Slack 8.1--X gives fatal IO and Virtual height
 

Hello,

After having worse problems than the one I have now, and being unable to fix it, I decided I'd just reinstall Slackware. I first deleted all the partitions, repartitioned, formatted the new partitions, then reinstalled.

Right after I installed, I thought I'd try to startx. XFCE started up just fine (the resolution sucked, but it was viewable), but then I moved my mouse. I moved it about 1/4 inch, and the mouse pointer got lodged in the upper right corner of the screen.

CTRL+ALT+Backspace

Back to bash prompt. I go to XF86Config, and find that my mouse is set to P/S 2, so I change the protocol to "Microsoft" as it is a generic 2 button serial mouse (I had this same problem the first few times I installed any Linux distro and this fixes the mouse problem). I startx and the mouse works perfectly. However, my resolution isn't as sharp as I would like.

After having reviewed and researched my video card (Trident TGUI9660 with TGUI9680 chipset with 1024 Video RAM) I found that it is compatible with Linux, and that it should be able to handle 1024x768 (even if at 8 bit). The 800x600 is just too huge for me. I researched my monitor (Hyundai DeluxScan 15G+) and found the correct horizontal and vertical syncs/refresh rates. After doing xf86cfg, I found the "clocks" rates as well for the Trident card.

I go to edit XF86Config and this is what I have (I took out all the excess comments provided by the file):
-------------------------------------------------------------
Section "Device"

Identifier "tgui9660"
Driver "trident"
VideoRam 1024
#Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate

End Section
Section "Screen"

Identifier "Screen1"
Device "tgui9660"
Monitor "My Monitor"

# Default Depth 8
# Default Depth 16
# Default Depth 24
# Default Depth 32

SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

Depth 32
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
End SubSection
End Section
-----------------------------------------------------------

The reason I didn't change "My Monitor" yet, is that it created huge problems for me last time (causing me to eventually reinstall). Now, notice there is no "View Port 0 0" or anything remotely related to Virtual Screen/desktop. This does not appear on my XF86Config file until I run xf86config. After I ran this last time, and selected no for virtual desktop I ran into major problems. Someone once advised me to comment out glx so right now it is at:

# Load "glx"

Everything else, other than what I posted above, is still set to default.

With the XF86Config file as is, I went to startx and got the following:

(EE) TRIDENT (0): Virtual height (0) is too small for the hardware (min 128)
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration

Fatal server error:
no screens found

XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

I have done various searches through the General Linux Questions, Window/Desktop Managers, and Technical Support forums only to find that this particular string of events has not been reported here before (most are nVidia drivers needing to be downloaded). I have seen some with the same XIO error and the no screens found errors, but none with the virtual height error. Additionally, the resolution to most of the other people's problems has been to run xf86config or XFree86 -configure or...

Last time I ran xf86config, I ended up having more problems than when I started. For some reason, X seems to prefer the VESA framebuffer defaults and all the other default generic video settings. I had no problems when I was running Mandrake 8.1, so I know the video card works well and according to xfree86.org, it is compatible and supported.

Oh yeah, if anyone has a copy of their XF86Config file where:

# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate

is actually filled in correctly, could you please post it for me? I've got all the information, but I don't know the correct format I should use. Thank you kindly.

Thanks to those who took the time to read all this. Any suggestions are appreciated.

You don't seem to have your monitor defined in your XF86Config File.

You should have a section like:
------------------------------->8---------------------------
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Hyundai DeluxScan 15G+"
HorizSync <your_monitors_horizontal_range>
VertRefresh <your_monitors_vertical_range>

# The following is a Modeline example, If you decide to uncomment the second line after this comment, I am not guaranteeing it will work perfectly.
# 1024x1024-61Hz,64.2kHz (uncomment below, not this one)
#Modeline "1280x1024" 110 1280 1328 1512 1712 1024 1025 1028 1054
End Section
---------------------------------->8---------------------------

The above Section is usually defined after the InputDevice Section.

AND. . .

Make sure you change the Monitor definition in your Screen Section from Monitor "My Monitor" to Monitor "Hyundai DeluxScan 15G+", if you decide to use the example above. . . And input the approprite Vertical and Horizontal ranges of your monitor as well.

