LinuxQuestions.org

LinuxQuestions.org (/questions/)
-   Fedora (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/fedora-35/)
-   -   Blank Screen on ATI Radeon Express 200M (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/fedora-35/blank-screen-on-ati-radeon-express-200m-488362/)

DumberDrummer 09-30-2006 08:39 PM
Blank Screen on ATI Radeon Express 200M
 
Ok, I've installed FC5 once before on a system with ATI, and had some simliar problems.

I had to install in text mode because the GUI installer was all garbled on screen and just a mess. I wasn't too fazed by that because I remembered the same thing happening on my other computer. I figured I'd just update the kernel, use the livna repository to get the drivers, and be just fine.

Well, unfortuanately, that's not the case. I have a perfectly functional command line interface running, but anytime I try and start up the X server (startx) I get a blank screen, and nothing works. (Ctrl Alt F1, Backspace, Etc...) Just blank black, and I have to restart.

my xorg.conf file has fglrx setup in it,and when the system is booting up, I can see it loading the fglrx kernel module.

I have a Toshiba Tecra laptop, 1.5 ghz, 1 gig ram, ATI Radeon Express 200M.

Any thoughts?

ctt1wbw 10-01-2006 10:50 AM
If anyone can help, I would like to fix my stuff too. I'm using a HP dv8000 with a 200m card in it too.

Here's my xorg.conf file:


# Xorg configuration created by system-config-display

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "single head configuration"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Synaptics" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "AlwaysCore"
EndSection

Section "Files"

# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
# By default, a font server independent of the X server is
# used to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:7100"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "fbdevhw"
Load "glx"
Load "record"
Load "freetype"
Load "type1"
Load "synaptics"
Load "dri"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"
# To disable the XKEYBOARD extension, uncomment XkbDisable.
# Option "XkbDisable"
# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
#
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
#
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"
# Or if you just want both to be control, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:nocaps"
#
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "HP D8906A HP P700 17-inch Monitor"
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
HorizSync 30.0 - 86.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "vesa"
VendorName "Videocard vendor"
BoardName "ATI Technologies Inc ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 5955 (PCIE)"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
Modes "1440x900"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1440x900"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Group 0
Mode 0666
EndSection

moosedaddy 10-01-2006 03:55 PM
I have a compaq laptop and I am using the default XORG driver. If you change the xorg.conf file to ATI for the driver every thing should would fine.

ctt1wbw 10-01-2006 04:09 PM
After several hours of playing around, I used the other driver from ATI, the 8.29.6 version. Seems to be working finally, albiet with a slower frame rate for glxgears than I thought I would have.


# Xorg configuration created by system-config-display

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "single head configuration"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Synaptics" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "AlwaysCore"
EndSection

Section "Files"

# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
# By default, a font server independent of the X server is
# used to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:7100"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "fbdevhw"
Load "glx"
Load "record"
Load "freetype"
Load "type1"
Load "synaptics"
Load "dri"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"
# To disable the XKEYBOARD extension, uncomment XkbDisable.
# Option "XkbDisable"
# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
#
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
#
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"
# Or if you just want both to be control, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:nocaps"
#
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### HorizSync 30.0 - 86.0
### VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "HP D8906A HP P700 17-inch Monitor"
### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DDC:
HorizSync 30.0 - 86.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "radeon"
VendorName "Videocard vendor"
BoardName "ATI Technologies Inc ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 5955 (PCIE)"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
Modes "1440x900" "1920x1200" "1680x1050" "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1440x900" "1920x1200" "1680x1050" "1280x800"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Group 0
Mode 0666
EndSection

DumberDrummer 10-01-2006 05:15 PM
Hey, thanks for hijacking my thread instead of creating your own...

UPDATE: I changed the driver from fglrx to vesa, and now I can boot into the GUI, BUT I can't go above 800x600 resolution, which is annoying enough, and I suspect that I don't have hardware acceleration

ctt1wbw 10-01-2006 08:01 PM
Oh God, here's some freakin kleenex. :rolleyes:

DumberDrummer 10-01-2006 11:17 PM
Is there anyone here who can help me, or only more morons like this one?

ctt1wbw 10-02-2006 03:39 AM
Moron is good. Aren't you late for first period?

DumberDrummer 10-02-2006 02:29 PM
oh fuck this. You all can take this forum and shove it, I'm not coming back.

moosedaddy 10-02-2006 03:39 PM
Under the "device" section change the driver to "ATI" and the video card should work.

locutus42 01-23-2007 01:13 PM
New ATI driver v8.32.5 should solve your 200M problem
 
As noted around the forums, ATI finally fixed some long term 200M driver issues in the latest 8.32.5 and 8.33.6 drivers.

here's a handy script which I've used to install the driver on Ubuntu Dapper LTS but hopefully a Fedora geek will hack it up to work with yum:

Code:
#!/bin/bash
apt-get update
apt-get install module-assistant build-essential wget
apt-get install fakeroot dh-make debconf libstdc++5 linux-headers-$(uname -r)
ATIVERSION=8.32.5
ATIVERSION=8.33.6
DRIVER=ati-driver-installer-${ATIVERSION}-x86.x86_64.run
if [ -f ${DRIVER} ] ; then
  echo "already have ${DRIVER}"
else
  wget -c https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/${DRIVER}
fi
chmod +x ${DRIVER}
./${DRIVER} --buildpkg Ubuntu/dapper
dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx_${ATIVERSION}-1_i386.deb fglrx-kernel-source_${ATIVERSION}-1_i386.deb fglrx-control_${ATIVERSION}-1_i386.deb
rm /usr/src/fglrx-kernel*.deb
module-assistant prepare
module-assistant update
module-assistant build fglrx
module-assistant install fglrx
depmod -a
aticonfig --initial
aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv
The only other 'change' to the system was to edit xorg.conf and disable the composite extension:
Code:
Section "Extensions"
        Option      "Composite" "Disable"
EndSection
This had been a long running issue with the ATI Mobility Express 200M video chip and many Linux distro's. AMD/ATI just made alot of Linux laptop users happy since this chip is/was used in thousands, if not millions of laptops over the past couple of years. FINALLY!

DumberDrummer 01-24-2007 02:43 PM
Thanks a lot for your helpful reply!

However, in the period between these posts, I was advised by a friend to try again with a newer distro.

My laptop is now chugging along with Gentoo 2006.1 and the radeon driver!

locutus42 01-24-2007 05:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by DumberDrummer
Thanks a lot for your helpful reply!

However, in the period between these posts, I was advised by a friend to try again with a newer distro.

My laptop is now chugging along with Gentoo 2006.1 and the radeon driver!
yup, the opensource drivers have come a long way and I'm glad to hear you've atleast got something working. Too many got that black screen and didn't know they needed to edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and add [ Option "no_accel" "yes" ] to the ati Driver section. I've seen quite a number of threads where users gave up on Linux because of this so it's good to hear you kept at it.

I'm not sure if the ATI drivers will work with Gentoo but if they do and are listed as such, it'll give a little boost in performance in 2D and a good boost in 3D.

just a guess but I figure the reason why Gentoo worked was because it sounds like they use the opensource radeon driver instead of the opensource driver called ati which tries to do a better job at 2D acceleration.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:45 AM.