Hello,

I'm very new to Linux, so please excuse the unlearned questions.
I just bought a copy of SuSE 10.0 (5 installation cds) and installed it on my mainframe computer, an old Gateway E-4200 with a whopping 128mb memory.

Anyway, the IBM 8518 640x480 monitor I'm using works perfectly with XP -- but I want to use linux, right? So I installed linux off the cds ... and I got a really fritzy screen with about five identical dancing pictures. Couldn't see anything, so switched to text-mode and installed it that way. Now the only way I can access linux is through bash (which I'm new to, also). I heard that I could change the vertical snyc. with /etc/X11/xorg.conf, so I opened it in the mcedit text editor, and changed the sync variables...but no go, still the same blurry quintuplet images when first booting in Grub, and when logging into Gnome.

Any suggestions would be appreciated,

falcon16

Hi,

Ah yes, the joys of hand-editing xorg.conf. Not really where you want to be as a Linux newbie. My favoured way to get the config is to boot a Knoppix CD (it tends to get the settings right) then save the configuration it makes and use that on your installed system.

Anyway, the theory is that if you set the sync ranges for your monitor then Xorg will figure out what resolution/sync it can get away with. In your case you probably need to force the resolution down a bit. It might be easiest if you post your current config and people can suggest specific changes. Do you know what refresh rate Windows is using?

A final tip - rather than starting Gnome when you are in the text console just type X to start the bare X server for testing. You can close the X server with Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.

Hope some of that is helpful.

TIM

Here is a copy of xorg.conf. I hope someone can see a glaring error that I cannot. Thanks!

# /.../
# SaX generated X11 config file
# Created on: 2006-04-17T12:20:00-0700.
#
# Version: 7.1
# Contact: Marcus Schaefer <sax@suse.de>, 2002
#
# Automatically generated by [ISaX] (7.1)
# PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE!
#

Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/local"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/URW"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/PEX"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/latin2/misc:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/latin2/75dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/latin2/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/latin2/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/latin7/75dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/baekmuk:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/japanese:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/kwintv"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/truetype"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/uni:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/ucs/misc:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/ucs/75dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/ucs/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/hellas/misc:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/hellas/75dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/hellas/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/hellas/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/sgi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/xtest"
FontPath "/opt/kde3/share/fonts"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS0"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS1"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS2"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS3"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS4"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS5"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS6"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS7"
InputDevices "/dev/ttyS8"
InputDevices "/dev/psaux"
InputDevices "/dev/logibm"
InputDevices "/dev/sunmouse"
InputDevices "/dev/atibm"
InputDevices "/dev/amigamouse"
InputDevices "/dev/atarimouse"
InputDevices "/dev/inportbm"
InputDevices "/dev/gpmdata"
InputDevices "/dev/mouse"
InputDevices "/dev/usbmouse"
InputDevices "/dev/adbmouse"
InputDevices "/dev/input/mice"
InputDevices "/dev/input/event0"
InputDevices "/dev/pointer0"
InputDevices "/dev/pointer1"
InputDevices "/dev/pointer2"
InputDevices "/dev/pointer3"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "AllowMouseOpenFail"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "extmod"
Load "glx"
Load "v4l"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "kbd"
Identifier "Keyboard[0]"
Option "Protocol" "Standard"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
EndSection


Section "InputDevice"
Driver "mouse"
Identifier "Mouse[1]"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "on"
Option "Name" "MS-Compatible Serial Mouse"
Option "Protocol" "microsoft"
Option "Vendor" "Sysp"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "mouse"
Identifier "Mouse[3]"
Option "Buttons" "5"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Name" "ImPS/2 Generic Wheel Mouse"
Option "Protocol" "explorerps/2"
Option "Vendor" "Sysp"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection


Section "Monitor"
HorizSync 25-100
Identifier "Monitor[0]"
ModelName "8518"
Option "DPMS"
VendorName "IBM"
VertRefresh 40-80
UseModes "Modes[0]"
EndSection


Section "Modes"
Identifier "Modes[0]"
Modeline "640x480" 29.84 640 664 728 816 480 481 484 501
Modeline "640x480" 25.10 640 656 720 800 480 481 484 498
EndSection


Section "Screen"
DefaultDepth 16
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 32
Modes "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "640x480"
EndSubSection
Device "Device[0]"
Identifier "Screen[0]"
Monitor "Monitor[0]"
EndSection


Section "Device"
BoardName "Rage 128 RF"
BusID "1:0:0"
Driver "r128"
Identifier "Device[0]"
VendorName "ATI"
EndSection


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout[all]"
InputDevice "Keyboard[0]" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse[1]" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Mouse[3]" "SendCoreEvents"
Option "Clone" "off"
Option "Xinerama" "off"
Screen "Screen[0]"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Group "video"
Mode 0660
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
EndSection


TIM: My screen refresh rate in Windows XP is 60 hertz.

Tim, thanks for the knoppix tip -- unfortunately I don't have the CD, and my 56k dialup connection will take a year to download 700mb... And one of the main reasons I got linux was because you don't have to buy it.
Anyways, my screen refreshes at 60Hz in Windows; btw, don't you think it strange that linux gave me two definitions for 640x480?

-falcon16

Hi,

Sorry for neglecting my mail the last few days. Don't know if you are still looking for a fix for this, but possibly:

1) VertRefresh 40-80 could be changed to 40-60

2) Maybe comment out the first 640x480 modeline?

Is there no chance of getting your hands on a better monitor? 60Hz is murder on the eyes. At the company where I work they are throwing three year old 17-inch monitors into the trash because they are upgrading to flatscreens and I know there is a mountain of old monitors out there if you look.

TIM

Sorry I'm late. Why dont you manually change your monitor as an LG1505s(its in the Xwindow configuration), of course your IBM still can be use. I use IBM 14" old monitor that setting works for me.

...I have no way of getting into Xwindow to do this. I mean, I can get in, but I can't see anything. Perhaps I can do it manually through bash?

thanks,
falcon16

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the followup -- I plugged in 40-60 for vert. and still no go. If I only had some way of calculating all this info just like you were describing with your Knoppix CD! I heard that Debian puts out a modeline program that automatically detects these settings -- could I possibly use that?

falcon16

I use that setting when first install on RedHat9.I type 'linux lowres' on first boot screen. Then I choose LG electronic 1505S even my monitor is an vintage IBM.SUSE 10 should do better. Maybe you need reinstalling SUSE to do so.
Regards

SuSE is a bit different from Red Hat, but I'm sure it's doable -- I'll give it a whirl and let you know how it turns out.

-falcon16

BTW ,use 16bit color Depth,24 might cause gigling picture. My system is RIVA TNT2/Prescott 3GHz/1GB of Phisycal MEM/120GB SATA etc....((my IBM vintage monitor that will lost picture on 860x480)pretty weird combination) I have SUSE 8 that I might try some other time. Have a GOOD day ☺☺☺☺☺