Hope this helps,

GL

P.S. Are those all the settings in your XF86Config file? Or you also took out some Sections from it along with the commented stuff? Just curious, because I do not see a Modules Section, a Files Section, an InputDevice Section, etc. . .

WRT your clock timings, XFree86 -configure should be able to detect them and write them for you. . .

You can also try XFree86 -probeonly to check out what XFree86 Finds about your card before making changes. . .

/edit: Added P.S.
/edit: fixed Monitor Section example

Thanks for quick response!

You're right, I did leave out much of the XF86Config file. Reason is, I had to copy all that by hand, then type it into my pc at work. At home, my wife's Winbox is the only one connected to the internet (still can't get pppsetup to work--but that's another animal:D). Anyway, I didn't include several sections, as they were all set to default or were not causing any problems. The reason I didn't set my monitor section correctly is that last time I did, I had CRAZY problems with X which basically caused me to reinstall after 2 weeks of trying to fix it with xf86config. I had the correct monitor, horiz/vert rates, etc. My system got hosed pretty good (X couldn't find several files, etc).

I've got my clock timings, but the "modelines" I've never seen in an XF86Config. I'll have to research that a bit more as I'm confused by them right now.

Oh, just to give some background, I know that my video card is good and compatible as it worked fine when I had Mandrake 8.1. I decided to go with Slackware so I could get my hands dirty (which I am) and so far I'm enjoying it, problems and all.

I'm going to try the two command that you gave me as well since I haven't tried them yet. xf86cfg seemed to freeze up too. But, I probably just didn't give it time to run. The screen went blank for about 3 minutes (but then again, I'm on a Pentium 120Mhz, 80MB RAM system). I ended up stupidly hitting reset. I checked the XFree86.8.log file and found lots of info that it was getting, but then errors showed up as well (I'm attributing this to my hasty reset).

Thanks again for the suggestions. I really appreciate your help. I'll try this tonight when I get home from work and keep you posted. :)

K

One thing I forgot to mention is to make sure you run the XFree86 command as root. But I am sure you already knew that. BTW, the command resides under /usr/X11/bin. Just in case you need to find it.

GL

Cool, thanks. I knew about the root part (after the reinstall I haven't even created a new user yet anyway). I did not, however, know where command resided. I'll give it a shot tonight.

There is no directory /usr/X11/bin. I've got /usr/X11R6/bin.

I tried running both commands. XFree86 -probeonly provided the same errors as above with the (EE) TRIDENT... and XFree86 -configure told me to run the /root/XF86Config.new which I did--blank screen.

I'm going to run xf86config and enter in all the information about my monitor and graphics card, etc. Hopefully it works. If not, I'm guess I'm going to have to just live with all the defaults. I have no idea why this is happening.:confused:

I did a search with your particular problem, and what I found out was that some users where missing setup information wrt their monitor, or had the wrong refresh rates for it.

Out of curiosity, when you run the XF86Config.new file, what does the /var/log/XFree86.0.log file say? Does it give you the same error, or does it show something different happens?

Could you also show me your Monitor Section? I am curious about the info you are writing there as well.

L8

Okay, I ran xf86config, entered everything as it's supposed to be, and then checked XF86Config. I'm going to post everything (except comments) so you can see what I have. I ran startx and the screen went completely blank (again--it always does this after I run xf86config and provide all the right stuff). I tried to toggle resolutions (CTRL+ALT+"-" and CTRL+ALT+"+" as well as CTRL+ALT+Backspace to get out), but I was forced to CTRL+ALT+DEL to reboot. I checked /var/log/XFree86.0.log and there were no (EE)'s in there, but there was one (WW) which is:

(WW) System lacks support for changing MTRRs

Also, for every single resolution, I got:

(II) TRIDENT(0): Not using default mode "****x****" (insufficient memory for mode)

where **** equals ANY resolution.

Additionally, I just checked and found out I'm running XFree86 version 4.2.0. Is this too high of a version for my system (Pentium 120Mhz, 80MB RAM, 4.3GB drive, Trident TGUI9660 video card 1024 RAM)? I think I might need an earlier version. BTW, I am NOT dual booting, this is a strictly Slack box. :D

K

At least you are getting a different error this time, which is sort of good.
My believe is that the XFree86 server has problems loading a resolution. What happens (at least if you have not specifically stated a Modeline) is it cycles through a bunch of built in default resolutions, and fails at every single one for whatever reason. In your case I think It may be a memory issue, but then again, you say it worked with Mandrake 8.1. Which is kind of odd.

