Weird monitor sync problem (RH9)
 

This is a fresh install of Redhat 9 (Xfree 4.3.0 dated 2/27) on a Shuttle FX41 m/b with an Athalon 1300. The install correctly identified the video as S3 Inc. [ProSavageDDR K4M266]. When X starts up, the monitor loses sync as soon as it exits text mode. If I use ALT|CTRL|+ and - to scroll through the different screen resolution, the monitor syncs up, and after that, I can select *ANY* of the scan rates.

Install thinks ALL of these should work:

1600x1200
1400x1050
1280x1024
1280x960
1152x964
1024x768
800x600
640x480

...and they all do, but only AFTER I select 1152x964 or some of the others. Then it works on every resolution.

I moved 1152x964 to the top of the list in XF86Config so the thing at least starts up with the screen visible, but obviously it shouldn't be this way.

Any ideas??

Thanks,

-lr

PS - Newbie alert - don't assume I know anything!

That sounds like a bug. Or faulty hardware. Have you tried this under a different OS? I would maybe drop a bugzilla to the redhat guys if it works fine under a different OS.

Well, initially I installed win2k to verify the hardware. It doesn't have the capability to easily switch between resolutions, but it worked fine in 1280x1024, which is where I want to run it.

I posted on a few other boards, and will wait a while for some more replies before deciding its a bug.

Do you know whether the code that sets up the video is a product of RedHat or or the XFree folks?

-lr

Your problem sounds weird but I can answer your question about how to choose which mode is used when you start up X:

moving it to the top of the list won't do the trick, but there's a line in the "Monitor" or "Screen" section (don't remember) like this:
UseModes "1600x1200" "1400x1050" ...... "640x480"
Just put the mode you want at startup first.

Have fun,
nukkel

nukkel,

I'm not sure what you mean. When I said that I '...moved it to the top of the list', what I meant was that in Section "Screen", subsection "Display", Modes, I made the first item there the mode I wanted to begin in. The section looks like this:

===========================
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection
===========================

Did you mean something else??

-lr

No, that's the one. Sorry I was a bit unclear about it, but you probablt don't have a "Modes" section (which is optional) which is also a list of modes but with more specific info.
But what you have done *should* work: from http://www.xfree86.org/current/XF86Config.5.html about 80% down the document, under "Display subsection", states:
" The server will delete modes from this list which don't satisfy various requirements. The first valid mode in this list will be the default display mode for startup."

Yeah, I think it should work, too. The line is working properly - all the display modes are there. My speculation is that there's some register in the video system that needs to get initialized, and is only getting initialized by some of the resolution settings. Once its set, then everything is okay for all the modes.

Perhaps different revs of the video system come up with different default values. If that's the case, it would be possible for the driver to work on some but not all. My system has a heavily integrated m/b, so the video might well be IP inside someone else's chip.

If I get any promising replies on other forums, I'll post here.

-l

I had the same problem with a ProSavageDDR K4M266 on redhat 9.0
The monitor lost sync when got in graphic mode... and I could use only 640x480 mode after switching with Ctrl+Alt+...
I upgraded the savage driver to the last version, in /etc/X11/XF86Config added in "Device" section the line:
Option "UseBios" "off"
after that i could use 800x600 mode but nothing more.
Then i changed the monitor in a generic svga (redhat detected something else...) and know after some hour my video card works just fine :).
Hope it helps..and sorry for my english.

monitor sync problem redhat9 on msi km2mcombo-l
 

I would like to add that I have a similar problem with the Red Hat 9 distribution (from the "Bible" book by Christopher Negus). I have just installed the same and am trying to get it ot work in 1024x768 mode. it works fine in 600x400 but screen flickers in 800x600 and system hangs when i shift to 1024x768. also i am seeing that teh system hangs when some games are played (example: gnibbles). the install detected the video driver as ProSavage KM133 but the actual video chip is ProSavageDDR K4M266 - what do i need to do to get the GUI working at highest resolution and also ensuring that Linux does not hang during use of games. (Ctrl-Alt-Del does not clsoe X).

Thanks for ANY help - I am an 'old' newbie in that i have been trying to migrate to Linux for sometime but only now could get a system of mine own to do so!