monitor not working in graphics mode
 

I have recently installed Fedora Core 1, with great satisfaction. - as a dual boot with Satan's XP O/S!
I initially gave boot priority to XP as my young kids are familiar with the basic games supplied. However, they now prefer the plethora of card and board games supplied on LINUX, and are hooked....


Until, that is, the monitor went #@£$% up - smoke, whirring, the works!. So I grabbed an old montior from the atic, plugged it in, and... the graphics screen don't work, or rather they do, 8 times across the screen. In text mode it works, in install mode, the graphics are clear, but in normal usage, as soon as I get to the login screen, it stops working, generally. I haven't changed the graphics card, only the monitor. It is all the more strange as it works fine in XP.

I have re-installed from the 3 CDRoms I have, to no avail, using various configurations of generic monitor, CRT colour monitor, differing resolutions, and even typing in the ranges of horizontal refresh rates printed on the silver strip at the back.

The badge doesn't help - Sky Hawk - on the front, with a Malaysian address at the back, but no manufacturer name that I could detect.

Any pointers, please? Please advise also how to get into terminal mode (or plain straight forward text ) before I get to a graphical login if that is where I need to type commands.

Any advise on how to bypass the need for an install upgrade would be gratefully appreciated too.

Many Thanks
:confused:

It sounds as you have one of very, very few monitors that simply doesn't work under Linux...
I'm not sure I believe that, though?

Equally, I cannot believe that either :scratch:

Hello? Anybody there - this thread is disappearing off the urgency list.

So this post is to reinvigorate my question.

Please help, my kids and I want to demonstrate how good LINUX is - but we can't even see it!

So far I've been mega impressed with this help resource

Am I best starting again with a new distro?

Thank you .... please

:newbie:

If your monitor is working in text but not graphical I think you should just have to reconfig your settings for X. Mainly you monitors resolution and refresh rates for the horizontal and vertical refresh. That would most likely fix it.

I think the program for RH7 is XConfigurator, but I'm not sure as I haven't used RH7 for a long time. I am also not sure where the config file is for X on RH7 for manual editing, but those setting I believe will fix your problem.

If you can't find the settings either with XConfigurator or the manual edit of the file I'd post in the RH forum and ask where they are. The RH users will be able to help better with that.

Thanks muxman,

Sorry - RedHat7 was a red herring! I've corrected my profile to Fedora Core 1 Yarrow - as I believed that to be the most stable - should I try another?



:newbie:

Personally I like Debian best. And it has what's called Debian Jr. for the kids. Kids games and such. I find Debian to be the most stable and easy to use and maintain. Just my opinion of course. If you want some more info on it I'll be glad to help out.

Thank you muxman,

I hear you loud and clear.

I'm currently downloading an image of knoppix, single disc demo/boot with a view to trying that.

I'll perhaps try that tonight, from the disc. Debian comes out at 7 discs - and on my office connection it equates to 3 hours per disc, or 9 at home. !:o

The blurb on http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=4 - also suggests that while its the most stable, it is not the easiest to install. I'm a real real :newbie:

If knoppix works, I'll research which other distro suits me best, and try several - maybe debian, maybe knoppix, SUSE, PEANUT. Debian Junior does sound good though!

My reasoning for trying LINUX, is I am fed up with the only alternative.... I don't want to make us obsolete to the rest of the world by totally shunning MS, so we need flexibility, but the kids only want to play games.... (I would if I had the time!)

... and I want to be able to converse with MS office formats

Thank you

Ian

If at first you don't succeed....

Hi, I'm a Debi@n system administrator.
The first thing I can say is that your problem is very very strange !!!

You don't need all the CD iso to install debian but you need only the first one (bootable).
With the first CD you can install your box with graphical environnment, office applications and more.

The install process is not made in a graphical and user friendly way but it's simple and intuitive to use.

To populate your list of available software for debian during the installation process you can choose to add another apt-source different form CD (http, ftp, etc..) and this would be autoconfigured when you run dselect (software to manage your installed, installable and removable software...) after install, so after you can download only the software you really need...

Debian is shipped originally with a 2.2 Kernel (it would be better if you download and compile at least 2.4.x).

