[conspire] (forw) How do I install a new keyboard?
Rick Moen
rick at linuxmafia.com
Fri May 29 14:20:06 PDT 2015
----- Forwarded message from "Robert S. Johnstone" <rsjohnst at idiom.com> -----
Date: Fri, 29 May 2015 13:40:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Robert S. Johnstone" <rsjohnst at idiom.com>
To: installers at linuxmafia.com
Subject: How do I install a new keyboard?
Hello Rick and Friends,
I am trying to install a new, different keyboard on my computer,
which runs the Ubuntu 9.10 operating system. My skills and
experience in system administration are minimal. Any advice from
a knowledgeable system administrator would be greatly appreciated.
If you know of a website or book where this problem is discussed
please let me know. See REFERENCES below.
I would like (VERY MUCH) to avoid re-formatting the hard disk drives
(there are two, both Linux). What I think (HOPE) might work would be
to run the installation procedure from the distribution CD as follows.
1. Language Selection.
Buttons: Cancel Forward Make Selection, Press Forward
2. Time-Zone Configuration.
Buttons: Cancel Back Forward Make Selection, Press Forward
3. Keyboard Configuration.
Buttons: Cancel Back Forward Make Selection, Press Forward
4. Disk Partition.
Buttons: Quit Back Forward Immediately Press Quit
None of the selections I would make in steps 1, 2, and 3
would be different from what I entered in the original
installation in 2010. But I assume that the installer may
collect some other information directly from the device itself
(e.g., manufacturer, model number, serial number, etc)
so that the BIOS can detect when hardware is changed.
The yellow pages in the telephone book show numerous companies
or consultants under the categories
- Computer & Computer Equipment Repair & Service
- Computer Software & Service
but none of them advertise Linux expertise.
Can you recommend any of them?
Or someone else nearby (Redwood City ... Sunnyvale)?
I cannot attend the Linux CABAL InstallFest in June
but will in July if I have not solved the problem by then.
Thanks.
Robert Johnstone
650/326-0424
rsjohnst at idiom.com
------------------ FURTHER DETAIL ----------------------
QUESTIONS
Q1. In installation step 4 above, does pressing Quit immediately
cause the selections made in steps 1, 2, and 3
to be ignored? i.e., Are no specified data saved
until after the disk is reformatted?
Q2. How can I pause the boot process so that I can read the entire
keyboard error message that appears only briefly on a text
screen? See SYMPTOMS below.
Q3. What device-specific files are needed for the new keyboard?
Are they actually present in the kernel?
Q4. How can I enable the scrolling display of boot and shutdown
progress? (Was present Ubuntu v6.06, is absent in v9.10).
KEYBOARDS
Old Keyboard
Keytronic M/N KT800MSE-C S/N C014801544
In service more than 10 years.
Some keys do not always work.
New Keyboard
Logitech k120
Purchased at Fry's, Palo Alto, 08May2015
Fry's service department has tested it: works OK there.
The new Logitech keyboard box says:
What You Need
Linux kernel 2.6+
SYMPTOMS
With the new keyboard a text screen appears briefly during boot.
The only line I can read says "keyboard error". No such text screen
appears with the old keyboard.
After boot, a graphical login screen appears, soliciting user
name and password.
With the old keyboard, each keystroke of the password appears on
the screen as a small circle, maybe an asterisk.
With the new keyboard, the login screen does not show any response
to the keystrokes of the password. Login fails.
OPERATING SYSTEM & KERNEL VERSIONS
The operating system on my computer is Ubuntu version 9.10 .
The kernel version would appear to be 2.6.31-14,
So the new Logitech keyboard should work.
sgt_$> ls -lrt /boot
total 13764
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3890400 2009-10-16 11:03 vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1664737 2009-10-16 11:03 System.map-2.6.31-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 111371 2009-10-16 11:03 config-2.6.31-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 629174 2009-10-16 11:03 abi-2.6.31-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1196 2009-10-16 11:06 vmcoreinfo-2.6.31-14-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 128796 2009-10-23 09:11 memtest86+.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7650735 2010-09-16 11:02 initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 2010-11-21 22:09 grub
The directory /boot/grub contains 145 files, all dated 2010-09-16 10:33
except grubenv, which has a current date (e.g., 2015-05-25 10:50).
sgt_$> ls -lrt /boot/grub
total 1028
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 15 2010-09-16 10:33 device.map
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8320 2010-09-16 10:33 915resolution.mod
..... [ RSJ: snip ] .....
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 25105 2010-09-16 10:33 core.img
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 2746 2010-09-16 10:33 grub.cfg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1024 2015-05-25 10:50 grubenv
File /boot/grub/grubenv contains only a very long string of pound signs
############### ...
which covers multiple lines on the screen.
The few other files in /boot/grub I have tried to look at do not appear
to be human-readable.
INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
References 1, 2, 3, and 4 each describe the initial installation
af Ubuntu, which consists of four steps. The figure and page
numbers are from Ref 1.
Fig 3-5 (p58). Language Selection.
Buttons: Cancel Forward
Fig 3-6 (p59). Time-Zone Configuration.
Buttons: Cancel Back Forward
Fig 3-7 (p59). Keyboard Configuration.
Buttons: Cancel Back Forward
Fig 3-8 (p60). Disk Partition.
Buttons: Quit Back Forward
ALL of references 1-4 WARN EMPHATICALLY that all important files
should be backed up before proceeding with disk partition.
NONE of the references explicitly addresses the issue
of installing a new, different keyboard.
For example Ref 3 p24:
"WARNING. The instructions in this section assume that you are
installing Ubuntu on a new computer system where you do not want
to preserve any existing files, applications, and other data that
are currently on its hard drive(s)."
My computer does have a second hard disk, with a Linux file system.
Ref 5 p544-p563 presents much detail about the GRUB bootloader,
some of which might be relevant. But I would not dare to experiment
with it.
REFERENCES
1. Blum, Richard. Ubuntu Linux Secrets.
Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis IN. 2009
2. Hudson, Andrew, et al. Ubuntu Unleashed, 2010 Edition,
Covering 9.10 and 10.4 .
Sams Publishing 2009.
3. von Hagen, William. Ubuntu Linux Bible.
Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis IN. 2007.
4. Hill, Benjamin Mako, et al. The Offical Ubuntu Book.
Canonical Ltd. 2007
Pearson Education Inc, Upper Saddle River NJ. 2006
5. Siever, Ellen, et al. Linux in a Nutshell, 5th Edition.
O'Reilly Media Inc. 2005.
----- End forwarded message -----
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