I just installed Fedora 2 on my separate 30GB hdd (Maxtor) and X wont start. I know its not something i've done, because I have never even gotten into GNOME, and I know almost no Linux syntax.(Total NewB) Thats why, if you respond, please include exact command line information.

the error started right after i finished installing, after it exited the first time setup it started its error, where the screen went from command to black 5 times before it said it couldn't start x server. Here is the error message.

(==) Log file:"/var/log/Xorg.o.log", Time: Tue Jun 29 18:54:36 2004
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"

(EE) VESA(0): vm86() syscall generated signal 4.
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

XIO: fatal error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0" after
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.


This makes no sense to me at all, sense it was a default install with perfect discs, and the settings are default as well (1024 x 768). Also, I didn't do a thing. My monitor isn't that old (Hitachi CM615), and I'm running the same display settings in windows. My motherboard is nForce2 NF7, video card is Radeon 9600 Pro, processor Athlon 2800+, and 512 MB Kingston RAM. In addition everything about Linux is up to date (kernel 2.6.6-1.435). Anyone got any ideas?

I'd suggest that you install your video drivers.

http://mirror.ati.com/support/driver...eon-linux.html

X isn't stupid, you are just using a card that doesn't have GPL'd drivers for the high end.

Good luck.

I would guess it can't determine your video card and thus can't put it into graphics mode. When you started the install it chose a generic graphics mode and probably tried to identify your video card. It finished the install and created a config file. I think that file in FC2 is xorg.conf. That's a text file found in /etc/X11 directory. FC2 changes that file name from XF86Config for FC2 while FC1 uses the latter. Stupidity if you ask me to suddently change a filename of that import, but that's neither here nor there for your problem.

Inside that config file is a near the bottom it specifies the video card and driver. What I'm gathering is that when it setup FC2 you chose a video card or it chose one it thought you had. When the install was complete and you rebooted it went to start X with those drivers and bombs out without being successful in loading X. X then appears to stop with an error message asking you if you want to see the error information and then asks you if you want to try to identify the video card. At this point, if you say yes, I'm assuming it fails again and is unsuccessful.

The problem for you is getting on-line to get the appropriate drivers. If you are using an ATI card I can understand your difficulties. If you do manage to get the kernel source for your kernel and download the ati drivers you are still in for one hell of a problem, as ATI drivers in linux are much more difficult than they should be.

I am pretty sure it is a video card driver issue due to the fact that X recovers from the black screen. (NOTE: software manufacturers long ago learned that it is a NO NO to have any piece of software go to a black screen. It indicates poor programming. The reason why is that if a computer stops working at a black screen then you can't tell whether you should try to continue by waiting or not. If you look at Microsoft's installs and even their start up screens for older OSes you'll see they have a repeat pattern of moving colors or objects to tell you that the OS is still functioning). Linux is rife with poor programming and you can tell it by the overwhelming number of black screens.

If this were a monitor issue your screen would have just gone into power saving mode. In linux when your X is set to refresh your monitor beyond the monitor's capabilities it sends your monitor to power saving mode (or the mode indicating there's no signal coming in). You can't recover unless you can blindly go in and work the system to edit your /etc/inittab file to tell it to init 3 instead of 5.

Well, anyway, I gave some of that info just for posterity, meaning often times I go and read old threads and someone may be looking at a problem such as your or a similar one.

The answer to your problem is to get the appropriate kernel source for your distro kernel install, ensure you have the development system (compiler, etc) installed, and then download and try to install the ATI drivers. Just be forewarned ATI linux implementaion sucks.

-Jim

Thanks a ton both of you, this sounds exactly like what is the problem. Only, I know I have to get the driver, but how do I install it if I can't get on X to go to the website? Do I somehow use a floppy or CD?

heh

Also, when I looked at the Radeon web page, it wants my version of Xfree86. I thought fedora 2 uses xorg. If it does, what do I do, and if it doesn't, how do I check my version, cause I can't go to the webpage in Linux (writing this from my windows laptop)

By the way, does anyone know what the default pathname for the cd drive is? and the floppy?

anyone?

try typing 'xf86cfg' as root. It should go into a blue screen with a box in it, showing monitor/keyboard/graphics card setup etc. Hold down your left mouse on the blue bit for a second untill a menu drops down, navigate to your web-browser (prob in networking - WWW). then you can download it from there.
Default path for your cd drive will prob be /mnt/cdrom

Thats for Fedora 1, im using Fedora 2, the xf86config is changed I believe. Thanks for the pathname, though.

Hi.

xorg is exactly the same as XFree 4.4. Anything that works for XFree 4.4 will work for xorg. This includes video drivers.

It's possible that this is a problem with the nForce chipset. Apparently using the latset drivers sorts this out.
Quote-----
ATI drivers -- I hear ATI's latest drivers work under 2.6, but I cannot test it since I do not have any of their cards (need reports). If your card isn't officially supported, check the DRI link below. Also, the nForce driver issue that prevented ATI cards from using AGP on nForce boards should be resolved.
-----End
That's from http://www.mathcs.concord.edu/~ik/ .

If you're asked what version of XFree you have, just say 4.4

It's also possible that X is trying various resolutions on your monitor and not finding one it can use. If so, you may have to edit xorg.conf and put in some safe values.

Dave

P.S. Jimbo99 this is a problem with the nForce chipset, which doesn't work under a veriety of situations, it's even flakey under windows unless the drivers from nVidia are installed. Also, xorg has nothing to do with linux, so lay off slagging the programmers.

I know this isn't a problem with the screen refresh rate sense I already looked at the file and it looked normal, with all the right refresh rates, I'll try the Ati driver, only, how should I get it on, I can't start X to go to the website to download it.

Do:

wget http://www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/fg...3.9.0.i386.rpm

to download the file, then follow the instructions at:

http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/linuxhowto-ati.html

Dave

P.S. This rpm is for xfree 4.3. As such, it *might* not work. I believe they're working on new ones, but I have heard success stories with these drivers.

Also, Ati hasnt released a 4.4 version yet, I'm trying the 4.3.

[EDIT] Sry, didnt see that post, had to refresh the page. Yeah, I'm just going to try to install it using a CD by typing the line
cd /mnt/cdrom
then using the install RPM line from that directory, might work, might not. [/EDIT]

Okay, still got some problems, first is, in Fedora 2, whats the pathname for the mouse, cause the ati drover has it as /dev/mouse, which doesn't exist. If I edit that I think I can fix the thing.