What's going on here?

[Aman9090]

Hi guys,

I really hate to be a whinner and to be frank, but I must say this...

I know that the AMD 64 arch is a new development and that it will take some time to get going, but I am wondering HOW long this will take?

I have waited for a while, and nothing seems to work correctly. If I use gentoo-dev-sources-2.6.8-r4 my sound doesn't work and my nvidia graphics doesn't perform to its fullest. If I switch to 2.6.7-r14 I now get a problem that NONE of my modules load correctly and all those that do do not work correctly. Sound works, video is worse!

I even tried ck-sources-2.6.8.1 and got the same sound, very fast load times, and graphics still the same problem, but this time whenever I did ANYTHING the mouse would freeze within minutes and lock the system down.

I am tired of these problems! If I don't find a good solution to this, I will have to use Windows again because I can't keep on troubleshooting everything while I have work to do... But I really don't want to do that. I mean, it's college - so I need to keep up with things, and I have spent far too long trying to get my computer to work on this new arch.

And I am by no means a total newbie - I have installed Gentoo successfully at least four times with all the functionality and all the hardware working. It's just that the arch is buggy as hell for everything we try to do on it.

So my question is this: Is there ANY solution to all of this? Or should I wait until all this madness gets fixed? Because I don't know how much longer I can do all this configuring and troubleshooting just to get into AbiWord!

[GuidoJ]

Sorry, but do you really expect any help if you post like this?

Well, it's your lucky day, I'll try to help anyway. I can only give you some general pointers, since you don't mention any specifics, like hardware, configuration, things you tried, error messages, etc.

The nvidia drivers are not open source and thus beyond our control. Personally I did not experience any performance issues, besides the fact that if you measure FPS with glxgears, anything running in the background (even at maximum nice level) will decimate the measured FPS.

Sound is a whole different ballgame. OSS has been deprecated in favor of ALSA. The problem that generates, is that some programs (XMMS is a notorious example) use the OSS devices (/dev/dsp/*). Those devices do not exist on a pure ALSA configuration nor if you do not have the necessary OSS compatibility modules loaded.

As a final note, in my experience the AMD64 arch is pretty stable, but some programs are (still) not ready for 64-bit archs (open-office, memory debuggers like valgrind, flash players, wine, partly java, grub, etc.).

[bluz]

I've been running AMD64 on a Compaq R3000 laptop for a month or so, without significant problems. As GuidoJ mentioned, it's hard to give any advice without the specifics, but if Gentoo works well on an AMD64 laptop (brand new off the shelf), it's hard for me to believe that it's THAT unstable.

I would look at your kernel config for the module/sound/video problems your describing. I had some issues with gentoo-dev-sources-2.8.x with regards to video, but 2.7 was the fix for me.

If you want more help with your configuration, give some exact specifics - Ie. where is your sound problem? Is it the OSS compatibility (/dev/dsp), alsa, gnome integration?

Are you using genkernel to build your kernel config? If not, give this a try. It may just generate a kernel that will work better on your hardware.

Good luck!

[Aman9090]

Well, I wasn't expecting help at all! I was asking for more comments regarding if you have similar problems, or maybe if you know anything about when the next kernel was going to be released..

I'm sorry, but I have tried EVERYTHING on all three issues of mine, and I have spent most-likely over 20 hours trying to figure these things out. I have taken a lot of much-appreciated help from the Gentoo forums and the IRC channels. I still got nothing that could solve my dilemas.

I have just concluded that my parts do not work well together.

I have:

An MSI K8N Motherboard (nForce 3 250gb)
An Athlon 64 3200+ Procesor
512mb of DDR 3500 RAM
A GeForce FX 5700 256mb
A Sound Blaster Audigy Card
All inside a Lian-Li case

I have just learned to face it - I have not used any windows operating system in over three years. But I think that this is the correct time to start using it. While I love everything about open source, be it the cost, the great community, and the better products, Windows has the upper hand for me right now because I can hardly do ANYTHING on this computer! No games, no music, no movies - only basic internet browsing... I want to do more on my 64-bit computer.

The only thing I will be missing for the few months I use windows is my leisurely coding. I will still support open source by getting all open source software for Windows ... but I cannot deal with all of the compatability issues right now becuase of my situation.

If I were 14 years old and it was the summer time, it may be a different story - but I'm 19 and I'm in college.. so

Anyways, to everyone that helped me: I greatly appreciate all of the help that you have given me over the last few years I have been using Gentoo. I will be back, however- as soon as the AMD64 compatability is better than it is now.

Thanks to everyone!

[ballyn]

Well, the easy answer is just not run 64-bit. That is the arch that is definitely still in "testing" mode.

Personally, I've been running 64-bit Gentoo since January of this year with very few problems. I've used both the built-in sound on my shuttle AN50R and a TB SC PCI card. I used a ti4200 until I got my 6800 about a month ago. I have had zero problems with any of this hardware.

