Hello all!

I am a newbie, yes yes!

So I have to ask some questions, starting with 1 primary question first.

I have a radeon 9800 Pro in my box, and I use dual monitor setup, with 2 17" lcd screens.
So I do want to stretch the desktop over both monitors of course.

But how the.... do I install the ATI driver on debian? I found some kind of "manual" for it, at "some page which I am not allowed to post the url to here it seems, trying without the ht....tag" (xoomer.virgilio.it/flavio.stanchina/debian/fglrx-installer.html)

But I dont understand any of it That is, some of it I do understand, but not the parts about building kernel modules and so on. I did try to make it work, but nope, it didnt

Is there an easier way to do this? without having to mess with the kernel?
Seems kind of strange to me that it should be that much trouble installing a driver to a "famous" graphicscard,

I dont know if I need the driver at all, dont know how well it performs compared to the driver that came with x. But I need to use dual monitor setup here, so if there is another way to do so, or if there is another way of both installing the ATI drivers AND configure dual monitor, please help!

Regards
Al Bester

albester,

I have an idea I think you can use. However, I'm at work and don't have the information. I will try to stop by the house at lunch time and post. This is the basic idea:

Ubuntu (a debian based distro) has the ATI drivers in its repository. This means that you can use apt-get install to load the driver for you. You have to add the server to the apt sources list. It's three packages that not only include the driver but the control panel as well. When I post a little later I wil tell you how to do it. I installed this way in Ubuntu OS and all went well. It was just a few clicks of the mouse and bam! I am curious if this works in Debian. My Debian already is working properly with ATI. I followed the instructions you mentioned and admit it was complicated. My idea is much simpler

So hang on, I should post back in about an hour.

Well it looks like I won't be able to get by the house and get the information. So, I will re-call as best as I can.

Ok here goes:

1. Open /etc/apt/sources.list with a text editor

2. Add the following lines:

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ warty-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ warty-security main restricted

3. Save and exit

4. Open console, type the following, and hit enter

apt-get install update

5. When update is finished type the following and hit enter to install the 3 fglrx packages:

apt-get install fglrx fglrx-dev fglrx-control

6. When the installation is complete test to see if driver installed by typing the following in console. It should say ATI and not Mesa.

glxinfo

7. If it says ATI then you should also see ATI on your desktop menu, you can set some parameters by activating the menu item. If not, type the following in console to configure:

fglrxconfig

8. The panel also can be activated by typing the following in console:

fireglcontrol

***If the packages can't be located by apt then I didn't recall the lines in step2 accurately. If that's the case then go back and add the following lines:

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu warty universe
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu warty universe

***If the packages still can't be located then I didn't recall the names accurately. But hopefully I did. If you have Synaptic or some other Package Manager, then the packages could be located there after you have completed step4. If anyone sees where I have gievn incorrect information please jump in.

Please let me know how this turns out.

Hey ho!

I tried it and it worked! At least the driver is working, but I cant get my dual monitor setup to work.
If I try fireglcontrol, I have the options to use dual screen, But when I choose that, and extend my desktop onto my second screen, and restarts X, I get one screen, the right one, just like it was, I mean the whole desktop on the right screen, and in the left screen, I also get a desktop, which is twice as wide as normal. So when I use the mouse, I can scroll the desktop, within the one monitor.

erhm.. Hard to explain... the left one has crappy graphics + the desktop is 2x the width of the screen, so I have to scroll sideways using my mouse.. and the right screen is normal..

Seems like it doesnt understand that there is 2 screens, and tries to display 2 screen widths on one screen.. dont know.. didnt work

Argh.. this is the only thing stopping me from using linux daily at this moment

Anyone knows anything? help!

Yea I had similiar problems. You have to play with configuration. The panel really isnt that good. So use console, using the command fglrxconfig. According to the documentation any digital monitor must be the primary monitor. That fact I didnt know and helped me get dual monitor going.

tried the console based program as well, but I didnt understand 60% of the questions there, so X would not start at all when I was finished

ok you can run fglrxconfig from the prompt since x didnt start...don't get frustrated! That's right! At the prompt without x even started type fglrxconfig.

Your response to most of the questions will be the default answer which means you don't answer (just hit enter
without responding).

The questions you need to answer is the configuration for the monitors.

OK the first few questions are simple. It asks about simple things like your country, your mouse,your keyboard etc. Accept the default for keyboard and enter the following for your mouse:

/dev/psaux

For the monitors select clone mode (option #3) just to get us going. Then select the kind of monitors you have. Do you have two VGA monitors (regular/ordinary monitors)? If so, then select that option. Do you have one VGA and the monitor is digital (LCD or DVI)? Then select that combination. You get the idea? You have to read the options and choose the number that corresponds to your setup. I have a VGA and I use my HDTV as a second monitor. My TV is hooked into the ATI card via the DVI plug. So I use the option for DVI-CRT. CRT is the same as VGA. Remember that any digital display is the first monitor in a dual monitor setup. So my first monitor is the TV and my second monitor is the CRT.

For your resolutions use option 3 for all questions just to get you going. As you run this configuration over and over you start to notice what the options mean and you start selecting options that better suit you. After the resoltions just click enter all the way through selecting the defaults. Then finally answer yes to write. If you don't know what to answer remember just hit enter to except the default.

So keep fiddling with it untill you get what you want. Once you get clone mode working then start playing with extended mode.

It's really lots of fun!

yeah, I have set up x with xf86config before, which is kind of the same thing as the fglrxconfig, but with fewer options. I have 2 17"lcd (analog-vga connectors, not dvi). It might have been the sync rate and that stuff that made my x go bananas, since I didnt find any info on these specs at samsungs site
I have Syncmaster 710n.

I will have to try again in a few hours, have to go help a buddy with his windows now