[SOLVED] Problem installing Radeon driver packages with second debian install

Higgsboson · 01-11-2015, 12:43 PM

I have a debian OS on a partition on my hard disk (sda1).
There was no sound because the ati rs880/radeon 4200 sound card needed drivers which were only in the debian 'non-free' version'.
So I added the non-free version to my install and also had to make a change to the GRUB bootloader file.
After that, I got sound.

Now I've installed a new debian distro to my second partition - sda2.
This time I ensured I installed the debian non-free version.
But I'm having trouble installing the drivers for the sound card.

I go into Synaptic package manager to install the relevant drivers and it gives me an error message:

Code:

Configuring libfglrx - install Fglrx driver despite unsupported graphics card?

I'm not sure what that means because I want the drivers for my sound card - not graphics.
When I press the 'Help' button, it says:

Code:

This system has a graphics card which is no longer handled by the Fglrx driver...
The above card requires either the non-free legacy Fgrlx driver 
(package fgrlx-legacy-driver) or the free Radeon driver (package xserver-xorg-video-radeon).

This is fine because I can just install the 'free Radeon driver'.

But the Help message then says:

Code:

Before the Radeon driver can be used you must remove Fglrx configuration from xorg.conf 
(and xorg.conf.d/)
Note that switching to the free Radeon driver requires the fglrx-driver package to be purged (not just removed).

So now I don't know what to do. Has anyone had this error message?
I know I can enable sound and have no problems with the graphics card because that's what happened with my original install on sda1.

But with the install on sda2, I don't know how to approach this problem.
Can anyone help please?

EDDY1 · 01-11-2015, 06:00 PM

You have to use the fglrx-legacy driver or free- radeon driver & purge the fglrx-driver.
Try

Quote:

apt-get purge fglrx
apt-get install firmware-linux

& you should be running. If you want fglrx-legacy

Quote:

apt-get install fglrx-legacy

You may have to downgrade xorg version, not sure.
fglrx-legacy is available in wheezy backports.

Higgsboson · 01-11-2015, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDDY1

You have to use the fglrx-legacy driver or free- radeon driver & purge the fglrx-driver.

I tried the 'apt-get purge fglrx' command and I got:

Code:

apt-get purge fglrx
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Package 'fglrx' is not installed, so not removed
You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 fglrx-driver : Depends: libfglrx (= 1:12-6+point-3) but it is not going to be installed...

So I input 'apt-get -f install' and I got a GUI asking if I wanted the unsupported fglrx.
I selected 'no' and the ouput after some messages is:

Code:

*** The following unsupported devices are present in the machine:
01:05.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RS880 [Radeon HD 4250] [1002:9715]
Aborting fglrx installation.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libfglrx_1%3a12-6+point-3_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libfglrx_1%3a12-6+point-3_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I'm missing something here.
I only say that because I didn't go through this with my first install.

Thank you for your reply.

EDDY1 · 01-11-2015, 07:44 PM

Post your /etc/apt/sources.list

colorpurple21859 · 01-11-2015, 08:15 PM

If you have a /etc/X11/xorg.conf and it has the fglrx as the driver listed driver section change it to radeon or move the file to somewhere else so you will have access to it if it is needed later. Go to /etc/modprobe.d and see if there is a fglrx.conf that has a line with the following: blacklist radeon. If so comment out the line by putting the # at the beginning of the line. Reboot. If everything goes good you will get a graphical screen.

jlinkels · 01-11-2015, 09:09 PM

I am not sure about the relation between the sound and the VGA driver. But to get from the fglrx driver back to the free driver this is the way:

Find all fglrx drivers:

Code:

dpkg --get-selections | grep fglrx

Now you see a list with all fglrx related packages. The package fglrx is not installed, all packages are foo-fglrx-bar or something.

apt-get remove --purge all of them.

