I have tried to get various graphics to work (3d etc)on various version of SuSE, but have failed completely. Why can't it be easier?

Is there somebody out there in Linux-Land who can give me advice on the basis that I am 'plain thick' then please advise.

I have downloaded the Xorg file (my current system uses Xorg 6.8.2)from the ATI site, used many of the recomended solutions on this site but I still can't make things happen.

I am currently re-installing the OS so I can start again.


Zoot

Easiest way is to verify all the dependencies BEFORE TRYING TO INSTALL ANYTHING. From the ATI official installer instructions with notes I added(available on my website...linkie below):

# POSIX Shared Memory. (/dev/shm) Support is required for 3d applications and gaming.
To enable POSIX Shared Memory on your system, perform the following as root:
1. Add the following line to /etc/fstab (if it isn't there already): tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
2. In a terminal window, mount shared memory as follows: mount /dev/shm
3. Issue the following command to check that it mounted properly: mount | grep "shm"
If the mount was successful, then the following output (or similar) should appear:
"tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)"

# AGPGART needs proper drivers
1. First make sure that agpgart is loading properly.
2. To find out which AGP controller your motherboard uses, issue the following command: "lspci | grep AGP"
3. To find a list of AGP related kernel modules installed on your machine, issue the following command and look for a module (*.ko file) that suits your AGP Controller: "ls /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/char/agp"
4. Use the modprobe command (as root) to load the module. For example: On a motherboard using a VIA� AGP Controller, you would load the via-agp.ko using modprobe as follows (notice that the trailing .ko is omitted): "modprobe via-agp". Check the modprobe manpage for more information on loading kernel modules.
5. To verify that the AGP module is already loaded, run "lsmod" as root. With the X server running and the connection established, the usage count of this module must be greater than zero.

# glibc version 2.2 or 2.3
1. In a terminal window, run "rpm -q glibc".
2. You should receive a positive output. If you do not have it installed, install it.

# Xfree86 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 or XORg 6.8
If you don't know which version you have for sure, you can download and run the test script from ATI's "New Installation Instructions."

# Linux Kernel 2.4.x, 2.5.x, or 2.6.x
Check to be sure your kernel is at least 2.4.x.

# Linux Kernel Source
"rpm -qa | grep kernel" should give you a list of kernel type things. You need the following, and they all must match(if you have more, like install-docs, debug info, that is fine, and they do not need to match):
You need it because the ATI Driver will be configuring much of its working based on your current kernel. If you have upgraded the kernel, you need to get its source, and find out where to put it.(usually /usr/src)
----------------------------------------

Now, once all the prereqs have been checked, and met. Uninstall the rpm you downloaded previously, and get the installer script. Then you can right click on it in KDE, go to permissions, make it executable. As root, you can run it with "./ATIinstaller_____". Check the log in /var/log/xorg.0.log, to see if it installed succesfully. If it did, you are ready to backup your current xorg.conf, run aticonfig, and then modify the new xorg.conf to your needs(to match current mouse, monitor, and keyboard settings).

Then you just need to reboot and viola. EDIT: My website is currently not up to date after checking, I will fix that tonight when I get home.

Thanks for the information, having read it about ten times, it started to make sense.

I got up to checking for AGP Drivers then it all went wrong, when issuing
"ls /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/char/agp"
I get the message that the directory does not exist, I CD /lib/modules and there is no directory called uname (I guess you actually mean username, which would be zootr in my case), there is no such directory or anthing similar.

I must be missing the point somewhere.

Iam not giving up yet, any ideas please

'uname -r' is a command which would give your current linux kernel version, it isn't your username. Okay, in your case you may want to try doing a "find -R *agp", which should do a recursive search looking through your folders for all files that end in agp.

You can start by skipping that step if the "lspci | grep AGP" pulls up an obvious choice like a via chipset, nforce chipset, instel chipset etc... What pulls up there?

Right everything going well until I try operation 14.
How do you run a file is it ./

when I try run /usr/X11R6/bin/fglrxconfig I get a file does exist error, if I CD to that location the fglrxconfig is not there. I have gone over this a number of times with the same result; so near but so far.

