LCD Issues - Help needed bad :-(
 

I am just getting into Linux on my gaming/server machine, using SUSE Linux 8.2. A good friend of mine is a Linux nut so I have him tackling this also. I have a GeForce Ti 4200 hooked to an Apple 17" Studio Display through a ADC-DVI box. It works great and gets detected in Windows, but Linux is a different story.

Basically it seems it has some strange default scan rates etc, but none that conform to some basic catch-all settings linux tries to use. I can see the GUI for the entire install process, but can't get anything but a black screen at the test phase. My linux buddy was able to change the file that controls this stuff, so that we could boot. It took a while but I was also able to get the Nvidia drivers working. As soon as we test the monitor, or try enabling 3D, we lose the monitor again and have to init 3 to get it back again.

Basically it has come down to the fact that the monitor must be the culprit here. I've searched far and wide for a solution, but nothing has help (there isn't much about it anyway). If anyone can get us going that would be great, I really don't want to go back to XP as I have been using OSX for the last few years and I can't stand the functionality I lose with XP, linux just fills the void nicely. I'm willing to try anything, so be as in-depth or throw out as many far-fetched ideas as possible. Thanks a ton in advance.

Chris

PS. Any other info that you may need?
Running an ASUS A7N8x-Deluxe, 700some odd megs of ram, yea this can't matter anyway.

I had monitor trouble when I first loaded Linux.

I had to locate the XF86Config-4 file, and change the Vertical Refresh and Horizontal Sync rate ranges (scroll through the file should be obvious). Unfortunately I was only able to find out suitable values by running Windows and pressing the button on the monitor to see what values the monitor was using. I found that, for 75Hz Vertical Refresh to work, I needed to have 80.3KHz Horizontal Sync, if this was not available, the monitor dropped to 60Hz VR which on my monitor doesn't work all that well.

Anyway I changed a line which was somthing like:

HorizSync 35-79

to

HorizSync 35-81

and all was well.

Course I'm not saying it will work for you but you never know!

DAVE

Thanks for the idea, I'll look into that one when I get the chance. In the mean time, is anyone aware of a way to get these refresh values? I can't find the specs of my LCD anywhere, probably because its and LCD and typically these "don't matter" (as far as a concumer cares becuse the LCD doesn't actually refresh in the same manner as a CRT. So basically, can I pull these values anywhere in windows, or possibly before the startx command is run??

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something fundamental, but if it works during the entire install, shouldn't it also work after?? This one has me stumped.

Thanks for helping.

Chris

I have a Dell 1702FP LCD
On Dell Spport Site I have found the monitor specifications, so you will also find them somewhere like on apple site
And for mine it's 31-80 horizontal and 56-76 vertical for the refresh rates
I added them in /etc/X11/XF86Config file on my SuSE 8.2
section monitor
and try several video driver like "vesa" "nv" and finally "nvidia" in the device section of XF86Config
The nv driver doesn't work with DVI output for me
Only vesa works, because vesa is a standard mode created to be supported by a wide range of graphic devices
ANd now that I have installed 4496 nvidia driver X server is ok via DVI
Check if you have this latest driver 4496, since the previous one didn't support DVI on my box
I suggest you to try "vesa" and tell me what happened...

I have tried all different possibilities in the YasT configuration panel, nothing but black. I have seen some sites with info on how to determine settings but it is quite involved. Assuming I get this stuff correct, would there be any reason it wouldn't work? If so I'll sit down some day and figure it out. Thanks for the info so far.

CHris

In XFree86 file, in the monitor section, try this option : MonitorLayout "DFT"
i had the same problem and now it is working fine.

Oo are you sure?
Isn't it rather ConnectedMonitor "DFP"or"CRT"
I don't know this option you mention
WHere do you find this option man?
Perhaps it can help me too to improve the layout
Is it an option that comes in monitor section or device section

It's strange that you can execute YaST2 monitor/graphic card settings in run level3
On my box SAX2 graphic utility only works under X window, so if yours is crashing ^^ very strange
In my opinion you should rather edit XF86Config manually

Ill post my XFree86 section output 2morrow. I configured it at work..