Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Hi all Was previously using linuxquestions.org, but someone there suggested i post my problem in this forum. I have been trying to install Mandrake for over a week..first i tried 8.2 and now im trying despersately to get 9.1 to work. The installation seemed to be ok, when it got to the summary page it even recognised by ati radeon card, i did a test to see if any graphics would appear on my screen and it did. So it finished doing what it had to do and then came the test rebooting.!!! All i get is a blank screen...it would stay that way forever if i let it. At least with 8.2 i had half my screen filled with colourful lines, couldnt do anything with it though. I am so frustrated, please please can anyone help me. I dont think i am doing anything wrong. PC specs Pentium II, 512MB RAM, ATI RADEON 7000, 20GB Maxtor hard drive. I also have an onboard graphics card a Matrox G200, my monitor is a Sony LCD screen. I rebooted and used failsafe to get into text mode and tried startx...nothing just a blank screen. So i rebooted and did XFdrake this is what appears on the screen. graphic card: ATI RAdeon Monitor: Flat panel 1024x768 Resolution 1024x768 16bpp Test Options i played around with the settings for a while still nothing. Please can someone point me in the right direction, i will be honest i am totally new to linux. Thanks for any help....i am going to post links to my questions in the other forum http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/sh...&threadid=93043 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/sh...alling+mandrake http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/sh...&threadid=91843 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 This is an x problem related to the video card. The first step is to see what the system is telling us. So, at the boot screen, hit esc and type "linux 3", and press enter. This will start your box without x. After booting, you will find yourself at the command prompt. Type "startx" and after x implodes, you will get a screen with errors reported. Please post the errors here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Well, welcome to /home :D Lets have a quick look .... OK first off ... thats an LCD is it??? I'm pretty much convinced its just a video timing problem... As to why ??? I had the same symptoms, night before last.... I didn't even get the BIOS screen or anything. Somehow my onboard graphics just wouldn't sink. So i guessed my way in ... like this 1) Wait till the disk stops etc. its given up loading X by this point and the login manager's probably going crazy. CTRL +ALT + F1 (to go to console) root /password then init 0 OK, so that shut it down OK ... Why ?? still don't know... I moved it to another monitor ... CRT plugged it in and it just worked. I'd power cycled 10 times on the LCD .. This is prety low level graphics stuff though... in BIOS and before the boot loader... Do you actually get to se the BIOS stuff or not..? OK, just been back and looked. It seems you can see the bios off the Matrox :D OK, perhaps in BIOS you have a option initiate PCI or AGP first... I'm assuming cos I don't think they made any AGP M200's that its PCI. I think this might be the problem and you overrode this in windows ?? I don't see why you can't get the ATI working (perhaps you have a good reason). My guess is in windows they are both working but one is actually disabled. You could do this in linux too. Why not say why you want to use it and if your sure etc. than we have a better chance at fixing it for ya. One thing to do: Could you from a rott console do a scanpci Just paste the stuff up... Your XF86Config-4 (in /etc/X11) would also be helpfull. You can delete the commented lines (#) if your comforatable :D Don't worry about being totally new to linux, we all were once and we remember. We have got noobies through this before and we will again ...:D p.s. I'm currently campaigning for new users to put something in their signature [the thing on your profile] (completely optional to show their level of noobieness to both linux and or mandrake).... its totally optional, it just helps us with the right level of handholding... (Some real top guru's come here with 10 years debian or slackware and we end up taking a page to describe how to use a texeditor :D ) Anyway, your comment gives me a good idea so as I say its optional ... and it won't effect me helping you cos now I know your level ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 hi Ixthusdan i tried that and as soon as i press startx all i get is a blank screen. Thnaks Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Sorry spent a bit more time reading your posts on linux questions, the Matrox is the onboard card. Looks like Ixthusdan is already on track :D.... I don't have a recent ATI card so Ix prob knows something but do the scanpci and You can also try this. just type everything exactly From run level 3.... (either the CTRL+ALT+F1 root/yourroot password) or like Ix said and pass it at boot time. (except replace yourroot password) su - <yourrrootpassword> cd /etc/X11 cp XF86Config-4 XF86Config-4-drake XFree86 --configure (it might be one -) then follow the instructions (again it tells you and I can't remember if its one or two - startx --xf86config /root/XF86Config-4 (or the name it tells you) If this succeeds then exit X (CTRL+ALT+BKSPC) and cp /root/XF86Config-4 /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 then init 5 (this should put you back to the graphical login) post the file it used up becuase its likely to be minimal and need a bit of optimisation If this fails post your /var/log/XFree86-*.log file up. This is the same as scrolls off the screen when you run it and it fails ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Hey Gowator Ok did a scanpci as you reccomended...im not sure if this is what your looking for but this is what appears on the screen: pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x07 function 0x02: vendor 0x8086 device 0x7112 intel corp. 82371ab/eb/mb p11x4 usb pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x07 function 0x03: vendor 0x8086 device 0x7113 intel corp. 82371ab/eb/mb p11x4 acp1 pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x0b function 0x00: vendor 0x1002 device 0x5159 ATI technologies Inc Radeon RV100 [radeon 7000 ve] pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x0d function 0x00: vendor 0x12eb device 0x0002 Aureal Semiconductor Vortex 2 pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x0f function 0x00: vendor 0x11c1 device 0x0442 Lucent Microelectronics 56k WinModem pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x011 function 0x030: vendor 0x104c device 