I gues I am missing something again, but waht is the question, any advise would be appreciated.

I blieve you are referring to the now 13 from my website. To run a command, you should just need to type its name, like "aticonfig" or "fglrxconfig" but you should be able to see something by a similar name in /usr/X11R6/bin.

"./" is to run scripts.

OK,

Thanks for your patience, much appreciated, but my is almost run out.

OK I type "aticonfig" and it just lists what is in that file, how do I edit it to make those decisions you suggested.

I have looked on the ATI site but cannot find the "Name of the Day Heading".

If this fails then back to Windows.

I have spend too much without any results and the other half is also giving grief for being in-front of the PC!!!!

If you can't figure out something as basic as how to run a command, and get upset so easily you quit without looking anywhere and without any patience. Maybe changing to MAC rather than Windows would be for you. You need to get a bit of patietence, and you need to learn how to learn instead of getting angry.

And aticonfig runs an install configuration tool, it doesn't display anything like a text file, really. You don't want to edit the file, you need to run it... all this is in command line, not GUI. It is a text based menu for configuration.

Thank's for your help, but your attitude is just typical. All I wanted was some help and advice on getting the system working.

You should be more sympathetic to people when they are confronted with such issues, you make too many assumptions.

It is my view that Linux is still behind the times and the difficulties experience on this forum only underline this.

I am trying to be sympathetic. My website as a guide is quite possibly the most base level guide for installing ATI drivers out there. I tried to be with you every step of the way, and having been in your shoes multiple times, believe me, I didn't convert the first time I tried linux at home. I got rid of it quickly. I tried every few months for about 2 years before I found I had learned enough each time to become a little more patient. Linux isn't Windows and isn't supposed to be, things work differently than they do in your familiar Windows enviroment. But everytime I see people say shit like "Help me or I go back to Windows" I just get upset, because that is not a good attitude to have. You are getting FREE HELP for people like me that get paid nothing, we just like helping people and volunteer our time and effort to do this.

You want my honest advice? Buy a version retail of Linux, like SuSE, that comes with full installation and software setup support over the phone. Then maybe you can have someone help you live. Because some of the things we hear on here like this: "OK I type "aticonfig" and it just lists what is in that file, how do I edit it to make those decisions you suggested." frankly without a screnshot we have no clue what you are doing to get a file viewed, because from the command prompt, you couldn't view the contents of a file without using a command like edit. All you need to do is type the name of the file and hit enter, that is how linux works.

Linux may be "behind the times" in terms of some functionality in ease of use of the drivers and software of companies who don't support Linux, and that quite frankly really sucks. But it isn't the fault of Linux, it is ATI's fault for making these some finiky and difficult to work with. nvidias are currently much better. I find that literally every 6months Linux makes leaps and bounds in the number of users, the ease of use, and the support for things that 6 months ago could only be done in Windows. If you really just aren't ready, then go back to windows. Try it again in 6 months, and see how it goes.

ATI and kernel 2.6 have issues with eachother

Ok here is the skinny of it.


at best the first time x just crashes back to console. At worst it crashes the entire machine and only option at that point is to reboot.


first you need to disable DRI compleatly from the kernel but is enabled in your xorg.conf file. ATI has its own dri module that is created and loaded.


also you MUST have AGP support in your kernel. EVEN IF ITS PCIE ???
doesent matter how its there but just needs to be there. Also you need to tell dri to run in 0666 in your xorg.conf or Xfree86 config file. and you must have posix shared memory enabled in your kernel and in your /etc/fstab file

the entry looks like this

shm /dev/shm tempfs defaults 0 0

ive also seen it like this

tempfs /dev/shm tempfs defaults 0 0


other then this read online and pray <--- and im not kidding


Even with all of this and my moblie X600 card i still couldent get it working properly machine still crashed. But it may be something else im doing cause it works in fedora core 4 64bit version. Im thinking its cause im on a 64bit platform and my os is 32 but whoo knows.


hope this helps :P