I'm trying to dual-boot a WinXP SP2 / Mandrake 10.1 Gateway 400vtx laptop. The video chip for this laptop is identified in Windows Device Manager as "Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME Graphics Controller". The monitor is a 1024x768 flat panel display.

I have installed Mandrake 10.1 on this system several times. Each time the installation went off without a hitch. When the system reboots after the installation and I get to the login screen (start of X?) the screen is garbled like the refresh rates are out of whack. The reason for several installs is that I have tried various configurations for the display in the install and all have the same results.

I saw a post under the Linux HCL in the Intel i810 forum that someone was having the same problem that I am but he didn't get any resolution for his problem (that I could see). His post included:


I guess I need to know what "another tty-console" is and how to switch to it so I can actually see my login and hopefully be able to get into the system to look for a problem. I can't even begin to fix what I can't see. I'm not even sure how to copy the "X" file that someone is eventually going to ask for since right now the only way I know how to get to it is after the login that I can't read.

Any advice or past experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, I have checked the Linux HCL, Linux-laptop.net, tuxmobil.org and done several searches on this forum and haven't found anything related to this. I'm no search guru but I tried before wasting anyone's time.

Thanks for any help.

I also went to the Mandriva website and checked their HCL and it says that the chipset I have is compatible with 10.1 so now I'm back to trying to figure out why the login screen is garbled.

Is there a way to check the xconfig file without logging in? (Remember, I'm a newbie when it comes to the command line stuff in Linux). The way the login screen looks, i keep thinking it has something to do with the refresh settings in x.