If you're really stuck and tired of playing with it, I would suggest that you:

1) Post a detailed description of your problem(s)
or
2) Run a normal 32-bit system

If you do decide to go the Windows route, I would suggest staying away from the 64-bit offerings for the time being... you'll likely have as many problems as you're currently having with Gentoo 64-bit.

[Tsonn]

gentoo-dev-sources-2.6.8-r4 does seem to have a few problems, particularly when it comes to graphics. People have said that 2.6.8-r3 will work, but I haven't tested it; I'm back on 2.6.7-r14.
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[Aman9090]

Well I think it's too late for going back to Gentoo 64-bit until everything gets fixed. Again, I have NO more time left to invest in fiddling with all of this.

I have been on Windows for 20 mintues and I already miss Linux

Oh well ... I will check back here very often for updates on the 64-bit arch

[Bad_Byte]

Think of it as a workout. No pain, no gain.
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[Tsonn]

They should make that the official motto: 'Gentoo Linux -- no pain, no gain.'
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[gowator]

I dont see why you need to go back to windows,
I have the same issues and introducing myself to gentoo via AMD64 was a bit of a jolt... like you said Im not 13 and on summer vacation...

Ive got a job and girlfriend not to mention other interests ...

In the end I bunged Debian back on (actually made a HD install of kantotix) but it only took 1/2 hour and Ill try out Gentoo on a 32 bit arch...

I did like Gentoo it was just the 64bit arch meant learning lots of stuff like unmasking apps etc. and it was all too much to do at once... and have a life.

[ReeferMac]

I'm having decent luck w/ AMD64 on 2004.1 w/ 2.6.7.... It's been a little work getting things running, and I'm still working out the kinks on a lot of it, but... tis' working as my desktop computer for over a month now.
I've been playing UT2004 a handful of times, still working on Tux, but listen to my MP3's and get to watch mosts of my movies (I knew I'd lose _some_ of my .wmv library going into things).
{shrug}
No pain, no gain, cerainly fits, but I think if you stick it through, the folks on the forum will help you through your troubles. At least that's been my experience.

- Mac

[gowator]

Yep,

I should have not made it my main disto till I got it tweaked....
but still I tasted Gentoo and Ill come back....

[crazycat]

Gentoo is much like lego , isn't it ?
And i would say , if u want most features and hardware to just work(tm) - the motto should be "no freaking much pain - no any gain", that would be more true.

[ShadowHawkBV]

Now I feel like a real freak. I've had next to no trouble getting a true 64 bit working system going.

My glitches:

1. Eclipse 3.3 doesn't want to play. (Anjuta works fine)
2. I still haven't learned how to download e-mail from 3 different accounts, keep 1 local and pass 2 others to a windows box. (eventuially I'll figure it out--I'm still learning)
3. Never Winter Nights won't work in 64bit mode.(It isn't exactlly a mission critical bit of software)
4. Ximian Open Office doesn't do 64bit... yet (openoffice-bin works fine.. not as pretty, but what can you do. Version 2 should fix)
5. USB & Firewire don't seem to be active (Probably me not setting a dip switch on the MoBo)

Maybe it's because I'm old and lucky.

ASUS A8V Deluxe MoBo with 1 Gig batche-matched 400MHz DRAM
2X 80Gig Maxtor SATA Drives hooked up as RAID 1
ASUS V9520 Video card (nvidia 5200)
2 X Linksys 10/100 NIC
Marvell Gigabit LAN
Integrated Realtek ALC850 3D sound.
Plextor PX-708A DVD +/- R/RW

I haven't bothered trying to set up the built in wireless hub capability. But so far it all just works.

Best of luck in the windows world. I'd be out of work at home if the wife didn't need to use windows for her work(Frame maker and other adobe nause)
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Lost Linux Neophyte
Intel i7-1065G7
Intel i7-8565U
Intel Atom Cherry Trail
AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 955
Pure 64bit frustration

[get sirius]

1) I've heard of problems with the FX5700 card combined with Tyan's S2885; perhaps the problem extends to MSI motherboards also (incidentally, the problem doesn't include the FX5700 Ultra - go figure );
2) and while on the subject of MSI motherboards, there are many who don't even like using them as paperweights; I used to have a K8T Neo FSR with a 3400+ that was pretty flaky - don't use it anymore since I killed it (please don't ask me how ), but I'm happily rolling along with the 3400+ now that I have it installed in an EPOX board (that's in addition to the system mentioned below!); and LV can really fill your ears in re:MSI if you ask him!

Well, those are two fairly influential components that could be contributing mightily to your indigestion and PMS; of the two, consider changing the motherboard first unless funds permit changing both. And good luck. And stick with it; believe me when I say that too many others are happily using their systems with Gentoo for there to be an unsuitability with AMD64 in general.