0x8009 texas Instruments Firewire controller pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x13 function 0x00: vendor 0x1317 device 0x0985 Linksys Network Everywhere Fast Ethernet 10/100 model NC100 pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x00 function 0x00: vendor 0x102b device 0x0521 Matrox Graphics, Inc MGA G200 AGP Not sure if that is what you wanted but thats what came up on my screen. I really do what to get the Radeon card working, but if i have to take it out of my system then i will do that too. Thanks you so much for your time Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Sorry spent a bit more time reading your posts on linux questions, the Matrox is the onboard card. Looks like Ixthusdan is already on track :D.... I don't have a recent ATI card so Ix prob knows something but do the scanpci and You can also try this. just type everything exactly From run level 3.... (either the CTRL+ALT+F1 root/yourroot password) or like Ix said and pass it at boot time. (except replace yourroot password) su -<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteEBegin--><yourrrootpassword><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteEBegin-->cd /etc/X11<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteEBegin-->cp XF86Config-4 XF86Config-4-drake<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteEBegin-->XFree86 --configure (it might be one -)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteEBegin--> then follow the instructions (again it tells you and I can't remember if its one or two - startx --xf86config /root/XF86Config-4 (or the name it tells you) i got this far and then a blank screen, will try it again to make sure it wasnt me. If this succeeds then exit X (CTRL+ALT+BKSPC) and cp /root/XF86Config-4 /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 then init 5 (this should put you back to the graphical login) post the file it used up becuase its likely to be minimal and need a bit of optimisation If this fails post your /var/log/XFree86-*.log file up. This is the same as scrolls off the screen when you run it and it fails ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Hi Gowator Ok i tried it all again and after i do this: su - cd /etc/X11 cp XF86Config-4 XF86Config-4-drake XFree86 --configure This is what is on my screen: ati i810 ark cyrix siliconmotion vesa vga dummy v41 (++) Using config file: "/root/XF86Config.new" (EE) MGA(1): Cannot read V_BIOS XFree86 detected your mouse at device /dev/mouse. please check your config if the mouse is still not operational, as by default XFree86 tries to autodetect the protocol. XFree86 has configured a multihead system, please check your config. your XF86Config file is /root/XF86Config.new To test the server run 'Xfree86 -xf86config /root/XF86Config.new Ok i ran that last command and instead of a black screen i have a blue one and my mouse pointer moves around. could this be progress java script:emoticon(':D') Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 OK, The SCAN PCI is useful. We can force your config to use it if nothing else. The important parts are that the radion is detected on pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x0b function 0x00 This translates to bus zero (PCI not AGP - is that correct ??) Card 12 its hexadecimal ... works like this (8,9,10,0a,0b) Your matrox is detected but doesn't seem to have been allocated resources by the bios. That is it isn't allocated a slot/card num. Strangly it identifes as AGP.... I wasn't aware of this but ... its a compaq or hp ??? just guessing :wink: OK now the important part is if it just went blank it didn't take the configure option. That means you had one to many or few (-) signs. Since im at work on WinNT I can't tell you definitively If you made no other typo's try the other option ... If everything locks up and your in INIT 3 you can do the CTRL+ALT+BKSPC to get back to your console :D The option should go and try and make a very basic but working XFree86-4 file. Its not very well tuned BUT if it works it allows you to uise graphical tools to tune it. I think your main probs might be modeline timings with the LCD screen. They can be a real pain if the wizard doesn't get em right.... Try posting the /var/log/XFree86.0.log file (or a file very close to that name in /var/log ) If it says no screens found this is a clue it scanned the modelines and didn't find a usable combination of resolution and a compatible one for your monitir. Its a pain but you can usually set it up by hand... Post your stuff.... Im off to see a film but Ill be home later but knowing the guys here youll have it working by then :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Are you using a multi-card system? You list two video cards, a radeon and a matrox. Is one an on-board graphic chip? I did not read your other postings because it is possible that the obvious was missed before. :wink: Please post this info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 hey Yes there is 2 graphic cards The Ati radeon PCI and the onboard Matrox MGA200 AGP. The Ati is the one i am trying to use. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitz Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Try startx again and check if the video might be coming out of the other video card by default. It looks like the configuration may be set up for dual head display. I don't have any experience with that sort of configuration but X may default to only one or the other of the two displays. Glitz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brit Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 hi all Ok im looking at the /var/log/XFree86.0.log file, ok im using my mac to write this so i cant paste that entire file to this. Its really long is there anything in particular that i should be looking for in that file and i will post that bit on here Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Post it all. But, unless you have a special reason, you should turn off the on-board video in the bios. Or there might be a jumper on the motherboard to defeat the on-board video. What type of computer, or what is the name/model of the motherboard? With one video, mandrake will auto configure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 I had an onboard that couldn't be disabled via bios and a NVIDIA at the same time. The trick was to NOT config multi and make sure XF86Config-4, /etc/modules, and /etc/modules.conf only have entries for the one I wanted to use. In most cases the bios and kernel will go with the slot card over the onboard so you're ok from init 1 to 3, plus it's just vesa/fb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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