If you're not a good linux user I think it would be better for you to learn debian on another box before installing it at home...
The things you must know are the commands dselect, apt-get, dpkg, dpkg-reconfigure <package_name> and sure vi.
The configuration files that you must know are /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/network/interfaces, /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.
This is the must know of debian, the rest is optional...

I Think the best distribution for new users is SuSE (now version 9.1 shipped with Kernel v2.6).
You've only to choose your easy options in a graphical frontend and the rest is done automatically...

I hope this would help you, bye Kess

For Debian get the testing version which is currently sarge. You only "need" the 1st disc to install but for more packages I suggest a broadband connection. Once you do the 1st disc install it will then let you choose what else you want to install and it will get it from an ftp site and install it that way. But it can take a big download to get all the packages. For modem I wouldn't even try, I'd get the first 3 to 5 cds and that should get most of the stuff for you. The testing version I believe is 13 cds complete.

As for hard installs the debian stable install is very very easy compared to peanut. And I don't really care for suse that much only because of the dependancy problems you can have with installing packages, similar to what I'm sure you've experienced with fedora. With debian you use the command: apt-get install <packagename> and it gets that package, all the dependancies, and then installs them all for you. When you're done you have the package installed with all dependancies and no extra stuff to track down and install in just one command.

As for office formats, debian has openoffice which can read and write M$ format files.

If you're really interested in debian, and since it seems like you have dialup, private message me and I'll get you my email address. We can work out any details over email but I can make you up a set of cds for install for the just the price of the discs and postage. I'm not looking to make money, but I don't want to lost any either. ;) Whatever is a reasonable price for 5 or so cds and the postage.

Another option for cds is cheapbytes. http://www.cheapbytes.com/ They sell cds for a low prices and you can get debian from there also. I'm not sure just what they have but they do sell SID, the "unstable" version of debian on DVD. About 6 GB of data there. Don't let "unstable" scare you. That's just what they refer to the latest and most recent software as, since it hasn't been tested and proven yet. Doesn't really mean it is unstable, just the latest and greatest type stuff. Just go there and search debian and you'll get a good list of stuff.

Debian Junior on Mandrake
 

Thanks guys,
I tried installing Debian, but to no avail. I regret I ran out of patience and time. I want to spend time using LINUX in whatever form, not learning how to instal it. I'm sure its a far superior distro, but its beyond this newbie for now!

I did succeed with Mandrake 10 though. I'm quite happy with that, and the setup it gives me.
The games I managed to get working are limited though, ie frozen bubbles and breakout only. Tuxracer just stops opening, with no explanation why.

In my explorations and your discussions though, Debian Junior was mentioned, and that does sound excellent, for my kids. They are of that age range.

So, to business!, my question is:
I have the debian distro discs, and I had the option of loading Junior, had I successfully seen them thru... Is it possible to install from another distro? i.e. I run Mandrake. Could a pleb Newbie like myself relatively easily install debian junior from my Debian discs onto Mandrake?

:newbie:

A couple of years further down the line and am now running Vector Linux on 2 attic ware boxes and an old Sony Vaio laptop. I'm pleased as punch (thats good for the non-England people!) with Linux.

All 3 monitors have found the same issue - its down to monitor refresh rate, and choosing inappropriate screen resolutions.
I have found a technique which sorts it every time: it involves a formula, and editing xorg.conf, which can be performed in midnight commander mc from a text login.

The formula involves cross checking ranges, relating resolution to refresh rates. The resolution tends to be 4:3 - i.e. the vertical number is 3/4 of the horizontal. e.g. 1024×3/4= 768 Resolution being 1024×768.

Its probably easier to explain with an example. The plate on the back of the monitor said:
30-64 Horizontal, and
45-87 vertical.
I want to run 1024×768, as I believe the graphics card and screen are up to it.

Using the magic number of 1260 (don't ask, it works!)
30×1260/1024 = 36.9
where 30 is the lower range of refresh, 1024 is the required resolution.
This shows failure as 36.9 is outside the range of vertical refresh rates. So I adjusted my lower horizontal rate to 45*1024/1260 = 55.4.
Here 45 is the lower end of the vertical range and 55.4 fits in with the horizontal range: success! :)
Therefore, in xorg, I typed 55.4-64 and 45-87 (after checking all other numbers) and it worked!

I'd be interested in hearing from anybody else whether this helps.

Ian