hmmm... when i install the video card drivers... i get a warning message saying that i need to make a custom kernel. so i follow the provided steps. when i install the custom kernel, it gives a warning that installing it may taint my kernel. i then installed my drivers again, and it sais i need the custom kernel installed.... im so lost.

Post your XF86Config file.

you mean building and installing the fglrx module? it only taints the license of the kernel because the fglrx drivers arent GPL like the kernel is. you should build and install those modules to get 3d hardware accel (at least thats how it was for me).

# File: XF86Config-4
# File generated by fglrxconfig (C) ATI Research, a substitute for xf86config.

# Note by ATI: the below copyright notice is there for servicing possibly
# pending third party rights on the file format and the instance of this file.
#
# Copyright (c) 1999 by The XFree86 Project, Inc.
#
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
# copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
# to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
# the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
# and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
# Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
#
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
#
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
# THE XFREE86 PROJECT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF
# OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
# SOFTWARE.
#
# Except as contained in this notice, the name of the XFree86 Project shall
# not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other
# dealings in this Software without prior written authorization from the
# XFree86 Project.
#

# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the XF86Config(4/5) man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************

# **********************************************************************
# DRI Section
# **********************************************************************
Section "dri"
# Access to OpenGL ICD is allowed for all users:
Mode 0666
# Access to OpenGL ICD is restricted to a specific user group:
# Group 100 # users
# Mode 0660
EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Module section -- this section is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# **********************************************************************
#
Section "Module"

# This loads the DBE extension module.

Load "dbe" # Double buffer extension

# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection

# This loads the Type1 and FreeType font modules
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"

# This loads the GLX module
Load "glx" # libglx.a
Load "dri" # libdri.a

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Files section. This allows default font and rgb paths to be set
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"

# The location of the RGB database. Note, this is the name of the
# file minus the extension (like ".txt" or ".db"). There is normally
# no need to change the default.

RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"

# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)
#
# If you don't have a floating point coprocessor and emacs, Mosaic or other
# programs take long to start up, try moving the Type1 and Speedo directory
# to the end of this list (or comment them out).
#

FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/local/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
# FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
# FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"

# The module search path. The default path is shown here.

# ModulePath "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Server flags section.
# **********************************************************************

Section "ServerFlags"

# Uncomment this to cause a core dump at the spot where a signal is
# received. This may leave the console in an unusable state, but may
# provide a better stack trace in the core dump to aid in debugging

# Option "NoTrapSignals"

# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><BS> server abort sequence
# This allows clients to receive this key event.

# Option "DontZap"

# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> mode switching
# sequences. This allows clients to receive these key events.

# Option "Dont Zoom"

# Uncomment this to disable tuning with the xvidtune client. With
# it the client can still run and fetch card and monitor attributes,
# but it will not be allowed to change them. If it tries it will
# receive a protocol error.

# Option "DisableVidModeExtension"

# Uncomment this to enable the use of a non-local xvidtune client.

# Option "AllowNonLocalXvidtune"

# Uncomment this to disable dynamically modifying the input device
# (mouse and keyboard) settings.

# Option "DisableModInDev"

# Uncomment this to enable the use of a non-local client to
# change the keyboard or mouse settings (currently only xset).

# Option "AllowNonLocalModInDev"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Input devices
# **********************************************************************

# **********************************************************************
# Core keyboard's InputDevice section
# **********************************************************************

Section "InputDevice"

Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "Keyboard"
# For most OSs the protocol can be omitted (it defaults to "Standard").
# When using XQUEUE (only for SVR3 and SVR4, but not Solaris),
# uncomment the following line.

# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"

Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"

# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"

# Option "LeftAlt" "Meta"
# Option "RightAlt" "ModeShift"

# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
#
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
#
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"

# These are the default XKB settings for XFree86
# Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
# Option "XkbModel" "pc101"
# Option "XkbLayout" "us"
# Option "XkbVariant" ""
# Option "XkbOptions" ""

# Option "XkbDisable"

Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
Option "XkbModel" "pc101"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"

EndSection


# **********************************************************************
# Core Pointer's InputDevice section
# **********************************************************************

Section "InputDevice"

# Identifier and driver

Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"

# When using XQUEUE, comment out the above two lines, and uncomment
# the following line.

# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"

# Baudrate and SampleRate are only for some Logitech mice. In
# almost every case these lines should be omitted.

# Option "BaudRate" "9600"
# Option "SampleRate" "150"

# Emulate3Buttons is an option for 2-button Microsoft mice
# Emulate3Timeout is the timeout in milliseconds (default is 50ms)

Option "Emulate3Buttons"
# Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"

# ChordMiddle is an option for some 3-button Logitech mice

# Option "ChordMiddle"

EndSection


# **********************************************************************
# Other input device sections
# this is optional and is required only if you
# are using extended input devices. This is for example only. Refer
# to the XF86Config man page for a description of the options.
# **********************************************************************
#
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "Mouse2"
# Driver "mouse"
# Option "Protocol" "MouseMan"
# Option "Device" "/dev/mouse2"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "spaceball"
# Driver "magellan"
# Option "Device" "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "spaceball2"
# Driver "spaceorb"
# Option "Device" "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "touchscreen0"
# Driver "microtouch"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
# Option "MinX" "1412"
# Option "MaxX" "15184"
# Option "MinY" "15372"
# Option "MaxY" "1230"
# Option "ScreenNumber" "0"
# Option "ReportingMode" "Scaled"
# Option "ButtonNumber" "1"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "touchscreen1"
# Driver "elo2300"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
# Option "MinX" "231"
# Option "MaxX" "3868"
# Option "MinY" "3858"
# Option "MaxY" "272"
# Option "ScreenNumber" "0"
# Option "ReportingMode" "Scaled"
# Option "ButtonThreshold" "17"
# Option "ButtonNumber" "1"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Monitor section
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of monitor sections may be present

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
HorizSync 31-96
VertRefresh 55-160
Option "DPMS"

# === mode lines based on GTF ===
# VGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "640x480@100" 43.163 640 680 744 848 480 481 484 509 +hsync +vsync
# SVGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "800x600@100" 68.179 800 848 936 1072 600 601 604 636 +hsync +vsync
# XVGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1024x768@100" 113.309 1024 1096 1208 1392 768 769 772 814 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@60" 81.642 1152 1216 1336 1520 864 865 868 895 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@85" 119.651 1152 1224 1352 1552 864 865 868 907 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@100" 143.472 1152 1232 1360 1568 864 865 868 915 +hsync +vsync
# 1280x960 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1280x960@75" 129.859 1280 1368 1504 1728 960 961 964 1002 +hsync +vsync
# 1280x960 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1280x960@100" 178.992 1280 1376 1520 1760 960 961 964 1017 +hsync +vsync
# SXGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1280x1024@100" 190.960 1280 1376 1520 1760 1024 1025 1028 1085 +hsync +vsync
# SPEA GDM-1950 (60Hz,64kHz,110MHz,-,-): 1280x1024 @ V-freq: 60.00 Hz, H-freq: 63.73 KHz
# Modeline "GDM-1950" 109.62 1280 1336 1472 1720 1024 1024 1026 1062 -hsync -vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 133.142 1600 1704 1872 2144 1000 1001 1004 1035 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 169.128 1600 1704 1880 2160 1000 1001 1004 1044 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 194.202 1600 1712 1888 2176 1000 1001 1004 1050 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 232.133 1600 1720 1896 2192 1000 1001 1004 1059 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 136.385 1600 1704 1872 2144 1024 1027 1030 1060 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 174.416 1600 1712 1888 2176 1024 1025 1028 1069 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 76Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 170.450 1600 1632 1792 2096 1024 1027 1030 1070 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 198.832 1600 1712 1888 2176 1024 1027 1030 1075 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1920x1080" 172.798 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -hsync -vsync
# 1920x1080 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1920x1080" 211.436 1920 2056 2264 2608 1080 1081 1084 1126 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1920x1200" 193.156 1920 2048 2256 2592 1200 1201 1203 1242 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1200 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1920x1200" 246.590 1920 2064 2272 2624 1200 1201 1203 1253 +hsync +vsync
# 2048x1536 @ 60
# Modeline "2048x1536" 266.952 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 +hsync +vsync
# 2048x1536 @ 60
# Modeline "2048x1536" 266.952 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 +hsync +vsync
# 1400x1050 @ 60Hz M9 Laptop mode
# ModeLine "1400x1050" 122.000 1400 1488 1640 1880 1050 1052 1064 1082 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x2400 @ 25Hz for IBM T221, VS VP2290 and compatible display devices
# Modeline "1920x2400@25" 124.620 1920 1928 1980 2048 2400 2401 2403 2434 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x2400 @ 30Hz for IBM T221, VS VP2290 and compatible display devices
# Modeline "1920x2400@30" 149.250 1920 1928 1982 2044 2400 2402 2404 2434 +hsync +vsync

