I have just tried my first Linux install.
The environment I have is as follows
Mandrake 9.1
Pentium 4
LG Studioworks 700S Monitor
SiS 300 16 Mb Graphic card
Following the install, which appears to go OK, the graphics do not appear. There are a few flickers and then Line mode starts.
I have tried a number of adjustments using XFdrake to the Monitor and Resolution settings mainly getting lower and lower (as low as 640 x 480) but to no avail. Does anyone have any other ideas on what I can try. While the graphics card is included in the installation I have to define a generic Monitor as Studioworks 700S does not appear to be there.
I would appreciate any advice on where I go from here.
Thanks

My first suggestion would be that from the command line you let X configure itself with the command 'XFree86 -configure' there are LOTS of ways to create a config file however this is the route I usually go. Let X configure itself then tweak it to preference.

jpbarto

Thanks for the answer.
Unfortunately I am not sure that XFree86 is in the Mandrake distribution. It is certainly not available from the command line of root with the standard installation. I think that XFdrake is meant to replace XFree86.
I will do some looking and see if it is available. But I am not too familiar with Linux.
Does anyone else have any ideas?

XFree86 is a major part of Mandrake. It does the graphics. What is "Line mode"?

richardd70, I can guarantee XFree86 is part of Mandrake. XFree86 is your X server. It is not in the root PATH though.

you can solve this temporarily by adding X to your path with
'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/X11/bin'

I had the same problem with my Mandrake. Tried a different monitor and it worked fine. Gave up trying other resolutions/line rates. Because of your question, I just tried the monitor on my current machine, a newer computer, with SuSE Linux. Monitor works fine on it.

Not really an answer, but maybe a few clues.

Hi,

Have you tried NOT using the test option, and not using 3d acceleration? My card worked fine once I'd done this?

Doug A

I had a look at the directory specified. XFree86 is not there (actually directory /usr/X11R6/bin). There are some options at install time asking to include XFree86 that I have installed. I am pretty sure that the XFdrake command does all the XFree86 functions. I have looked and I cannot see XFree86 anywhere.The KDE environment might have the XFree86 function, which calls XFdrake but I still believe that Mandrake does not have the line command XFree86.

As for the other suggestions, thanks, but I do not have a 3d accelerator. I had considered using the other monitor, and I might, but I only have one other, a very old one.

Does anyone have any other ideas?
Thanks

XFdrake is a Mandrake tool for configuring XFree86.

I have found the problem.
Install XFree86 version 4.3. The default version installed in Mandrake 9.1 is 3.3.6.
BTW the command XFree86 is not available in Mandrake. Use XFdrake instead.
Thanks to all who tried to help.