Riccardo Facchetti wrote:

Model: Toshiba 4060XCDT
Screen: 14"

Installing Linux
================

I have scratched the entire hard disk (no care for the preinstalled software)
and I have installed a linux-only system.

Preinstallation
---------------

Before scratching, I have saved the BIOS setup utility in a floppy disk where
I have put some other relevant files:

1) Install win95 or 98 (don't care) at first system boot.

2) Restart the Toshiba to MS-DOS.

3) Format a new booting floppy: `format a: /s'

4) Copy from windows\command and from windows\ these files:

-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root          505 Apr 14 21:25 autoexec.bat
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        96200 May 16  1998 command.com
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root          266 Apr 14 21:16 config.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        30742 May 16  1998 country.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        17207 May 16  1998 display.sys
-r-xr-xr-x   1 root     root        68791 May 16  1998 drvspace.bin
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        58870 May 16  1998 ega.cpi
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        64700 May 16  1998 fdisk.exe
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        50887 May 16  1998 format.com
-r-xr-xr-x   1 root     root       222390 May 16  1998 io.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        20167 May 16  1998 keyb.com
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        34566 May 16  1998 keyboard.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        30023 May 16  1998 mode.com
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        25473 May 16  1998 mscdex.exe
-r-xr-xr-x   1 root     root            9 May 16  1998 msdos.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root          706 Jun 19  1998 panning.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root        10662 Nov 10 16:00 toscdrom.sys
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root         2030 Nov 10 16:00 tsetup.exe

5) Edit config.sys and autoexec.bat to do a clean boot loading the CDROM
   and keyboard drivers so that you can access CDROM for eventually install
   some other OS from DOS.

6) Put the disk in a secure place (I have made a copy on my PC filesystem):
   dd if=/dev/fd0 of=tsetup_bootdisk.bin

7) To check that your brand new configuration disk is working, it's better to
   configure the `boot devices': it is betted to set up the booting sequence
   as FD->CDROM->HD so that you can boot FD and CDROM even if you have
   problems with HD (the CDROM drive is able to boot booting cdroms).

Now you have a way for booting the Toshiba in emergency situations and to set
up the BIOS (tsetup is the Toshiba utility to set up the BIOS) and rescuing
the system.

NOTE: do NEVER activate the `screen stretching' if you plan to use X11 !!!
      If this option is activated, starting X result in a horrible white
      screen. I have switched off immediately the machine with the power
      button but it gone to suspend so switching it on again resulted in the
      same white screen. A desperate situation until I have found the RESET
      button under the PCIMCIA slots. Pressing the RESET button resulted in a
      RESUME FAILURE error at boot and the machine booted regularly (and Linux
      had to fsck all the partitions. This few seconds `white screen' seems to
      have not harmed the TFT but I guess this is NOT something that can
      happen frequently without harm.

Installation
============

1) Scratching the entire disk making three partitions:

 22M    /boot
 3843M  /
 Remaining for swap (~150M)

   I have used all the disk sectors to the last 526: no negative effects
   noticed. I still can access and configure the BIOS from booting the rescuex
   floppy disk and that's the most important (and only) thing I care.

2) Installing the SuSE 6.0:

   Put the CD #1 into the CDROM drive and boot it: follow the instructions.
   The installation was successfull, with apmd error only because the APM
   kernel support was not compiled into the cdrom booting kernel.
   I have recompiled the kernel with APM support enabled and apmd is working
   well.

X Windows
=========

I'm using your X server.

X is working in 16 bpp at 1024x768.

At 800x600 the screen is divided in two areas: on the left an 800x600 area
that is working as expected but on the right there is a disabled area where
are picted vertical lines of strange colors. I have disabled 800x600 in the
XF86Config file just to be on the right side.