Maybe you just need to indicate your total memory in your config file. . .or,

Maybe, the driver included with Slackware may not be the latest for your trident chip. Check this URL for the latest trident driver so you can give it a shot.

I will be checking for you config file later tonight, or tomorrow.

L8

/edit: fixed statement

Sorry it took so long to reply.

Here's my XF86Config file (Reader's Digest version because I'm typing it all out using a monitor switchbox to back and forth between my wife's Winbox and my Slackbox:eek:):
**************************
Section "Module"

#This loads the "DBE" extension module

load "dbe" #double buffer extension

#comments snipped
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga"
End SubSection

#snip
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"

#snip
End Section

Section "Files"
#snip
RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"

#snip
FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/local/"
FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/misc/"
FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
# FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/Type1/"
FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/Speedo/"
FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/75dpi/"
# FontPath "usr/X11R6/lib/X11/100dpi/"

#snip
End Section

Section "Server Flags"
#snip--everything is commented out
End Section
********Input Device Section******
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "Keyboard"
#snip
Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
#snip
Option "XkbRules" "xfree86"
Option "XkbModel" "pc101"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

*******Core Pointers InputDevice Section******
Section "InputDevice"
#Identifer and driver
Identifer "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "Microsoft"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
#snip
EndSection

#snip
******Monitor Section*******

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Hyndia DeluxScan 15G+"
#snip
HorizSync 30-70
#snip
VertRefresh 50-150
EndSection

******Graphics device section*******
#Standard VGA Device:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Standard VGA"
Vendor "Unknown"
BoardName "Unknown"
#snip
Driver "vga"
#snip
EndSection

#Device configured by xf86config:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
Driver "trident"
#VideoRam 1024
#Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection
********Screen sections******
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen 1"
Device "Trident TGUI9660"
Monitor "Hyundai DeluxScan 15G+"
DefaultDepth 8

Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768" "800X600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800X600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800X600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
EndSection
*********Server Layout section********
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Simple Layout"
#snip
Screen "Screen 1"
#snip
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection
**************

And that is it.

I checked that page a while back (the TGUI9660 driver will not work with the TGUI9660 card, you HAVE to use the TGUI9680 driver, which for some reason works--according to Trident and many other sites I've searched). When I set it up with the TGUI9680 driver, it worked in Mandrake 8.1. Now, xf86cfg detected my card as TGUI9660 with a TGUI9680 chipset. If I select TGUI9660 in xf86config, I get a blank screen when trying to startx. Same thing happens if I try to select TGUI9680 in xf86config. It's really weird. With Mandrake 8.1 setup, I had the choice of installing 4.x.x version or 3.x.x (can't remember them exactly). I went with 3.x.x. With Slack install, there were no options. If it is the version that's killing me, how would I go about getting rid of 4.2.0 and going with a 3.x.x?

BTW, I really appreciate all your help and support you've given me. I hope I can return the favor someday. Thanks.

HMMM, your config file seems to be fine. I see nothing out of the ordinary.

Things you can try in the mean time:

1.
..........a) Uncomment the #VideoRam 1024 argument line
..........b) Run startx again
..........NOTE: If you want to force a particular depth when running startx
........................then you can run it like this startx -- -bbp <depth>.
..........c) If it fails, continue, else you are done. 8^)

2.
...........a) Instead of using the trident driver as you are doing. Maybe you could
................use the generic VGA driver instead, or the generic VESA driver.
................So, first comment the line Driver "trident" out with the #.
...........b) Below it type Driver "vga"
...........c) Save the file
...........d) run startx again
...........e) If it fails, continue, else you are done. 8^)

3.
...........a) Follow directions from step 2a from above, but comment the line
.................Driver "vga" out this time.
...........b) Below it type Driver "fbdev"
...........c) Save the file
...........d) run startx again
...........e) if it fails, then "CRAP!!!!!!!, a;sldkjf;alsjdie;j" . . . . . . 8^( , and continue

4.
............a) Post errors or warning found in the log file while running the vga driver
.................and the frame buffer driver.

Then we can go from there. . . again. . .

