Cannot start the x server No screen found

lel800 · 10-18-2004, 09:19 PM

I'm installing Red Hat 9 on my laptop. The install was successful, but when I rebooted and attempted to run the OS, I saw the message Cannot start the x server, No screen found.

I did a bit of research and downloaded and installed what I think was the wrong driver for my Video card (I'm new to all of this). And I have not been able to resolve the problem. I see many related threads in the forum and google but can not apply what I am seeing to my situation.

Running lspci prior to the install yielded the following among the rest of the output.

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Techologies Inc Rage Mobility M3 AGP 2x (rev 02)

I am able to log into Red Hat but I am only using the command line. I'd really appreciate any help with running startx. Thanks.

darthtux · 10-18-2004, 09:47 PM

As root, run
redhat-config-xfree86

The generic driver is vesa.

lel800 · 10-18-2004, 09:55 PM

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. I appreciate it.

In the shell I ran

redhat-config-xfree86

And the output includes..

* ddcprobe returned bogus values:
ID: None
Name: None
HorizSync: None
VertSync: None

(It repeats this again then finally the output is)

Couldn't start X server, trying with a fresh configuration
Trying with card: ATI Rage 128 Mobility
Error, cannot start X server

lel800 · 10-19-2004, 07:59 AM

Is there some modification I should make based upon that output?

A bit more research on the net and I found this thread...somewhat related....

http://www.redhat.com/archives/redha.../msg02855.html

It's a bit outdated but the response to the OP was that more information regarding the chipset of the graphics card and technical details of the monitor are warranted. That's where I suffer as well. I just don't have much information on this particular machine. Is there anything in particular I must know...

Thanks for any help..

darthtux · 10-19-2004, 08:00 PM

You need to know the monitors horizontal and vertical sync rates. You might be able to get them from monitorworld.com. If you don't know your video card specs, choose a generic, the vesa driver and an amount of video ram that will work.

You will have to edit the X config file by hand since Red Hat's config program isn't auto detecting them. I'm not near my red hat box now. Maybe someone can post their config file or I can tomorrow (wednesday) evening about 8 or 9 pm CST.

If you get the info on your monitor, post it here as well as your XF86Config file.

lel800 · 10-20-2004, 11:09 AM

Thanks again for your response I appreciate the help.

In my quest to understand Horizontal and Vertical Syncs ( I know almost nothing) I found some informative links
http://www.monitorservice.com/faqs1.html
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/debia...tml#CH05-92487
http://www.mycableshop.com/techartic...ifications.htm
http://wiki.kernel-panic.org/index.php?edit=XFree86

Unfortunately, I'm still trying to determine my own specs on my laptop which was purchased from a small company several years ago. I don't believe they are still in business. So I have no one to contact.

I went to www.monitorworld.com and it looks like a good source of information as well. What little documentation I was given at the time of the purchase of the laptop simply says of my panel Color TFT - 15.0" Display LCD Panel supporting 1400x1050 SXGA resolution (more than what I need) . When I went to monitor world and entered TFT I saw a list returned of Compaq TFT monitors each followed by a number. But the max resolution of those in the list was 1280 x 1024 which would be fine but I don't know if the sync rates are applicable to my monitor. Should I use the H and V Frequencies that I see there?

Is there any way I can determine the sync rates just from the hardware itself? Is there a program I can run from a CD which can detect this information? Should I just select the most conservative values from a list in a configuration setting? And how do I make that setting? How do I run a configuration script or program again, should I reinstall the CD's?

Thanks so much again. I appreciate it.

J.W. · 10-20-2004, 02:07 PM

I'm a little confused by what you've described. Are you trying to install this on a:

A. Desktop machine
B. Laptop
C. Laptop with an external monitor attached

The source of my confusion is the fact that your posts use the terms "monitor" and "LCD display" interchangeably, and it's not entirely clear (to me anyway) what kind of equipment you are using. It would be a huge help to list the exact components (make and model) of your system.

