Have you tried to:
modprobe -r fglrx
modprobe -v fglrx
instead of rebooting? You need to unload old module first.

Thanks!
So noted.

Hi!
when I try to do
while logged into KDE, I get the following message -
Now if I disable graphical login and give the same command at the command prompt, then the module is properly removed. I can then give
followed by
When I am promptly logged into XFCE4, and fgl_glxgears works fine. However with this approach, I am unable to log in to kde. And moreover, the resolution remains 1024x768, instead of 1280x1024 that my laptop supports.
How does one ensure that fglrx is properly reloaded before the X server take over?

ATI proprietary driver working fine here (just downloaded today). It resolved a bunch of crazy artifacts and gives me the native 1680x1050, as well as compositing under XFCE.

Donnie, Kindly tell me which is the version you are using and where have you downloaded it from?

I downloaded it straight off the ATI website:

http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/l...ux-radeon.html

As has been noted on this thread, their numbering scheme has changed. The 'February 2008' version is 8.2 - which is more recent than the 8.4.2.3 that's the title of this thread. Also note the instruction link on this site which is very helpful. To add to my earlier post: this driver got rid of all the artifacts for me and enabled the native screen resolution on my iMac. Video works fine including flash, glxgears and fgl_glxgears. The only complaint I have so far is that the glxgears fps numbers are horrifically low - and compositing window movement is slow.

Update: having subscribed to ATI's RSS feed for Linux driver updates, I now see that "Release" 8.2 (meaning Feb 2008) is also known as "Driver version: 8.455.2". Also, my low glxgears fps could be due to the fact that I used the included config app to tweak my performance to prefer quality over speed. When I get some time I'll experiment with that and see if there's a happy median somewhere.

Have you guys ever tried the --buildpkg Slackware/All option? It builds two nice packages for slackware. Just thought I would mention it cause no one ever seems to. Builds a module package and a xorg package. Really nice if you use different kernels. I just disable AIGLX and Copositing(unless im using XFCE) and it works like a champ.

So, I did a bit of tweaking with amdcccle (the ATI config utility). The only way glxgears doesn't hang is to juice all the settings all the way to the quality side (rather than performance). The strange thing is that the fps that glxgears reports (before it hangs) doesn't seem to change regardless of the performance vs quality settings.

The problem i have been having with the ATi drivers is that they keep making my font huge. im not sure if that is just from running the aticonfig --inital or what. That is the reason i haven't changed over yet. However i might give this new one a try as the last one i took a poke at was the 7.11 (i think) version.

Just to notice: I have the opposite problem -- my font becomes very tiny, very hard to read. In fact it seems to me, that ati's font is what it should be, just the xorg's driver does something inappropriate to DPI: there is somewhat a "barrier" around 10-11pt in font scale. Although changing DPI setting in xorg.conf does not influence fonts on my computer.
P.S. This is all about LCD screen. Have not tried it on a СRT.

Here are my experiences with the February '08 ATI drivers.

First, I originally generated my xorg.conf by running "xorgsetup"
and placing a brick on the Enter key.

Please do remember to generate Slack .tgz packages.
"./ati-driver-installer-8-02-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Slackware/All"
makes life so much easier.

Then I did "installpkg fglrx-*" and "aticonfig --initial"
After reboot, the resolution was set way too high (tiny fonts).
"aticonfig --resolution=0,1024x768" fixed that.

Noticed that MPlayer wouldn't resize video anymore.
"aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv" resolved that issue.

Now for some numbers,
glxgears on r300 drivers = 3900 fps.
glxgears on ATI 8.455.2 drivers = 6100 fps.
and fgl_glxgears reports 1300 fps.
(nForce2 board/1 Gig pc2700 RAM/xp2600 cpu/9800 pro video card)

In conclusion, I haven't tried the ATI drivers in several months
(in my experience they were junk) but these drivers seem to be working
flawlessly. Compiz gives me a headache, so I can't report success or failure
on that front. No doubt these are the best proprietary drivers ATI has yet
released.