BTW, can you try to use FTP between your wife's box and your box? Don't waste your life away with unecessary typing when you don't have to . . . ;^)

GL

/edit: fixed typo

I just realized one thing this morning while checking your XF86Config file. In your config file, you are not forcing a specific chipset for XFree86 to use. Therefore I believe that when the XFree86 Server loads your config, and attempts to detect your video, for whatever reason keeps loading the 9660 chipset instead of the 9680 that you want. It is an assumptions since I do not have your logs. . .

Also, what backs that assumption up is the fact you have mentioned xf86config detects your card as a 9660, which mostlikely the XFree86 server does as well whey you try to run it . . .

SO . . .

What you can do to force the XFree86 Server to use the 9680 chipset instead (So at least you can feel sure it is using the right chipset when you start XFree86), you can add the Chipset <chipset_type> option to your config file, like:

------------------------------->8-------------------------------
Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
Driver "trident"
Chipset "tgui9680"
VideoRam 1024
#Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection
--------------------------------->8-----------------------------

Then, give it a go again with startx, and see what happens.


GL

Thanks. I think I'll try the second suggestion first, with the chipset force. If that doesn't work, I'll try with the steps 1-4 that you provided. I'll give it a try later tonight.

I would, but both boxes are using 33.6 modems. I have no idea how to network them yet. As for FTP, (don't laugh) I never FTP'd anything in my life.

I'm on a switchbox right now with cables going all over the place. My desk looks like something Dr. Frankenstein would have used had computers been around back then. :p

Okay, here's what happened when I entered the chipset info. The screen went blank for a few seconds, but then a portion of the XFree86.0.log came up with the following:

<comments>
(EE) TRIDENT(0): No support for "tgui9680"
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Fatal server error:
no screens found
<comments about reporting problems>

XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

Then the bash prompt comes up. I've seen this error before, but have know clue as to what it means. I'll post the results of your other suggestions in a few minutes. :)

Okay, I uncommented as suggested, and ran startx -bpp 8. I got a blank screen with nothing on it. I tried toggling screen resolutions, then tried backing out of X--nothing happened, so I rebooted. I got the same as before in my fifth post on this thread--no (EE)s, just that (WW).

Okay. I'll show you my Device section of XF86Config as it stands:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
Driver "vga"
# Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
# VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

This at least brought up something (with just startx. XFCE loaded up, but the mouse pointer was the size of a Buick. I could see the lower left corner of the desktop. I changed the XF86Config file again to look like this:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
Driver "vga"
# Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

And I got the same thing. So I changed XF86Config to look like this:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
Driver "vga"
# Driver "trident"
Chipset "tgui9680"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

With a just a normal startx I got a blank screen, then a portion of XFree86.0.log:

(WW) VGA: Chipset "tgui9680" in Device section "Trident TGUI9660" isn't valid for this driver
(EE) No devices detected.

Fatal Server error:
no screens found

<and then I got the same XIO error>. So I went on to step three.
And XF86Config now looks like this:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
# Driver "vga"
Driver "fbdev"
# Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

This yielded

(EE) No devices detected.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

<and I got the same XIO error as before>

I tried with XF86Config as above, and with the VideoRam commented out and got the same results. I switched back to

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
Driver "vga"
# Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
# VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

And resolution of:
Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768" "800X600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "800X600" "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "640x480"
ViewPort 0 0
EndSubsection
EndSection

And everything is still HUGE. I can only see the lower left corner of the desktop again. I chose a default depth of 8 which should have selected the first resolution of 1024x768, but apparently, it went straight to 640x480 (or smaller). I can post my /var/log/XFree86.0.log, but it'll take some time. I have to type it all out (unless I can get my internet connection working through command line--maybe then I can copy and paste somehow?). If you need it, I'll post it up, but give me some time.

Again, thanks for all your help.

Wow. . . I am running out of options. . . hehehe

try the following using the TRIDENT driver WITHOUT the Chipset declaration.

First, the command should be startx -- -bpp <depth> just like it is written. . . maybe that may help a bit. . .

Second, I would like you to search through your log after you run startx with the trident driver, and search for the following strings:

-The string: "Trident TGUI 96xx" <- this should take you to the info about the PCI slot where the card is found. If you do not have this string anywhere, then give me the line that contains the pci information of your card from running the command lspci -b . It shoud have a format like -> MN:OP:Q VGA compatible controller . . ., etc. (Where M <-> Q, are integers)

What I want to see is if there may be a problem with XFree86 finding the video card. . . What gives me a clue is the output from when you ran the "fbdev" driver where it could not detect any device.

