Hi,

I would be very greatful if anyone can help me, i am very new to linux, and have just installed SUSE on my laptop.

Everything works fine except for my monitor which works but at the wrong resoultions.

I have checked my laptops graphics card: SiS630 GUI Accelerator+3D in the hardware database for suse and it shows it should has full support which i think it does.

The monitor however, described by my manafacture as : 14.1" TFT (Native Res.1024x768) is detected and installed as a generic driver ( i think ), and can only operate at 60 Hz or 57Hz and max of 800x600 So text is fuzzzy and blured on the screen which is annoying.

If i changed the monitor manually to 1024x768 in Yast CP thing, and do a test it fails.

I would be soooo happy if someone has a solution to this, btw my laptop is Adven 5480 DVD, hardware info : uktsupport.co.uk/advent/faq/laptop/5480.htm

EDIT:
SUSE: 8.2

Thanks,
tntcoder

Which version of SuSE?
SuSE's appears to be one of the best distributions, but their hardware database can be misleading at a casual
glance. Did you check not just the summary, but the more
detailed support matrix further down on the page?
In your /var/log/XFree86.0.log for lines *like* these ( please note that they may wrap given the format of this input box ):

>>>(II) I810: Driver for Intel Integrated Graphics Chipsets: i810, i810-dc100,
i810e, i815, i830M, 845G, 852GM/855GM, 865G
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 00:01:0
(--) Chipset i810e found
(II) resource ranges after xf86ClaimFixedResources() call:
[0] -1 0 0xffe00000 - 0xffffffff (0x200000) MX[B](B)
[1] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MX[B]E(B)
[2] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX[B]
[3] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX[B]

In the section that I've marked with ">>>" no quotes, what
driver does it indicate is being loaded?

Also, did you install with "safe settings" which can inhibit
full blown hardware detection, or did you do a standard
install?

Thanks for the reply, SUSE 8.2, normal install, not safe settings


SIS: driver for SiS chipsets: SIS5597/5598 ... loads more models
Primary Device is: PCI 01:00:0
Chipset SIS630/730 Found

.
...

Hope that info is what you needed as i said i am very new to linux.

Thanks for any help

Yes, that's what I needed, thanks.

OK, so you appear to be using the sis driver, which would
appear to be correct. When you go into YAST does the
Monitor show as "LCD"? Do you have 3D enabled? As I
understand it, the sis driver only supports 3D at 16bpp and 24
bpp. I have searched for it, but have so far not found the
effective frequency of your built in display. You mention 57
Hz or 60 Hz, but what does the manufacturer say is the specification of effective frequencies at the 1024x768 res?
If you bring up the YAST Control Center, go into Hardware->
Graphics Card and Monitor, what does YAST say is the color
depth? Also, ostensibly, with the Advent 5480 you can specify
( to the machine ) how much memory is to be used for video.
How much memory is set on your machine?

Ok, thanks again,

I have 3d enabled in 16 bit colour and 24 bit being the max avalible. Monitor shows as VESA @800x600

Nothing mentioned about LCD, i am afraid i have no idea how much video memory i have, the machine has 128 meg of ram.

BTW, when you say that when you try 1024x768, it doesn't work, does the
screen just go blank, or, is it just that the image on the screen
doesn't look any better?

Anyway, if it were me, I would try these, in order, until I found something that works:

1) If possible, determine the manufacturer's claims for the effective
operating frequencies of the display. It may not make much difference *physically* on
a laptop, since the frequencies relate to horizontal and vertical
frequencies which don't exist on a LCD in quite the same way they do
with a CRT display, but it depends on the precise details of
implementation as to what, if any, difference it makes. At the very
least, it can potentially affect the software's perception of what your
"monitor" can handle and so what the software is willing to allow you to
do with it. Perhaps you can find this info in the manual on the laptop,
or on the manufacturer's web site ( if it still exists ( I didn't find
the site when I looked ) ). One person has claimed that what he used
for the frequency ranges for an Advent 5480 were: Horizontal 30 to 95,
Vertical 50 to 160. If you did a standard install and you are using KDE
you might try this: from the taskbar left click on the green circular
icon with the yellow vertical lightning bolt. Select
Administration->SaX2(Screen Configuration). Once you've entered your
root password ( if you weren't already running as root ) and the window
has come up, in the right hand area, left click on Monitor, then in the
new window, left click on "Properties..." button and then left click on
the "Frequencies" tab. If the numbers aren't those I've listed above, or whatever you come up with if you find them in the manual or on the web site,
write down the four values it shows, and try replacing them with the
four I've included above, or whatever you come up with. After you click on "OK" through various
panels to approve the changes, see if you are able to test with higher
resolutions more successfully.

2) Try disabling 3D support, sometimes it can be a problem

3) Make sure that Virtual resolution is either not configured, or set to
be the same as the actual resolution. I've had problems with the
software thinking my display had lesser *physical* resolution that it
actually did, when I played with the *virtual* resolution.

4) Try selecting "LCD" for the monitor instead of "VESA", and see what,
if any, difference it makes. VESA can work better even on LCD displays,
but if you have an unusual rig, you never know.

Hi i got it working thanks, i changed the monitor to an LCD 1024x768 @ 60Hz and all is great thanks all for your help