Hi everyone,

I install Linux from Scratch, so everything is compiled from source code. My dell laptop's video card is ati mobility radeon hd 5400 series (hardware information from Windows).

I know there are two Linux drivers, one is 'amd-driver-installer-catalyst-13.1-linux-x86.x86_64.zip' from AMD/ATI website, the other is 'xf86-video-ati-7.1.0.tar.bz2'.

My kernel is Linux 3.8.1, I have to start it with 'radeon.modeset=0', otherwise I will get kernel panic.

I tried both drivers one by one, every time I 'startx', the same error message:

[ 378.669] (EE) No drivers available.
[ 378.670]
Fatal server error:
[ 378.670] no screens found
[ 378.670] (EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org

according to http://wiki.x.org, it seems to tell there is no proper video driver, with log

PCI:*(0:2:0:0) 1002:68e0:1028:0413 rev 0, Mem @ 0xd0000000/268435456, 0xcfee0000/131072, I/O @ 0x00002000/256, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072

it identifies video card OK, '1028:0413' tells it is dell subsystem with ati mobility radeon hd 5470.

And I tried X -configure, with log message:

Missing output drivers. Configuration failed.


But I also have kubuntu 12.10 installed, the XWindows starts properly every time. And 'lspci | grep VGA' shows

02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Manhattan [Mobility Radeon HD 5400 Series]

it seems somehow ubuntu can recognize my video card properly.

I am running out of ideas, how can I start Xorg server?

OK, let's focus on one driver at a time. Since Xorg comes with the open source radeon driver (xf86-video-ati) I would suggest getting that driver working first. However, the radeon driver requires KMS to be enabled, which means you can't boot with radeon.modeset=0. So try to identify why you are getting the kernel panic... Can you show us the exact error you are getting from the kernel panic?

Adam

Thank you Adam, I am sorry that I has been busy recently.

Here is panic message:

tick_sched_handle.isra.8 + 0x31/0x40
tick_sched_timer + 0x47/0x70
__run_hrtimer + 0x7b/0x1c0
? tick_sched_do_timer + 0x30/0x30
? wake_up_process + 0x22/0x40
hrtimer_interrupt + 0xef/0x220
? run_timer_softirq + 0x38/0x2a0
hpet_interrupt_handler + 0x11/0x30
handle_irq_event_percpu + 0x5d/0x200
handle_irq_event + 0x3c/0x60
handle_edge_irq + 0x6f/0x110
handle_irq + 0xba/0x150
? irq_enter + 0x16/0x80
do_IRQ + 0x55/0xd0
common_interrupt + 0x6a/0x6a
? panic + 0x17c/0x1b5
? panic + 0xeb/0x1b5
do_exit + 0x947/0xa80
? printk + 0x48/0x4a
oops_end + 0x91/0xe0
die + 0x53/0x80
do_general_protection + 0xca/0x150
general_protection + 0x22/0x30
? kobject_uevent_env + 0x13b/0x4c0
? mempool_create_node + 0x77/0x150
? __kmalloc_node + 0xf5/0x1b0
? __kmalloc_node + 0x5e/0x1b0
? mempool_create_node + 0x77/0x150
? memppol_free_slab + 0x20/0x20
mempool_create_node + 0x77/0x150
? mempool_kmalloc + 0x20/0x20
mempool_create + 0x15/0x20
init_sd + 0xa3/0x122
? spi_transport_init + 0x7a/0x7a
do_one_initcall + 0x11a/0x160
kernel_init_freeable + 0x135/0x1bf
? do_early_param + 0x8c/0x8c
? rest_init + 0x70/0x70
kernel_init + 0x9/0xf0
ret_form_fork + 0x7c/0xb0
? rest_init + 0x70/0x70
[end trace b7d88dfb731feee2]

Until now, I do not understand these kernel information. If you can explain what is going on that will be very help.

William

Out of curiousity, have you tried with a different version kernel?

Adam

I did not try with a different version of kernel.

William