to a newbie(although it's nice to learn the hard way)


Br
Johan

[lfd]

Hi johanr!

Thanks for sharing your comments. I have a FIH as well.

I'm giving up right now and the internal network card I think there's not much we can do with this version of Kubuntu. I'll do a clean install when LMCE will be compatible with 8.10

Would you please share which motherboard you purchased just for my curiousity?

I'm re-installing the whole system now as I received my second hard disk and will put a second NIC. I can't wait to have the media center up and running, configure my media directors and start working on the iMON LCD from the Antec case 

-Damien

[johanr]

as me.. so eager to get going.
 
The mobo is abit an-m2hd, nforce 630a+gf7050pv ... (bought in a shop here in sweden)
Did some deeper linux compability research of mobo brand, drivers etc etc also saw that there are three reported users of that mobo and it seem to work.
 Had to stop using sata for hdd and dvd and I now use sata only for the hdd and ide for the dvd which works fine.
Also struggled some with the second dlink pci nic(it found the internal but not that) Now solved though.The realtek driver was in the kernel pack but couldn't be mapped to it for some reason.

I have not tested it fully since I am waiting for a Noctua Northbridge cooler(aiming for total silence). But the hdmi-dvi works at least to my small samsung 17" lcd.

But this board runs and I beleive this is a better start for a newbie.

Found a linux mce wiki page of how to upgrade the kernel and I am thinking of doing that to the msi mobo since the newer kernel in 8.04 seem to run fine.. could be worth a try, but may be a real timekiller I presume.

Br
Johan

[itspac]

I had 630a chipset and 7050pv  it works well.

FYI I am trying the wiki about how to update to a new kernel. If it works well I feel the onboard NIC will most like work.

I'll let you know

[johanr]

I took me the liberty(be nice to me) to edit the newbie pack for the hybrid. I don't think it's safe to say that this mobo works.
I didn't have the guts to take the whole recommendation away just added a Note about the FIH model.(afraid of messing something up)


Br
Johan

[Blrfl]

Gak!  I just (and I mean just -- as in last night) built up a box around this board.

  Guess I'll play around with one of the other distributions until 810 is out.

ETA:  Newegg no longer carries the ABIT AN-M2HD.  Other suggestions are welcome.

--Mark

[indulis]

I had 630a chipset and 7050pv  it works well.

FYI I am trying the wiki about how to update to a new kernel. If it works well I feel the onboard NIC will most like work.

I'll let you know

My experience with the kernel update is that the actual kernel update worked OK, but then the update made the "date" command break.  I am guessing I need to update the linux core utils as well to match the kernel.  Haven't had time to retry it yet.  Hopefully I will not get into dependency hell.

I am hoping a new kernel will fix the "sometimes works, sometimes vanishes" tuner card I am using (Dvico Fusion 4 HDTV DVB-T dual tuner card).  The "date" command segfaulting really stuffed up LMCE startup.  I could run mythbackend by hand and it seemed to work OK though.

Am going to try the kernel update again.  Probably next week.  If you do the update don't forget to recompile the nVidia drivers. Also your DVB modules if you are using updated ones.  Also, good luck trying to make the xorg.conf file "stick".  I had to manually edit Xconfigure.sh and change the line that says
 ConfigFile="/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
to
 ConfigFile="/etc/X11/xorg.conf.dummy"

That stopped it! Though now I always get a message to regenerate my orbiter screens.  Still, at least I made LMCE leave my xorg.conf file alone!

[Zaerc]

...
Also, good luck trying to make the xorg.conf file "stick".  I had to manually edit Xconfigure.sh and change the line that says
 ConfigFile="/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
to
 ConfigFile="/etc/X11/xorg.conf.dummy"

That stopped it! Though now I always get a message to regenerate my orbiter screens.  Still, at least I made LMCE leave my xorg.conf file alone!

Other workarounds are listed here: http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Display_Drivers#LinuxMCE_keeps_reconfiguring_my_display_settings