IBM ThinkPad R40 Problem...Redhat and Fedora (not to mention the bios)

dublin_101 · 02-19-2006, 10:42 AM

Hi guys,

Yes I'm a newbie...I want(ed) to learn Linux so I tried to install Fedora Core 4 on my laptop.....Unfortunately it burned my bios bad and now the ibm bios doesn't even work...ah well, I'm taking it in my stride and not giving up on Linux that quick.....Nevertheless, the OS ran but with the graphics card problem....which seems to be common on this website.

I searched around, tried to install some driver for it, but no luck...i didn't even know how to uninstall it...doh

the graphics card is the ati radeon 7500 mobility......ibm pentium 4 M 1.8ghz......I need to have the screen operate at at least 1024 x 768...whereas at the moment it is on 800 x 600, which is nowhere near enough.....

I now have installed red hat enterprise linux 4 hoping it would fix it, but no luck.

So any assistance would be greatly appreciated guys...please, in as comprehendable words as possible...I'm a real greenhorn to linux, but, I want to learn....

THanks

slackhack · 02-19-2006, 11:26 AM

i can try to help you out, but what do you mean, it "burned your bios?" i've never heard of that before. i don't see how it would even run without a bios -- shouldn't you get that fixed first before dealing with an OS?

XavierP · 02-19-2006, 12:58 PM

Does the "Access IBM" button work when you first boot? Can you use F12 to bring up the boot order list?

dublin_101 · 02-20-2006, 12:11 AM

Hi guys....well by burnt, I meant I can no longer access my bios...not at all and the access ibm button does not work...so I anticipate that the linux installation installed its own on the bios.....nevertheless I'm not concerned about this at all as it has happened before and I just re-installed windows (with f12) and flashed the bios.......

NOW...

No more windows, this time around I am going to do the hard work to learn linux and stick to it.......So my problem is the graphics driver......my ibm's native resolution is 1400 x 1050, something I'd like to have....but it is obvious from research that ATI drivers don't do too well with linux.......so please help me install this graphic card so that I can enjoy a decent resolution.....ati radeon mobility 7500....

thanks guys...

slackhack · 02-20-2006, 08:40 AM

i don't think linux could have done anything to your bios, but maybe i'm wrong. if it were me, i first would reinstall windows and flash the bios (if that's the only way you can do it, if you can do it through linux, do it that way and save yourself the trouble).

i use the linux drivers for my mobile radeon, and it gives me 1400x1050. the 3D works well enough for what i use the laptop for at around ~850fps glxgears. the easiest way by far is to build all the appropriate agp/ati/drm stuff directly into the kernel (if it's not already there in your distro kernel, which it might very well be), and then just add the right options to xorg.conf. here's some of those parts of my config file:

Code:

Section "Module"
        Load    "bitmap"
        Load    "dbe"
        Load    "ddc"
        Load    "dri"
        Load    "extmod"
        Load    "fbdwvhw"
        Load    "freetype"
        Load    "glx"
        Load    "int10"
        Load    "record"
        Load    "type1"
        Load    "vbe"
EndSection


Section "Device"
        Identifier      "ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 (M7 LW)"
        Driver          "radeon"
        BusID           "PCI:1:0:0"
        Option          "AGPMode"       "4"
        Option          "EnablePageFlip" "on"
        Option          "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Generic Monitor"

EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Device          "ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 (M7 LW)"
        Monitor         "Generic Monitor"
        DefaultDepth    24

        SubSection "Display"
                Depth           24
                Modes           "1400x1050"
        EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier      "Default Layout"
        Screen          "Default Screen"
        InputDevice     "Generic Keyboard"
        InputDevice     "Configured Mouse"
        InputDevice     "Synaptics Touchpad"

        Option          "BlankTime"     "0"
        Option          "StandbyTime"   "10"
        Option          "SuspendTime"   "30"
        Option          "OffTime"       "60"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
        Mode    0666
EndSection

dublin_101 · 02-21-2006, 06:15 AM

that sounds great brother........but I can barely understand a word of that.....

