Help with ATI drivers

[jarhead]

I am a newbie to Linux. I just installed the latest release of Ubuntu on an old Dell Dimension 4550 with an ATI Rage 128 Ultra video card. I can't seem to get the resolution higher than 800x600. Are there any ATI drivers that i can install? If so, how do i install them?

My xorg.conf file looks like this:

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
Device "Configured Video Device"
DefaultDepth 24
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "glx"
Disable "dri2"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection

[D-cat]

Your monitor is actually not configured, so X is using a safe resolution.

What model is your monitor?

[jarhead]

Your monitor is actually not configured, so X is using a safe resolution.

What model is your monitor?

I have 2 that I can use:

Dell 1905FP and Idek Iiyama Vision Master 17

[D-cat]

Try inserting the following in Section "Screen", after DefaultDepth and before EndSection:

  SubSection "Display"
    Depth      15
    Modes      "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" 
  EndSubSection
  SubSection "Display"
    Depth      16
    Modes      "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" 
  EndSubSection
  SubSection "Display"
    Depth      24
    Modes      "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" 
  EndSubSection
  SubSection "Display"
    Depth      8
    Modes      "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" 
  EndSubSection

Should give you access to all sizes, though we may also have to define the screen timing (worry about later if this doesn't work).

---

Oops, forgot to mention the editor needs root permissions:

[Alt + F2] to bring up run box, then type gksu gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

[jarhead]

I was having all sorts of problems with the ATI card which had only 32 MB of RAM. I pulled out an NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 card out of another system which had 128MB of RAM and installed it. Ubuntu "offered" to install NVIDIA drivers which I did and ran "sudo nvidia-xconfig". That generated a new xorg.conf file. The resolution is much higher but there is still something funcky with the display (i.e. when I launched xterm, all I got is is white window).

Here's the file that got generated:

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 1.0  (buildmeister@builder57)  Mon Oct 27 14:37:20 PST 2008

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "type1"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       27.0 - 86.0
    VertRefresh     50 - 160
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes      "1600x1200" "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

[D-cat]

Okay, that works.

when I launched xterm, all I got is is white window

If you use the menu to configure the terminal properties, does it help to change the font or color scheme?

Also, do you have any other "funky" things happening to your display? Do you have 3D desktop effects enabled? Is your install fully updated?

[jarhead]

Okay, that works.



If you use the menu to configure the terminal properties, does it help to change the font or color scheme?

Also, do you have any other "funky" things happening to your display? Do you have 3D desktop effects enabled? Is your install fully updated?

When I launched Application --> System Tools -->NTFS Configuration Tool, everything in the background got grayed out, the window was all white. Later I realized that it was prompting me for a password but I couldn't see the prompt. I also noticed that after logging in, the little window that pops up informing that the workstation is connected to a wireless network is also all white.

I don't know how to use the menu to configure the terminal properties.
How do I check if 3D desktop effect are enabled and if install is fully updated?

Sorry for all the dumb questions, but I am a newb.

BTW, I ran NVIDIA X Server Settings and it reconfigured the xorg.conf file:

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 1.0  (buildd@palmer)  Mon Nov  3 08:46:46 UTC 2008

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "type1"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "DELL"
    ModelName      "DELL 1905FP"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 76.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "0"
    Option         "metamodes" "1280x1024 +0+0; 1024x768 +0+0; 800x600 +0+0; 640x480 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

[D-cat]

xorg.conf looks fine.

A grayed out bg is usually an indication that it's asking for a password. The fact that you couldn't see the prompt is obviously not good.

don't know how to use the menu to configure the terminal properties.

While holding the [Ctrl] key, click on the xTerm window with a mouse button:
Left: Main Menu
Right: Font Selection
Center: Other options (like Reverse Video)

How do I check if 3D desktop effect are enabled and if install is fully updated?

First the update. Assuming your tray icon can't showing anything for fact of the video bug, I'll use Synaptic.

Open the Synaptic Package Manager. It should ask for PW (if your bug pops up, do it blind; just type your pw and press Enter) Click on "Reload", this will refresh your package list. Click on File -> Mark All Updates. Click on Apply. It should bring up a list of all packages to update or tell you it's already all good. OK it either way.

For 3D desktop, do a search for "compiz". If it isn't installed, then you don't have the effects enabled. If it is, it doesn't mean you do, but it could be the culprit. Close Synaptic. If the kernel was updated, restart the computer. If any updates, restart X (log out then back in).

If it keeps up, you might want to disable the 3D driver in the hardware panel (which will suck if you use 3D apps like games), but I'll do some googling and see if there's another way first.

Edit: I realize I didn't fully answer your desktop question... but I have something to try first. Check this link:
Nvidia White Screen Install Failure - LinuxQuestions.org

[jarhead]

D-cat,
I have tried everything w/o success. I tried installing NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.22-pkg1.run package from the console mode. Got a message that my video card (it discovered it correctly) should be using NVIDIA-Linux-x86-96.43.07-pkg1.run driver. I downloaded it, but having problems installing it from the console. Is there a way to install it using the GUI?

[D-cat]

No, it has to be done from the terminal. I find it interesting it's directing you to a lower number package, probably legacy drivers. This would explain your card's graphical anomalies.

What error are you getting? Are you running the package with sudo ? (root privileges are required to place the driver in X11 system areas)

If it's giving you "kernel not found, must build..." error, then it needs the kernel sources, you'll need to install the build-essential package.

Temporary fix:
In the terminal, run sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf and under Section "Screen", change Device "nvidia" to Device "nv" . [Ctrl + x] , y to save and exit, and restart the desk top (Log out and back in). This will disable 3D acceleration, but should also give you a normal desktop until you get the right driver installed.