Display Issues- XFree86 - Gateway Notebook

This one is driving me crazy.

I have a Gateway Solo 1450 notebook with the infamous i810 Intel family of graphics chipsets. My specific chipset is the 82830, which typically uses the 830M drivers.

Linux always had problems with this, at least before XFree86 4.2.x. I was running SuSE 8.2 at the time and anxiously awaited the debut of 4.3.0 because everybody assured me that all the issues would be corrected. The 4.3.0 came out and I finally got to enjoy true 24M colors with 1024x768. I later switched to Red Hat 9.0 (Shrike). I was very happy! I could really enjoy Linux with spectacular graphics. I had all but abandoned Windows XP save for a few apps that wouldn't run using Wine.

Then, my Gateway notebook suffered a bad power jack and I had to send it back.

I get the notebook back, fire it up, and I'm looking at an ugly screen . . . it was 640 x 480 with 256 colors. I tried running the XFree configurator and changing it to what it was before gave me the exact same error messages that I got with XFree 4.2.x!!! I checked and I have the XFree 4.3.0. I found Linux drivers for the Intel chipset on the Intel website and installed the RPM package but still nothing. I can only get 1024 x 768 with 256 colors, at best, and while 640x480 will give me 24M colors, it's impossible to use because the virtual screen kicks in and I loose the mouse.

Help! Please! I now have to go back to Windows as the 1024x768x256 colors bothers OpenOffice to the point where it defaults to 640x480 with the meanest screen that I've ever seen!

I even made a SuSE demo disk, which formerly ran fine on my notebook when using 4.3.0, but now.. fugghetaboudit!

Gateway evidentally did a hardware change but they're not talking as they don't support Linux.

Hello

If you suspect the supporters making a change to your hardware, try lspci to be sure what hardware you have. If they changed someting, you will see that.

Something else you may try, if you have share video memory, try looking at the bios mybe, the video memory is shorter then it was beforsending in the notebook. This may be an explanation for 640x480 at 24M colours but 1024x768 only at 256 colours.

Hope this helps

G

Me Too!
just got my 1450 back from service, i didn't send in my hard drive
the cable was replaced on the display, (or so they say), moving the
display would cause it to go blank, anyway now i no longer can run
xwindows in 1024x768@24bpp........i'm using suse 8.2/9.0 with xf86 v. 4.3 and 2.4.20 kernel.........worked fine when originally installed!

Maybe gateway updated your bios...

I have the solo 1450 gateway laptop, and my i810 video card did not work until i downgraded my bios from 36.01.00 to 36.00.16

check this link out




hope it works

You're absolutely right! It's a BIOS problem.. drives me nuts as I keep having to send it back to the shop and they keep updating it and I keep having to restore the old version!

Thanks for the link... I will keep it handy in case I loose my copy of the BIOS update..

Help!!

I just installed Linux on my laptop for the very first time because I am taking a course at school right now and I got the same problem....I need the old BIOS... but the links don't seem work anymore...do anyone have a copy in their computer? Can anyone send a copy to me please? I realld want this to work.

Hey!

I've got a copy of bios version 30.00.16 thanks to Ben Englund who was able to track it down.
I've posted it to my site http://generalspecifics.afraid.org/gateway.zip

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Bud Weather

OMG, you saved my ace!!!

There are literally hundreds of forums concerning Intel i810 i830 Intel video driver problems. Several of them with a Gateway Solo 1450 laptop with Xfree86 or xorg and Debian. <- drive traffic here google!!!

Thanks for the DL,

Budley

Budley-

I don't have the BIOS issues, but here's a link to my webpage: www.cwwilson721.dyndns.org/slack It has my xorg.conf and kernel config files.
Take a look, and change what you need.
I'll post my BIOS later

Nice; Thanks.

What a great website. Linux users don't suck!!!