Can you please in very simple terms ask me how to 1. download that file, 2. install it, and then 3. have it work fine?

ps..forget the bios, that is easy, and just as you said it, i have done that before, but like I said, no more windows, my windows got thrown out the windows...

so please help. thanks

lestoil · 02-21-2006, 04:43 PM

Try LQ tutorial Installing ATIs Proprietary Drivers by TheRepublican. Find it by getting to linuxquestions.org and clicking on tutorials (instead or forum) then Hardware. Then configure xorg like slackhack suggests.
There are many Think Pad T40 linux install notes on web at tuxmobile or linux-on-laptop to help you too. Good luck.

dublin_101 · 02-22-2006, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slackhack

i don't think linux could have done anything to your bios, but maybe i'm wrong. if it were me, i first would reinstall windows and flash the bios (if that's the only way you can do it, if you can do it through linux, do it that way and save yourself the trouble).

i use the linux drivers for my mobile radeon, and it gives me 1400x1050. the 3D works well enough for what i use the laptop for at around ~850fps glxgears. the easiest way by far is to build all the appropriate agp/ati/drm stuff directly into the kernel (if it's not already there in your distro kernel, which it might very well be), and then just add the right options to xorg.conf. here's some of those parts of my config file:

Code:

Section "Module"
        Load    "bitmap"
        Load    "dbe"
        Load    "ddc"
        Load    "dri"
        Load    "extmod"
        Load    "fbdwvhw"
        Load    "freetype"
        Load    "glx"
        Load    "int10"
        Load    "record"
        Load    "type1"
        Load    "vbe"
EndSection


Section "Device"
        Identifier      "ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 (M7 LW)"
        Driver          "radeon"
        BusID           "PCI:1:0:0"
        Option          "AGPMode"       "4"
        Option          "EnablePageFlip" "on"
        Option          "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Generic Monitor"

EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Device          "ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 (M7 LW)"
        Monitor         "Generic Monitor"
        DefaultDepth    24

        SubSection "Display"
                Depth           24
                Modes           "1400x1050"
        EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier      "Default Layout"
        Screen          "Default Screen"
        InputDevice     "Generic Keyboard"
        InputDevice     "Configured Mouse"
        InputDevice     "Synaptics Touchpad"

        Option          "BlankTime"     "0"
        Option          "StandbyTime"   "10"
        Option          "SuspendTime"   "30"
        Option          "OffTime"       "60"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
        Mode    0666
EndSection

bro, i copied and pasted this to my config file and all it gave me was a blue screen at start up telling me it was wrong......please give me the whole code and not just parts of it.......thanks....ps... i also did rpm -Uh --force flgr.rpm package

and then i added that code to the config file...i deleted all the text in the old one and pasted yours..no luck

dublin_101 · 02-22-2006, 01:30 AM

by the way, i entered sh at the command line and it gave me 3.00....so i figure that is the kernel version.

slackhack · 02-22-2006, 09:55 AM

uname -r gives the kernel version. but what's more important is what's in your kernel.

run the command "xorgconfig" as root and enter the right options for your hardware. it'll ask you to save it, say yes. replace what you need to afterward with the info from what i posted. my entire file won't help you because i might have different options, touchpad drivers, etc. i posted the relevant parts for you to be able to work with it. just be careful and only replace exactly what you need to and don't take anything else out. the file is xorg.conf in the /etc/X11/ directory. you'll have to be root to edit that file, too.

if that doesn't work, we'll have to see if you have the right kernel options or the modules loaded. if the kernel that comes with your distro doesn't have the right options, you'll have to rebuild the kernel.

gl

p.s. if you can't get it, post your xorg.conf file after going through the xorgconfig, or email it to me at slackhack-at-linuxmaildotorg, and i'll take a look at it for you. it's better if you learn how to do it yourself, but if you see what to change it might help you learn it.

dublin_101 · 02-23-2006, 10:10 AM

i'm re-installing the whole system again

i am starting from scratch, although this is the last time.....i'll have to try and find that windows cd if i can't fix it this time.....

i'll download that file from ati site and then i'll make those adjustments to the file as per your file.

dublin_101 · 02-23-2006, 10:44 AM

i just re-installed red hat..........

i didn't download any drivers from anywhere........

once it was installed, i went into the x11 config file.......i cut and pasted your config sections over the relevant ones in mine.....i restarted, and bang, blue screen, fatal error.........

all for one driver.........and i used to think windows drivers were complicated!

i think i'll have another 6 month break from linux...until my next attempt.

slackhack · 02-23-2006, 02:24 PM

did you back up your xorg.conf file before you changed it? if you did, post the original and we can try to fix it for you. redhat might not have the right kernel options, or modules loaded, might be the underlying problem.

dublin_101 · 02-24-2006, 04:35 PM

guess what..........

i decided to put my old programmers hat on........i went into the xorg.conf file and starting adding resolutions and basically it all worked out fine.

i think i changed the name of the monitor also as per your file and made sure all identifier names were matching and now i am running with a 1400x1050 resolution.

thanks very much for your assistance...much appreciated.

dublin_101 · 02-24-2006, 04:57 PM

NOW, perhaps you can help me to get my mini pcmcia wifi card installed..........