Graphics Problem on Dell Optiplex SX270

[Chao06]

I've had a Dell Optiplex SX270 that has been giving me problems since I got it. It works fine with Windows XP and with older Linux distributions, but once I upgrade, the monitor shuts off on boot.

What I did and how things worked the most recent time was:

• Installed Debian Lenny with no desktop environment. It worked fine after that
• I upgraded the kernel to the Sqeeze kernel (2.6.32). It still worked after that.
• I installed LXDE (plus all the X dependencies) and that's where it started messing up. I could still use single user mode, but in trying to boot into the gui, it shut off the monitor.
• I upgraded xserver-xorg (plus its dependencies) to Squeeze, and now I can't even get to single user mode. It shuts off the monitor halfway through boot.

I went through system and xorg logs, but as far as I can tell, they couldn't tell there was anything wrong.

I'm just about out of ideas, could anyone help?

Thanks,
David

[fanderal]

It works fine with Windows XP and with older Linux distributions, but once I upgrade, the monitor shuts off on boot.

'Shuts off' as in powered off (like someone unplugged it), or as in a powered on monitor with a black screen (no text, no graphics)?

Does the monitor work when booting a Squeeze/LXDE liveCD? Have you tried any other distro's recent liveCD?

Which GPU (brand/model)?

Which video driver is installed, open source or proprietary?

Is Debian's "firmware-linux" package installed?

[arespi]

It may not help a lot, but i have installed Mandriva Linux (Mandriva One 2010) on a Optiplex 270SFF without problems.

Good luck

[rrl]

sounds like a graphics mode issue? What kind of monitor? Connection, and video ?

[Djhg2000]

Sounds a lot like a KMS issue to me, try booting with nomodeset on the kernel command line.

In GRUB, you highlight the kernel you usually boot but you press the edit key (printed at bottom of the screen), append nomodeset to the end of the boot line (contains things like ro and quiet), then press the boot key (also printed at bottom of the screen) and see if that helps.

For more info, see the Debian WiKi on KMS.

[whu]

I have the same issue using Ubuntu 11.04 on a Dell Easynote LJ65.
I tried with USB-stick boot and WUBI.
Description :
- During startup : text mode - everything fine
- once entering graphic mode : light shuts off
- dual screen = switching to an external monitor : same issue
- when lighting the screen with an external lightsource I can see the icons and the mouse movements, but of course this is no solution
- when I start the pre-installed VISTA everything works fine ...

I tried the same on my Fujitsu Esprimo mobile with the same chipset : everything works as expected.

Chipset : mobile Intel 4 express

Seems to be a Dell issue to me.

Anyone ???

regards,

Walter.

[kamilede]

Tried newest distros

only one works which is pclinux os

no other works slax, mandriva, ubuntu, xubuntu, and many other doesnt just black screen

seems like every is booting up cause when i push power button its turning itself off and i can see that is killing processes

beside that black screen

while booting pc linux os monitor shuts down for 10 seconds and after its ok

optiplex sx 270

i tried everything, nomodeset and etc.

checked other forums and theres no solution so far, too bad cause sx is very compact pc for a nice server

[MASONTX]

You might try legacyos, or rolling back to a kernal that works with your hardware.