EndSection


# **********************************************************************
# Graphics device section
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of graphics device sections may be present

# Standard VGA Device:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Standard VGA"
VendorName "Unknown"
BoardName "Unknown"

# The chipset line is optional in most cases. It can be used to override
# the driver's chipset detection, and should not normally be specified.

# Chipset "generic"

# The Driver line must be present. When using run-time loadable driver
# modules, this line instructs the server to load the specified driver
# module. Even when not using loadable driver modules, this line
# indicates which driver should interpret the information in this section.

Driver "vga"
# The BusID line is used to specify which of possibly multiple devices
# this section is intended for. When this line isn't present, a device
# section can only match up with the primary video device. For PCI
# devices a line like the following could be used. This line should not
# normally be included unless there is more than one video device
# installed.

# BusID "PCI:0:10:0"

# VideoRam 256

# Clocks 25.2 28.3

EndSection

# === ATI device section ===

Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Graphics Adapter"
Driver "fglrx"
# ### generic DRI settings ###
# === disable PnP Monitor ===
#Option "NoDDC"
# === disable/enable XAA/DRI ===
Option "no_accel" "no"
Option "no_dri" "no"
# === misc DRI settings ===
Option "mtrr" "off" # disable DRI mtrr mapper, driver has its own code for mtrr
# ### FireGL DDX driver module specific settings ###
# === Screen Management ===
Option "DesktopSetup" "0x00000000"
Option "MonitorLayout" "AUTO, AUTO"
Option "IgnoreEDID" "off"
Option "HSync2" "unspecified"
Option "VRefresh2" "unspecified"
Option "ScreenOverlap" "0"
# === TV-out Management ===
Option "NoTV" "yes"
Option "TVStandard" "NTSC-M"
Option "TVHSizeAdj" "0"
Option "TVVSizeAdj" "0"
Option "TVHPosAdj" "0"
Option "TVVPosAdj" "0"
Option "TVHStartAdj" "0"
Option "TVColorAdj" "0"
Option "GammaCorrectionI" "0x00000000"
Option "GammaCorrectionII" "0x00000000"
# === OpenGL specific profiles/settings ===
Option "Capabilities" "0x00000000"
# === Video Overlay for the Xv extension ===
Option "VideoOverlay" "on"
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
# will be disabled automatically
Option "OpenGLOverlay" "off"
# === Center Mode (Laptops only) ===
Option "CenterMode" "off"
# === Pseudo Color Visuals (8-bit visuals) ===
Option "PseudoColorVisuals" "off"
# === QBS Management ===
Option "Stereo" "off"
Option "StereoSyncEnable" "1"
# === FSAA Management ===
Option "FSAAEnable" "no"
Option "FSAAScale" "1"
Option "FSAADisableGamma" "no"
Option "FSAACustomizeMSPos" "no"
Option "FSAAMSPosX0" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosY0" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosX1" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosY1" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosX2" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosY2" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosX3" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosY3" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosX4" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosY4" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosX5" "0.000000"
Option "FSAAMSPosY5" "0.000000"
# === Misc Options ===
Option "UseFastTLS" "0"
Option "BlockSignalsOnLock" "on"
Option "UseInternalAGPGART" "yes"
Option "ForceGenericCPU" "no"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0" # vendor=1002, device=4e48
Screen 0
EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Screen sections
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of screen sections may be present. Each describes
# the configuration of a single screen. A single specific screen section
# may be specified from the X server command line with the "-screen"
# option.
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "ATI Graphics Adapter"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
#Option "backingstore"

Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "640x480" "800x600" "1024x768" "1280x1024"
ViewPort 0 0 # initial origin if mode is smaller than desktop
# Virtual 1280 1024
EndSubsection
EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# ServerLayout sections.
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of ServerLayout sections may be present. Each describes
# the way multiple screens are organised. A specific ServerLayout
# section may be specified from the X server command line with the
# "-layout" option. In the absence of this, the first section is used.
# When now ServerLayout section is present, the first Screen section
# is used alone.