If you feel like you want to go ahead, you can try this out as well:
...........* When you get the line containing the pci information for you card
..............(from the lspci command from above). The begining group of
..............numbers is the Bus I.D. where your card resides in the machine.
..............Take note of those numbers.
...........* Now open up your config file and add the line
..............BusID "PCI:MN:OP:Q" (just as you noted from running
..............lspci) to your Device section where you load the
..............trident driver.
...........* Save and startx again as previously explained.

Hopefully fbdev will behave a bit nicer with you. You can also try this with the other drivers as well.

-The string: "Chipset <chipset_name> found!" (Where <chipset_name> will be the name of the chipset found). This string should give us a better idea of what chipset it thinks it finds. . .

I hope this causes better results for you . . .

GL

/edit: fixed declaration

Okay, with my XF86Config looking like this:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
# Driver "vga"
# Driver "fbdev"
Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

I ran startx -- -bpp 8. I typed it in exactly as that. I got a blank screen. The hard drive would spin for a few seconds, then nothing. I couldn't toggle any settings or back out of X, so I had to reboot.

My /var/log/XFree86.0.log shows the following string:

(--) PCI:*(0:11:0) Trident TGUI 96xx rev 211, Mem @ 0xfb000000/22, 0xfa800000/16

after various resource ranges and modules loaded (like dbe, extmod, type1, freetype, etc.) it loads module "trident":

(II) LoadModule: "trident"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/trident_drv.o
(II) Module trident: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.2.0, module version = 1.0.0
Module class: XFree86 Video Driver
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.5

I also ran lspci -b just in case. Here's what I got:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 430HX - 82439HX TXC [Triton II] (rev 03)
00:07.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II] (rev 01)
00:07.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82371SB PIIX3 IDE [Natoma/Triton II]
00:0b.0 VGA compatible controller: Trident Microsystems TGUI 9660/968x/968x (rev d3)

That is exactly what came up. There is no more and no less. I changed my XF86Config to this and ran startx:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
# Driver "vga"
Driver "fbdev"
# Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
BusID "PCI:00:0b.0"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

I got a portion of the /var/log/XFree86.0.log and it showed:

(EE) No devices detected.

Fatal server error:
n screens found

(and I got the same XIO error.)

So I changed my XF86Config to look like this and ran startx:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
# Driver "vga"
Driver "fbdev"
# Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
BusID "PCI:00:0b:0"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

I got the same thing. Okay, I made a couple of changes to XF86Config:

*****Graphics device section******
#snipped comments
Section "Device"
Identifier "Standard VGA"
VendorName "Uknown"
BoardName "Unknown"

#snip
#Chipset "generic"
#snip
Driver "svga" ---->used to be just "vga"
#snip

Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
# Driver "vga"
# Driver "fbdev"
Driver "trident"
# Chipset "tgui9680"
BusID "PCI:00:0b.0"
VideoRam 1024
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

I ran startx and got the following:

(WW) TRIDENT: No matching Device section for instance (BUSID PCI:0:11:0) found
(EE) No devices detected.

Fatal server error:
no screens found
(same XIO error)

Why is the PCI section different? This is odd. I ran it again, but used BusID "PCI:00:0b:0" instead. I got the same thing so I used BusID "PCI:00:11:0 this time. This resulted in a blank screen and a reboot. /var/log/XFree86.0.log showed the following:

(II) Primary Device is: PCI 00:0b:0
(--) Chipset tgui9660 found

This is weird. When I ran lspci -b I got PCI:00:0b.0, and the log shows PCI:00:0b:0. Does this matter? I'm at a loss here. It seems like it can find the card and driver just fine, but it X can't. I don't know what the deal is.

Seems we are getting somewhere since we get no errors.

The 0b and 11 are the same thing (0b being 11 in hex). However, it seems that the XFree86 Server does not like hex number for BUS I.D.'s, so when you actually changed the 0b to an integer, then it was able to find the chipset (as you noted in your last switch configuration switch).

Now that you know it can detect a chipset, try to force the tgui9680 chipset when you run X. Then check the logs to see if in fact it tried to load that chipset as stated in your config file or not.

