These are the times that linux will try your patience. You have a newer video card that I believe is giving you the problem. You can try Mandrake, but I cannot promise anything. Sorry. It is paramount to the linux community to make sure that we stay on top of hardware development. Nothing is more frustrating than spending a good buck on hardware that won't work. This is why I suggested using the older video card. It may not have all the power, but if it works---use it!!! Try Mandrake and see what happens. Good luck.

Heck, if you are going to make yourself hate linux from not figuring this out, and want to try on another distro, I'd say mandrake would be a good choice.

Make sure it's 9.0

Cool

i downloaded and installed mandrake. still the same ole problem. i am pretty sure its my ati8500 thats screwing me over. i did every possible setting with both videocard being svga/vga/8500 and monitor settings. is there anyway to upgrade the videocard drivers so i can see a damn GUI? detail instructions would be appreciated because i'm terarded

Well, you can use a browser in console, type links
OR lynx

Then you can try getting the drivers from ATI's website for Linux.

Good Luck doing that via the links browser(s)

I really am amazed it's not working "out of the box" though.

I know you think that using your old card sounds archaic and not worth the work, but at least you could possibly narrow it down to either your card OR your monitor, instead of the possibility of both.

Also, you can configure X out of X. Use xf86config or possibly drake has something better for it? Post on mandrake's boards, the guru's there might have an answer for, but I can't seem to get a link to it for you. Anyway, poke around www.mandrake.com and you probably will find the boards faster than me because I am half asleep anyway.

Good Luck, and don't get too worried, alot of the power of linux is in the command line anyway you know

Don't let it frustrate you to the point of hating Linux though, give it a rest, and come back. It's these hurdles that make you know your system better than you did yesterday.

Cool

You are NOT alone y0bailey..
I am also facing the same problem!!!
Red Hat supports GeForce 2 GTS and Pro Cards but NOT my GeForce2 Ti Card. How can a new OS Like Red Hat 8.0 only support Jurassic age hardwares and not the latest hardwares???
Ohh well i guess that is why Linux is still not much a threat to Microsoft...

I would not say they support old cards .. it supported my GeForce 3 ti200 right out of the box .. so .. I did however update the drivers from nvidia ...

the problem is people are giving up on linux before really giving it a try .. that I would assume is the reason linux is not much a threat to Microsoft. The more people that run it .. the more of a threat linux is.

alright i have figured it out...i am pretty sure i just need new updated drivers for my ati 8500 and everything will be up and running. i'm putting in my 80 yr old videocard in about 2 minutes to make sure the monitor has nothing to do with it. but here's were i need help.

i want to get linux running with my 8500 so i need to update the drivers. i know very little and am gonna need detailed help on how to do this. i have mandrake 9.0 and redhat 8.0, but am probably gonna go with mandrake because of its beatiful fluffyness.

i can get to the command prompt and all that but i need commands to help me get these drivers updated. i know someone mentioned the "links" command but i want to go in with a bit more knowledge than that, considering this is honestly probably my 24th install (account about 15 to my damn raid controller). the page where the linux/XFree 86 4.2.0 Display Driver build X4.2.0-1.4.3 's can be found is

http://mirror2.ati.com/drivers/linux...1.4.3.i586.rpm

thanks for everyone taking the time to help me

Ok this solution would definately be better than any of those troublesome commands!!!
I've just found out that Suse Linux 8.1 does support the latest Ati and Nvidia Cards as mention in their website.
So why trouble yourself then???

Yes, I have been to the RH site, and cannot find anything that states KDS monitors are supported. I do not think they are as well. Not sure what to do about it, as I have a XF-9e, and am a newbie.