Common SuSE display issues.

In order to clean up the information I was trying to pass on in previous threads before they got too big and off topic, I have decided to summarize that information here. This information is not all inclusive, just a starting point when trying to troubleshoot your graphics problems. Please only post a reply if I am wrong on something or you have something new to add that I did not cover. I reply to all my other threads, so ask your questions there after following the links included in the subject.

For some reason SuSE can not get graphics card and monitor detection right. They have been having issues with ATI and Nvidia cards. The following is a list symptoms and their causes:

1. Graphics Mode Not Supported (SuSE 10)- Usually this means that the OS is trying to get your GRAPHICS CARD to do something it can not do. This is a common problem with ATI cards. For some reason YaST and YOU (YaST Online Update) do not install the drivers properly. A little secret about YaST: Just becase it says it detected and installed the proper drivers does not mean that the drivers will work. Follow this link for more information: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=366586

2. Display does not fit the screen- For most people you can use SaX2 to adjust the geometry. In SuSE 9.3 with the proper drivers installed, this is not too big of an issue. SuSE 10 has issues because the refresh rates it tries to use for the monitor do not work properly. Select a generic monitor (VESA or LCD) and set the refresh rate to your manufacturers specifications. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=374083 WARNING! Do not set the refresh rates below or above the specifications provided by your monitor's manufacturer. You may damage your monitor!

3. NVidia driver will not install (SuSE 9.3)- Sometimes the NVidia driver will not install or when you change the Kernel it will not recompile. Follow this link: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=368798

4. 3D Mode not supported- Make sure that your card can support 3D, if it can reinstall the driver. If you still have problems it is something entirely diferent.

Do not edit the xorg.conf file unless:
1. You know what you are doing.
2. You have tried all other tools provided by SuSE.
Often when you can not start the X server it is because:
1. There are invalid entries in the xorg.conf file.
2. Your driver is not installed properly.
If you edit any configuration file ALWAYS BACK IT UP!

Hope this helps someone.

Something I also noticed is that smp kernels usually come with DRI disabled.

In addition to the above related issues, I discovered a new one today that is related to the Intel 915 graphics card.

There is a bug in XORG that will ignore resolution changes to the card. XORG and SuSE decide what it wants to run, but any change you wish to make will not be recognized.

DO NOT EDIT XORG.CONF
To view a summary of the problem and its workaround visit:
http://linux-noob.com/review/suse/10/#video

This is the bug tracker:
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=643

I have not had the opportunity to test this workaround, so use at your own risk.

Good Luck

I found the most curious solution for getting Suse 10.0 to start X after tying all the hints that were suggested below.

I have a NVidia Geforce card which was not recognised. Sax2 just did not want to start (tried all switches, nothing worked).

Then: I replaced the vga board for another one (different make) and X started without any problems.

When I replaced the NVidia card and rebooted: all worked fine with this card as well!!

So this is a hint as well from now on...

Peter

What you did is revert the system back to a generic driver by installing a VGA card. When the system booted and Auto-Detected the hardware, it found a generic card and thus used the generic driver. NVIDIA will work using the generic NV driver, but this does not really solve the problem as doing so will cause 3D graphics to be disabled. To enjoy the full features of the NVidia card, it is better to use the NVidia driver.

Before giving up on the NVidia driver installation be sure that:

1. You are infact using an NVidia card.
2. You are using the proper NVidia driver.
3. When you run the install script, you are doing so under root and in runlevel 3.

I just bought a Dell Inspiron 9400 to replace my Dell Inspiron 8500. The 8500 ran SuSE 9.0 Professional and have a Radeon gpu. The 9400, however has the Intel 945GM chipset and I installed SuSE 10. I can only 800x600 even having the 915Resolution in my boot.local file. When I run 915Resolution -l I get:

linux:/etc/X11 # 915resolution -l Intel 800/900 Series VBIOS Hack : version 0.5.2 Chipset: 945GM BIOS: TYPE 1 Mode Table Offset: $C0000 + $269 Mode Table Entries: 36 Mode 30 : 640x480, 8 bits/pixel Mode 32 : 800x600, 8 bits/pixel Mode 34 : 1024x768, 8 bits/pixel Mode 38 : 1280x1024, 8 bits/pixel Mode 3a : 1600x1200, 8 bits/pixel Mode 3c : 1920x1200, 8 bits/pixel Mode 41 : 640x480, 16 bits/pixel Mode 43 : 800x600, 16 bits/pixel Mode 45 : 1024x768, 16 bits/pixel Mode 49 : 1280x1024, 16 bits/pixel Mode 4b : 1600x1200, 16 bits/pixel Mode 4d : 1920x1200, 16 bits/pixel Mode 50 : 640x480, 32 bits/pixel Mode 52 : 800x600, 32 bits/pixel Mode 54 : 1024x768, 32 bits/pixel Mode 58 : 1280x1024, 32 bits/pixel Mode 5a : 1600x1200, 32 bits/pixel Mode 5c : 1920x1200, 32 bits/pixel

I have tried for the last few days and nights to get a resolution greater than 800x600. I need some help guys ... anyone ... please ...??

Thanks for your help
-Derrick

You could have the same problem that I had with my Dell BIOS: check the VideoRAM setting in the BIOS and change it to 8MB (1MB was the default setting).

Upon reboot, I used [F2] to get to the Dell setup section and I could not find anything that allowed me to change the memory allocated to the graphics card. Where did you make the change ? I see that there is 8MB allocated to the graphics card.

Some other info from the BIOs.
Intel 945GM
XGA+
Native resolution 1440x900

Any other help/tips are much appreciated!

I am still banging on this and am starting to feel defeated... 'cmon ... someone throw me a bone.

That is it ... I cannot get it to work. The 915Resolution script doesn't work with the Intel 945GM chip. I set the resolution to 1920x1200, 16 bit and then switch to runlevel 3. In runlevel 3 I start sax2 and change the settings to LCD 1920x120075HZ and use 16 bit depth. Test and save the settings then switch to runlevel 5 (init 5). I do not get the option to run 1920x1200 in the display settings.

If someone has actually made this work I would happy as a clam to know how. I need a resolution better than 800x600.

If I am missing something please let me know.

Anyone ... ?????

When I run TuxRacer, the resolution is watery and often the screen seems to jump and sometimes part of top oif the screens appears on at the bottom on top of what is at the bottom.

nVidia GeFore FX5600
Latest YOU nVidia driver

I finally got 1440x900 resolution from the machine. In a nutshell I upgraded my xserver rpms so I am now running 6.9.x, from 6.8.x. I also downloaded and installed the i810 Intel driver and modified my xorg.config file to get the correct modeline and provide the Option ForceBIOS "800x600". I also am using the 915resolution script in my boot.local file. In any event, it was a Saturday and Sunday night spent in hell. The good side of it is that now I heck of a lot more about xserver and xorg.conf!

Would the watery effect be caused by the monitor not being at a high enough refresh rate? If so, how can I set the refresh rate to be at the highest the monitor can handle?

Monitor: AOpen F1713 : 24 ~ 80 KHz (Horizontal) and 49 ~ 75 Hz (Vertical)
nVidia GeFore FX5600
Latest YOU nVidia driver

The most likely problem you are having with the watery screen is the NVidia driver installed by YOU. I have gotten better results by downloading the driver from nvidia and installing it in runlevel 3.

Good Luck