Also, let's try to give it the board name as well. . . in your case the board name will be "TGUI 96xx"

So, your Device section should look like this:

-------------------------->8-------------------------
Section "Device"
Identifier "Trident TGUI9660"
# Driver "vga"
# Driver "fbdev"
Driver "trident"
BoardName "TGUI 96xx"
Chipset "tgui9680"
VideoRam 1024
BusID "PCI:00:11:0" #NOTE: You had it PCI:00:0b.0" (see '.')
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection
--------------------->8-----------------------

One last thing to check is whether something else may not be loading right, like for example, your mouse. Sometimes a problem with the mouse will not let XFree86 display, eventhough there were no error. Just look for any lines that may look odd to you from the log . . . BTW, some problems do no start with the usual (EE) in some cases because they sometimes are output within a successfull load.

Another thing to try would be the other two 968x chipsets: "tgui9682" or "tgui9685". If you would like. . .

Hope we are getting closer. ;^)

GL

/edit: fixed typo

Thanks. I'll try it later tonight and post the results. Do you think the XFree86 version could be too high for my old box? If this fails, you think I should try another reinstall?

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. The wife was up late last night and she's jealous of my computer. I didn't get to try anything out until now. Here's the what happened:

When I added the BoardName "TGUI 96xx" I got the following:

(EE) TRIDENT(0): No support for "tgui9680"
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Fatal Server error:
no screens found
(I then got the same XIO error).

When I tried changing the chipset to tgui9682 and tgui 9685 I got the following:

(WW) TRIDENT: Chipset "tgui9682" <or tgui9685 respectively> in Device section "Trident TGUI9660" isn't valid for this driver
(EE) No devices detected
(then I got the no screens found and XIO errors)

/var/log/XFree86.0.log showed no errors other than those above, and everything else looks good. It also lists the avialable support for Trident and both 9660 and 9680 are in that list. This makes no sense. I tried again, but used chipset 9660 and had to reboot. I got this in XFree86.0.log:

#snip the beginning
(WW) Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) (No such device)
#snip more stuff that looks good
(**) Chipset override: tgui9660
(**) Chipset tgui9660 found
#snip more stuff that looks good
(WW) System lacks support for changing MTRRs

I tried with tgui9680 as chipset and got the same thing as above (no support for tgui9680 et. al.). I have no idea what's happening now. Any thoughts? Should I go with an older Slackware or version of X? Again, thanks for helping me out on this one.

Sorry I have not gotten to you earlier, but I have been busy the last couple of days, and right now I am catching up with email . . .

Anyhow, I did a bit of research and it seems that some old cards support have been broken with the 4.2.X versions. Mainly the the video cards that are considered very, very, very, very. . . , very old by today's standards.

So now, you only have a choice. As you have previously questioned about reverting back a 3.3.X release of XFree86, now, I believe, reverting back is your only choice.

I checked the 3.3.X release version of XFree86 in Mandrake(since you mentioned it worked), and found out they have been using the last known 3.3.X version of XFree86 release for old video cards detected during installation. It being version 3.3.6.

If you would like to install the 3.3.6 version of XFree for Slackware, you are going to have to obtain the packages from the 7.1 version release of Slackware under the x1 directory category. A mirror link is here .

First uninstall ALL the packages that are relative to your current XFree86 installation. If you are not sure which are they, then check the contents of your install cd under slackware/x.

Then, install the 3.3.6 version (and its related packages) that come in the 7.1 release version of Slackware.

Once you install it, you can run the xf86config to setup your XFree86 server, and hopefully you should be on your way. . .

Make sure you make a copy of your current XF86Config file from your current version of XFree86 (I recommend to copy it to the home directory) so that you can have a reference if you need to when configuring 3.3.6 . . .

Hope this helps. . .

GL

Thanks for helping me through this whole ordeal. I really appreciate you taking the time to follow along. I'll try do as you suggested tonight when I get home.

I just checked out that link you provided. I don't know if I'll be able to get the files since my box isn't hooked up to the net yet (I can't get my pppsetup to actually work, although, when I was able to open the GUI in HUGE resolution, I could setup Kppp with all my info and it worked fine).

Is there a way to grab all those files at once or do I have to select them individually?