Then install xserver-xorg-video-radeon. That will most likely give you a stable system again. Take it from there to install the sound.

jlinkels

Higgsboson · 01-12-2015, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDDY1

Post your /etc/apt/sources.list

I get this:

Code:

root@debianII:/etc/apt# cat sources.list
deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free

Higgsboson · 01-12-2015, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorpurple21859

If you have a /etc/X11/xorg.conf and it has the fglrx as the driver listed driver section change it to radeon or move the file to somewhere else so you will have access to it if it is needed later.

For some reason /etc doesn't have a X11 directory:

Code:

/etc# ls x*
xdg:
autostart  menus  user-dirs.conf  user-dirs.defaults
xml:
catalog		 docbook-xml.xml.old  sgml-data.xml	 xml-core.xml.old
catalog.old	 rarian-compat.xml    sgml-data.xml.old
docbook-xml.xml  resolver	      xml-core.xml

Quote:

Go to /etc/modprobe.d and see if there is a fglrx.conf that has a line with the following: blacklist radeon. If so comment out the line by putting the # at the beginning of the line. Reboot. If everything goes good you will get a graphical screen.

The /etc/modprobe.d dir has a fglrx-driver.conf.dpkg-new file:

Code:

cat fglrx-driver.conf.dpkg-new 
# fglrx conflicts with the free radeon module.
blacklist radeon

So now I've commented it out:

Code:

/etc/modprobe.d# cat fglrx-driver.conf.dpkg-new 
# fglrx conflicts with the free radeon module.
#blacklist radeon

Higgsboson · 01-12-2015, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

dpkg --get-selections | grep fglrx
Now you see a list with all fglrx related packages. The package fglrx is not installed, all packages are foo-fglrx-bar or something.

I've done this and the output is:

Code:

/# dpkg --get-selections | grep fglrx
fglrx-atieventsd				install
fglrx-driver					install
glx-alternative-fglrx				install
libfglrx-amdxvba1:amd64				install
libgl1-fglrx-glx:amd64				install

Quote:

apt-get remove --purge all of them.

I'm not sure if I'm doing the command right, but when I try to purge the first install dpkg, I get this error message:

Code:

/# apt-get remove --purge fglrx-atieventsd
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 fglrx-driver : Depends: libfglrx (= 1:12-6+point-3) but it is not going to be installed
                Recommends: fglrx-modules-dkms (= 1:12-6+point-3) but it is not going to be installed or
                            fglrx-kernel-12-6+point
                Recommends: libgl1-fglrx-glx-i386 but it is not installable
                Recommends: fglrx-glx-ia32 but it is not going to be installed
                Recommends: fglrx-atieventsd but it is not going to be installed
 libgl1-fglrx-glx : Depends: libfglrx (= 1:12-6+point-3) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

So I tried the recommendation from the error message and used 'apt-get -f install'.
I've used this command before and a GUI appears asking if I want to 'Install Fglrx driver despite unsupported graphics card?'

I always reply <No> to this and get the subsequent error message:

Code:

apt-get -f install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Correcting dependencies... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  libfglrx
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libfglrx
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
3 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0 B/13.4 MB of archives.
After this operation, 47.6 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Preconfiguring packages ...
(Reading database ... 129605 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking libfglrx:amd64 (from .../libfglrx_1%3a12-6+point-3_amd64.deb) ...
*** The following unsupported devices are present in the machine:
01:05.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RS880 [Radeon HD 4250] [1002:9715]
Aborting fglrx installation.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libfglrx_1%3a12-6+point-3_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libfglrx_1%3a12-6+point-3_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Am I creating some kind of conflict somewhere?
The install looks ok but gnome hasn't loaded fully.

colorpurple21859 · 01-12-2015, 04:49 AM

Now reboot and see if the purge fglrx commands will work and install firmware-linux if you haven't done so

Higgsboson · 01-12-2015, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorpurple21859

Now reboot and see if the purge fglrx commands will work and install firmware-linux if you haven't done so

I finally got the purge commands to work.
I went into Synaptic pkg manager and it showed a 'broken' package. I think it was the fglrx package.

So when I tried to purge the already installed fglrx packages, it couldn't do it because the main fglrx package hadn't been installed properly.
So I used Synaptic to fully install the fglrx main package.
After that, when I used the 'apt-get remove --' command I was able to remove all the fgrlx packages properly.

