first off... guess i should say hello. new here. i've browsed through from time to time, and this seems like a pretty cool place, with some extremely knowledgeable members... so... i figured i would hit you with something that has me stumped.

not new to linux by any means, but new to a genre i was not formerly interested in.... graphics. i have always had a win2k box for any and all graphics work i needed to do... autocad, photoshop, flash, lightwave, 3ds, etc etc etc. anyway... in a push to try to move a little more concentration onto my linux box, i bought a new monitor and a few new parts. the box is a p4 2.8, 1gb ddr333, ati all in wonder 8500 128mb, 120gb wd. the monitor is an nec multisync fp2141sb.

i threw this "new" box together, and started loading redhat 8... everything was running fine right up until the xserv config at the end of the install. i could not find ANY sort of combination to get a test screen... no matter what i tried. all generic, the detected hardware and setting, the exact settings from the manufacturer, and even a lot of long shots at several "closely" compatable options. nothing worked. i finally got tired of playing around in the install and figured i would try my luck from the command line. rebooted... and of course xserver could not start saying there was no monitor available. i ran xf86config from the command line, and tried for another few hours with absolutely no luck. no matter what i set as the h - v sync, color depth, resolution... i never got anything to work.

at this point, i have pretty much come to the conclusion that it just isnt going to happen with this monitor. redhat does not show it as a compatable monitor (although it is not listed as incompatable either)... but that is the way i am leaning unless someone can think of some other way, or something else to try. so... any ideas? or.. does anyone have any other idea on a different distro that i might not run into this sort of problem with this monitor? i have already heard gentoo... which i might do... but boy do i hate compiling.

Can you post the monitor section of your xf86config?

i would... but i have already stripped the drive. i contacted both redhat and nec (i'm a subscriber) and come to find out... my monitor is not supported. first time i have ever run into this. before i stripped it out... i tried the monitor on another redhat box that i was currently running with no problems... and it would not work there either. took the box i originally wanted it on, swapped out the monitor (still on the initial install) with a crappy 19" mag... and xserv flew right through... looked like crap until i ran the config... but it was working fine. so... that just solidified it.

i was told by redhat that 9 will offer support for this class (nec/mitsubishi independent gun for calibration) so i am just going to wait until monday when it becomes available to subscribers.

thanks for the help though.