ATI DRIVERS TRULY SUCK, avoid them at all costs

oily_rags · 10-15-2004, 02:17 AM

Okay, i have had enough trying to install ati's drivers.

I followed the readme file exactly as shown line for line, and when I rebooted it would not boot into x with an error "no screens detected.

I was able to run yast in console and chose a different graphics setup, and the test would even run, butwhen I did startx again after same thing, no screens found.

I got around this problem by removing the ati card from my computer, and installing my old geforce 2mx card. This time I set up the card and it booted fine to kde. But once I went back into yast2 and modified the graphics setup again and rebooted it came back to error no devices found.

So back in I put the ati card, and was able to get back into kde. So now I can never even touch the graphics configuration tool in yast, or else i'll get that same problem again

I can live with this it's annoying but everything works again, I guess my question is if my graphics config tool is damaged, how do I go about reparing it?

Avoid ati drivers completely, and if you are getting a new computer or new graphics card, avoid ati!!!

Alessandro · 10-15-2004, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oily_rags
if you are getting a new computer or new graphics card, avoid ati!!!

That is what I have done and what I'll keep doing.

4hp · 10-15-2004, 07:42 AM

So we should not buy an ATi card. because it's not working properly for you

CGameProgrammer · 10-15-2004, 07:57 AM

Actually ATI has always had pretty bad drivers, especially for OpenGL (even in Windows). It's difficult getting it working in Windows, as some games that use OpenGL don't render correctly, or they crash frequently. So you have to use 3rd-party drivers, the Omega drivers, but they have stability problems and some bugs... I found it very frustrating. And of course Linux only uses OpenGL, so yeah... nVidia really is better, not necessarily in hardware, but in software.

4hp · 10-15-2004, 08:04 AM

Hmm, I've never had any problems with the Ati Catalyst driver (since last year).. It's true, ATi's drivers sucked in the past, but they are doing a great job now, in my opinion!

But in Linux, yeah they suck hard, but when you try a bit harder they will work, eventually... :/

Praetor Judis · 10-15-2004, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 4hp
So we should not buy an ATi card. because it's not working properly for you

I suppose it could be argued that you shouldn't buy an Ati card because it doesn't ever work "properly" under Linux even when set up correctly and functioning. I've got a Mobility in my current laptop and the card is up and running, with 3D acceleration, but thanks to incomplete Linux support, many games simply don't work (Doom 3, UT2k4, most Garage Games, etc).

My next laptop (which arrives next week *sregnif sessorc*) will have a NVIDIA Geforce Go5700.

zulu · 10-15-2004, 08:30 AM

So I tried installing the linux ati radeon 9600 drivers on my emachines m6809 laptop, but encountered the same problems as oily_rags. This was on suse 9.1 64 bit - so i don't know if the error was that those drivers were 32 bit ones instead of 64. But I kind of 'solved' the problem of no screen detected, but removing the XFree86 config file associated with the ATI drivers. I'm in windows right now, so I don't know the correct name and location, but i think its in /etc/xorg or something (its the file mentioned when installing the drivers). Anyway, if someone has been able to successfully run those drivers in suse 9.1 64 bit please let me know! Thanks.

oreo_masta · 10-15-2004, 04:02 PM

I agree. ATi claimed to be turning over a new leaf with its Linux drivers, or so was said by the ATi guy in the Hard[OCP] forums. I've tried 2-3 times to get my X800Pro to work. I used the RPM packets provided by ATi and followed the directions down to the letter. I get the same "x window system" error (it's been a week or two since i've seen it. i've reformatted since then).

So here I went and spent a bunch of money on an X800, before I knew I'd be getting into linux... plays fine in windows but my gaming will be restricted to windows for several more years I guess, because I'm not going to be buying a new graphics card any time soon.

I agree with the original post. Stay away from ATi if you're a linux user, unless they make a radical change for linux users.

EDIT: So I just found this tutorial on this site: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...icle&artid=212

I'm going to try once again. May the force be with me

Aardvarks · 10-15-2004, 07:00 PM

I bought an ATI card, not knowing how hard it was to install it.
I did the same over and over again, suddenly it worked. Weird thing that.

Now I have 3000 fps in the glxgears thingie

(Before I installed the drivers 300 fps)

MadnessASAP · 10-16-2004, 08:39 PM

even following the guide to the letter I still get the following error

Code:

bluestar build_mod # ./make.sh
ATI module generator V 2.0
==========================
initializing...
cleaning...
patching 'highmem.h'...
skipping patch for 'drmP.h', not needed
skipping patch for 'drm_os_linux.h', not needed
assuming new VMA API since we do have kernel 2.6.x...
doing Makefile based build for kernel 2.6.x and higher
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.8.1/build SUBDIRS=/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x modules
make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.8.1/build: No such file or directory.  Stop.
make: *** [kmod_build] Error 2
build succeeded with return value 0
ln: `./fglrx.ko': File exists
duplicating results into driver repository...
cp: cannot stat `fglrx.ko': No such file or directory
done.
==============================
You must change your working directory to /lib/modules/fglrx
and then call ./make_install.sh in order to install the built module.
==============================

my system is as follows:

MOBO: K8V-X
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Distro: Gentoo
Kernel: 2.6.8.1

Space_Balls · 10-17-2004, 11:16 AM

SuSe provides ATI rpms:

ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/sup.../suse91/fglrx/

usually they are fairly up to date, might take them 3 days to get them online when new drivers are released.

These work fine on my 9600.

There is a guide in german available here for correct installation: http://www.linuxclub.de/viewtopic.php?t=15733&start=0

zulu · 10-17-2004, 02:47 PM

Space_Balls: Do those drivers work even for Suse 9.1 64 bit?

Commando464 · 10-17-2004, 02:54 PM

I have been using ATI forever.

I never had any problems with Windoze or now with SuSE.

The install setup everything correctly.

The only complainers are the gamers. I dont play any games on my machine so i never have problems with graphics. Even Q-CAD works fine on here.

Alessandro · 10-17-2004, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zulu
Space_Balls: Do those drivers work even for Suse 9.1 64 bit?

From their readme:

- driver cannot be used on AMD64 architecture

Junior41180 · 10-18-2004, 12:34 AM

drivers work fine for me, I've had a few problems at first getting them to work, but after doing it enough times (reinstalls and such), i don't have any problems installing them at all on first try. Xorg and XFree86.

Guess i am just lucky?

and the windows drivers i have work great.

and

@ oreo_masta

thats [H]ard|OCP.