Section "ServerLayout"

# The Identifier line must be present
Identifier "Server Layout"

# Each Screen line specifies a Screen section name, and optionally
# the relative position of other screens. The four names after
# primary screen name are the screens to the top, bottom, left and right
# of the primary screen.

Screen "Screen0"

# Each InputDevice line specifies an InputDevice section name and
# optionally some options to specify the way the device is to be
# used. Those options include "CorePointer", "CoreKeyboard" and
# "SendCoreEvents".

InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"

EndSection

### EOF ###

as i was saying. i DID build and install the module. but when installing it gives me a warning that it will taint the kernel. then it finishes, but i notice no improvements. and if i install the drivers again it sais that i will need to build and install the custom module in order get get 3d excelleration. funny because i do have 3d excelleration, it is just shitty. still wondering why Enemy Territory is not affected

I didn't see anything odd in the config file, so I went back and read through the README file for the ATI drivers. I noticed two things that may be important. First, ATI provides a utility called "fglrxinfo" that is similar to the standard "glxinfo" tool and provides info about what drivers are being used. Second, ATI also provides their own SaX2-like configuration utility which they recommend you use. That utility is called "fglrxconfig".

Try running fglrxinfo first (from within X) and see if it matches what is in the readme file (http://www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/readme0370.txt, section 4). If it looks like you are using the right drivers, try running fglrxconfig to configure your XF86Config file and see if that helps.

yeah, i know about fglrx config. the user is told to run it post installation. I have run it several times. could updating to ther new 2.6.1 kernel and getting the 2.6.1 kernel sources help with my problem? im just a newbie so it will not be easy for me to update but i do have a tutorial.

i think theres an ati driver howto at:
http://linux-gamers.net
sorry i didnt mention it earlier.

heh, thats the tutorial i live by. have gone over it many times. does anyone agree that there is something weird going down with my kernel? or am i just a stupid noob? after i finsish my downloads, ill try updating. and ill insatall the drivers again.

Getting X to work with new drivers and messing with kernels certainly isn't a simple task for someone not familiar with all the ins and outs of linux or XFree86. X is a beast, and kernel configuration requires a lot of practice to get it right. Upgrading your kernel to 2.6.1 would probably be a bad idea. Kernel upgrades within the same minor version (ie 2.4.21 to 2.4.22) can be work enough, especially for the inexperienced. I tried an upgrade from 2.0.x to 2.2.0 when it was released and gave myself about a week's worth of headaches. Don't do it.

What I would recommend is possibly taking this over to the SuSE Linux mailing lists and see if someone there can help. I used to subscribe to the english list and people were pretty helpful there. They may have some better ideas.

Personally, I've sworn off ATI after my experience with a Radeon AIW7500 and with a Radeon 8500LE. Both were horrible. I even tried using a non-free version of X and still, after buying the product, couldn't get the cards to behave right. Now I'm NVIDIA only.

ill be that soon... winex doesnt like ati. in fact, thats a problem i have with the new drivers. winex wont run ANYTHING that uses 3d hardware accel at more then 1 fps. regular wine is fine. fishy.

kc2, as far as getting the new kernel should i wait untill there is like an official SuSE 9.0 patch or something?

SuSE will not release packages for Linux 2.6.1 for 9.0. Actually, 9.0 has Linux 2.6 test kernel packages included on the CD or DVD, but you are probably better off waiting for 9.1 to come out and upgrade then if you really want to make that jump. Personally, I'll probably wait for SuSE 9.2 or Linux 2.6.3 or .4 before I jump. It typically takes that long for things to smooth out after a new kernel.

yeah thats what i meant, when 9.1 comes out. i have talked to some people while playing enemy territory who are quite happy with the 2.6.1 kernel. beh

ok, so i deleted my xf86config files, and i ran SAX in the console. and it came up. is there anything in particular that i should do?