I've done 'dpkg --get-selections | grep fglrx' and it's now showing no entries.

jlinkels · 01-12-2015, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Higgsboson

I've done 'dpkg --get-selections | grep fglrx' and it's now showing no entries.

That is good.
Where you able to install xserver-xorg-video-radeon?
Now you should have a GUI again, right?

What is the status now?

If you don't have a really compelling reason to install the fglrx drivers, stick to the free radeon driver. It is not that bad, and at least it works.

jlinkels

Higgsboson · 01-12-2015, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

That is good.
Where you able to install xserver-xorg-video-radeon?
Now you should have a GUI again, right?

What is the status now?

I've now rebooted and it looks like gnome is working properly now!

I then did :

Code:

apt-get install firmware-linux
apt-cache search firmware 
apt-get install alsa-firmware-loaders

Last time I sorted out the sound problem I created a .asoundrc file in /home/user with some commands in it. http://alsa.opensrc.org/The_.asoundrc_file
So I did that again.

I also know I had to add an extra bit of text:

Code:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet radeon.audio=1"

in /etc/default/grub.

Then:

Code:

update grub

This eventually gave me sound for my radeon hdmi sound card.

But I'm still not getting sound.
I'm wondering if I have installed all the device drivers.
I remember going into Synaptic and installing everything with 'radeon' in it on my first install on a different partition.
But these installs refer to radeon display driver and are fglrx packages.
Should I install any of these?

jlinkels · 01-12-2015, 10:23 AM

My son has a Radeon card in his computer and installing anything with FGLRX breaks the video. Not recommended. We stick to the free driver.

The problem you have is not unique: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...er/+bug/864735. Check post #22 and later.

You say you edited the asoundrc file. Did you put in the correct card number? You can list the cards as seen by the system by cat /proc/asound/cards.

Aren't you using Pulse? Then it should not be necessary anymore to mess around with asoundrc. Did you check with Alsamixer if none of the outputs is actually muted or so? But I have to admit the cooperation between alsa and Pulse is quite opaque to me. In Debian 7+ it usually just works.

jlinkels

Higgsboson · 01-12-2015, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

My son has a Radeon card in his computer and installing anything with FGLRX breaks the video. Not recommended. We stick to the free driver.

The problem you have is not unique: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...er/+bug/864735. Check post #22 and later.

Thanks. This is a very good link.
Post 22 says adding 'radeon.audio=1' to /etc/default/grub 'will no longer be necessary with this kernel' (3.13 kernel)

My kernel is:

Code:

cat /proc/version
Linux version 3.2.0-4-amd64 (debian-kernel@lists.debian.org) (gcc version 4.6.3 (Debian 4.6.3-14) ) #1 SMP Debian 3.2.65-1

So I should have the kernel which now sorts out the sound problem with the 'xrandr' command.
My HDMI is labelled as 0

Code:

xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1360 x 768, maximum 8192 x 8192
VGA-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-0 connected 1360x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 1150mm x 650mm

But when I use the xrandr command I get an error message:

Code:

xrandr --output HDMI-0 --set audio on
X Error of failed request:  BadName (named color or font does not exist)
  Major opcode of failed request:  150 (RANDR)
  Minor opcode of failed request:  11 (RRQueryOutputProperty)
  Serial number of failed request:  27
  Current serial number in output stream:  27

I don't know what that means.

Quote:

You say you edited the asoundrc file. Did you put in the correct card number? You can list the cards as seen by the system by cat /proc/asound/cards.

Good point.
I changed the values in the .asoundrc accordingly.

Quote:

Aren't you using Pulse? Then it should not be necessary anymore to mess around with asoundrc.

I don't think I've installed it.

Quote:

Did you check with Alsamixer if none of the outputs is actually muted or so?

Yes. I've also changed sound to the HDMI card.

Now my problem seems to be finding out why the xrandr command isn't working.
Even so, my debian install on a different partition was only done a few days ago.
And the 'radeon.audio=1' code added to /etc/default/grub turned the sound on.