That being said though, I will guess that correcting this issue will simply require making a change to the XF86Config file (or xorg.conf, depending on whichever one Redhat 9 uses). Along those lines, as darthtux already mentioned, it would be similarly helpful for you to post the current contents of that file (which should be in the /etc/X11 directory) -- J.W.

lel800 · 10-20-2004, 04:05 PM

Hi and Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to my post.

Sorry for any confusion..let's see if I can clear things up a bit.

I have installed the three diskettes for Red Hat 9.0 on my Laptop which was purchased by QliTech Linx Computers (it says Qlilinux.com on the back of the "lid" of the laptop). It came with a CD which contained a document that describes the hardware of the machine and refers to itself as a users manual. (Ironically, in the VGA drivers section of the manual where the instructions for loading a driver can be found, the manual assumes I am running Windows with screenshots and all. So it is of little help to me here.)

As for the /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file. There are two. And I can post each one if it would help...

One is /etc/X11/XF86Config.old -- I believe this is the one that was created after I first installed the CD's

And the other /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 -- I believe this was created when I attempted to install a driver from the ATI website. But I don't think I installed the right driver. I don't know for sure.

The current XF86Config-4 file.../etc/X11/XF86Config-4

Code:

 

# 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 -1    # video
#    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"   "ImPS/2"
    Option "ZAxisMapping"   "4 5"
    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   31.5 - 68.7
    VertRefresh 50 - 70
    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"    # no device found at config time
    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       "1024x768" "800x600"
        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 ###

darthtux · 10-20-2004, 11:12 PM

I would try changing

Driver "vga"
to
Driver "vesa"

If that doesn't work
DefaultDepth 24
to
DefaultDepth 16
and add

Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600"
ViewPort 0 0 # initial origin if mode is smaller than desktop
EndSubsection

undet the Depth 24 section.

J.W. · 10-21-2004, 12:29 AM

I agree that a default color depth of 24 may over-tax your video, and that a 16 bit depth is useful to try. Additionally, your XF86Config file shows that you are attempting to use the "flgrx" video driver. I'm not the expert on which drivers work with which video cards, but you might want to try using the "ati" driver instead.

I'd also suggest posting the results of lsmod (which lists your modules). You are correct in that a change to XF86Config-4 cause the new file to be saved as XF86Config-4 and the previous version (pre-editing) as XF86Config-4.old Good luck with it, I think the resolution to this issue is very close indeed. -- J.W.

lel800 · 10-21-2004, 10:38 AM

Many thanks to both of you for your responses and your help. I really appreciate it..

In Section "Screen" ...(line 509 in vi)
Changing DefaultDepth 24 to DefaultDepth 16...(line 505 in vi)
and Subsection "Display" changing Depth 24 to Depth 16.
Also I added the Subsection for the Depth 16...
Making only this change, I rebooted and still could not start server x. The error "No devices detected" reappeared.
So now based upon what darthtux has shared, in Section "Device" I change Driver "vga" to Driver "vesa" (line 404 in vi )
Still no luck...
Now changing driver fglrx to ati. Rebooting...

And I am not able to start the x server, but the contents of the log has changed. The error that appears is now...

Code:

(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/XF86Config-4"
IBM ITSX93
Color, Single, TFT
(EE) R128(0): Virtual height(0) is too small for the hardware (min 128)
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

I will post the update XF86Config-4 file .... Only the Graphics Device section and Screen sections which contain the parts modified. The rest is the same..

Code:

# **********************************************************************
# 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      "vesa"
# 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                              "ati"
# ### 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"    # no device found at config time
    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 16 
    #Option "backingstore"

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

    Subsection "Display"
	Depth	   16
	Modes	   "1024x768" "800x600"
	ViewPort   0 0 # initial origin if mode is smaller than desktop 
    EndSubsection
EndSection

lel800 · 10-21-2004, 10:42 AM

Below is the output from running the command "lsmod" in the shell

Code:

Module                  Size  Used by    Not tainted
nls_iso8859-1           3516   0  (autoclean)
nls_cp437               5116   0  (autoclean)
sd_mod                 13516   0  (autoclean)
vfat                   13004   0  (autoclean)
fat                    38808   0  (autoclean) [vfat]
usb-storage            69332   0 
parport_pc             19076   1  (autoclean)
lp                      8996   0  (autoclean)
parport                37056   1  (autoclean) [parport_pc lp]
autofs                 13268   0  (autoclean) (unused)
ds                      8680   2 
yenta_socket           13472   2 
pcmcia_core            57216   0  [ds yenta_socket]
ipt_REJECT              3928   2  (autoclean)
iptable_filter          2412   1  (autoclean)
ip_tables              15096   2  [ipt_REJECT iptable_filter]
sg                     36524   0  (autoclean)
sr_mod                 18136   0  (autoclean)
ide-scsi               12208   0 
scsi_mod              107160   5  [sd_mod usb-storage sg sr_mod ide-scsi]
ide-cd                 35708   0 
cdrom                  33728   0  [sr_mod ide-cd]
keybdev                 2944   0  (unused)
mousedev                5492   0  (unused)
hid                    22148   0  (unused)
input                   5856   0  [keybdev mousedev hid]
usb-uhci               26348   0  (unused)
usbcore                78784   1  [usb-storage hid usb-uhci]
ext3                   70784   2 
jbd                    51892   2  [ext3]

lel800 · 10-21-2004, 04:14 PM

I searched for forum threads related to Virtual Height... There are a few and here is one..
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...r+the+hardware

From the thread I can see that I need to be sure that Horizontal sync is a range and not a value. I check and indeed in my case it is a range.
Also I am to be sure to use "vesa" as the driver..which I've done in one section of my file but not the other. So based upon this I experiment and I replace driver "ati" with driver "vesa".

And now startx does load. That is, I see a graphical window after login...
The window that appears tells me "Unknown monitor with Unknown video card" and it waits for me to confirm the selection of my resolution in a drop down box (preselection is 1024x768) and also my Color depth (preselection is Thousands of Colors)

BUT I am unable to interact. My touchpad is almost useless, the arrow pointer will shake as it moves across the screen and then disappears before I am able to select anything.

Thanks again to all who have helped me get this far. I am closer but still in trouble. Advice is always welcome.

lel800 · 10-21-2004, 08:32 PM

Horay! For the purpose of this particular thread, my problem is indeed solved.

I was not able to move to the next screen, and didn't realize where I was so I pressed "ctrl-alt-backspace" to bump myself out of startx.

After doing so, the installation screen appeared. And using the mnemonics of the buttons via the keyboard (ie pressing alt_F if the letter F was underlined on the button graphic) I was able to complete the installation of the OS Red Hat 9. Following that, the graphical login screen appeared, I entered the user information I had set up, and then the graphical desktop appeared. So startx is now working.

My touchpad remains totally unusable. It shoots across the screen at random activating everything in its path. So that will require resolution. But I think that deserves its own thread.

To summarize the issue....

1) I did install a driver obtained via the ati website as described here..
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...icle&artid=212

I went here..
http://ati.com/products/catalyst/linux.html
and here
http://ati.com/support/infobase/linuxhowto-ati.html

I downloaded and installed an rpm from this page...
http://ati.com/support/drivers/linux...8&submit=GO%21
for the 4.3.0 version of Xfree86.

Halfway down this page...
http://ati.com/support/faq/linux.html
I discovered that Rage 128 drivers (but I don't think I have Rage 128 ?? )
are available here and the Direct Rendering Infrastructure..
http://dri.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/moin.cgi/ATI

Somewhere along the way I downloaded something there and unpacked it but I don't know if it installed. I did get errors about kernels...

2) I edited the XF86Config-4 file and used "vesa" in both the standard VGA device section as well as the ATI device section as darthtux advised a number of times in this thread....I'm slow that way...

)

3) I maintained the change from 16 depth to 24 (but I'm pretty sure I can reset that. After I get the touchpad working I may try...)

4) After each of my changes I used "shutdown -r now" in the shell so that I could restart the computer and attempt to reload startx. And finally it worked.

I guess it was the driver name that did the trick. Did I need to install anything from those other places like DRI...I'm not sure.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me out. Thanks.

darthtux · 10-21-2004, 08:43 PM

You might try this
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...=Google+Search

You might try making the search more specific to your laptop. Also post in the Red Hat forum.