Another thing, I'll have to do some reading up on installing/uninstalling and copying files as I've not done anything with files yet (only uninstall and install the OS and play around with settings in GUI, etc.). Hopefully it's not too painful.

Since I can't get the GUI to work right, any hints on pppsetup? I've gone through it a few times setting up the "expect ***" and "say ***" but for some reason it just doesn't fly. I know my user name, password, DNS, gateway, etc. are all correct, but it doesn't seem to take. I'll try it again when I get home. Is there anyway to run Kppp from command line? Maybe it will work if I do it that way? I've never connected to the internet from command line so this will be a new experience for me. If I like it, I might just keep it that way.:D

You can setup your ppp via cli by using the pppsetup application provided for slackware. Just make sure you read what each step tells/asks you, and how to run it as well. If you want to get a heads up, you can check out the /usr/doc/Linux-HOWTOs/PPP-HOWTO that comes with your distribution. It should not be that difficult to achieve.

WRT an ftp client for cli, I tent to use ncftp. It is very nice, and easy to use. Just make sure you read about it. Either search the net once you connect for tutorials, or just check its manual.

If you want to learn more about how to install/remove packages. Check the manuals for installpkg, removepkg, and pkgtool (i.e. man <application>).

GL

edit: /added info

Thanks for all the suggestions. I read the HOWTOs for ppp and lots of stuff on www.tldp.org. I also read the man pages for the package tools you suggested. I the ran the pppsetup again. It said I need to add ppp to my kernel. I tried to run a make config and a make menuconfig but "make" is not found. The pppsetup went very well though. It wrote all the necessary files. I checked through some files and one of them (I can't remember which one unfortunately) said that make should be found in /bin/bash or /bin/sh. I cd'd to /bin and ls'd to find both bash and sh. Neither were there. I'm thinking I'm going to need to reinstall again. I had tried pppsetup in the past a few times with Slack 8.1 and was able to successfully make config but not "make menuconfig" at least one of those tools was available. I don't know why it can't find it this time. You think I should reinstall again or is there another way to get the "makes" setup correctly?

I just thought I would let you know that before I posted this problem I had done everything I could think of to find a solution. I had searched various messageboards, websites, books (Running Linux, Linux in a Nutshell) and couldn't find anything that was the same as or similar to my problem. I even reinstalled Slackware. I had posted this exact same problem on another Linux help website on 10-16, and still have had no responses--but almost 20 reads. You are the only person who's taken the time to help me out with all this and I wanted to thank you for your time and patience. I hope I can return the favor in the future.

Edit: added info

In order to have make, you need to install the development tools. You can
do this using pkgtool (man pkgtool). Mount your 8.1 install disk and go to
the appropriate directory that contains the development tools (you can
read the file list to find where the dev tools are).

Are you now working on a different problem from what you began with? It
looks like you still have the X problem, but are having a problem with
getting connected via PPP?


I believe the XFree86.org FTP site allows one to download a directory
with a command like:

ftp> get 3.3.6-directory.tar

where 3.3.6-directory is the directory that contains all the files you need.
If not, there may be mirrors that allow this (it's server dependent).

NP :D

Maybe the packages that come with the tools were not installed during installation. Did you choose everything when you installed? Or did you let Slackware select?

To be sure of what you have installed in your system, you can check the contents of /var/log/packages. In that location you will find files with the package names you have installed in your system. If a package name you need is not present, they you are going to have to install it with installpkg. Like this:

installpkg <package_name>

Another way to find out whether a specific binary has been installed in your system (whether an application, or library) is to grep for its name. Like this (assuming you are currently in /var/log/packages):

grep <string_to_find> * | more

where <string_to_find> is the name of the application/library you are trying to see if is installed.

If the above command finds it, then you will see the filename that contains your <string_to_find> is the package name that you installed from the cd.

From that point on you make your own decisions/approaches. You can either removepkg and then installpkg the same package to try to fix the problem if it you feel there may been a bad install.

Or, if it does continues not to work after you re-install, you might check whether all the necessary libraries have been installed for that particular binary you want to run. Example:

Let's say you are trying to run foo, but foo does not run. So you search in /var/log/packages to see if it is installed using the grep command as explained above. Then you find it is installed under /usr/local/bin from your query. So, you say to yourself: "WTF?!?!"
So now you wonder if maybe all the depencies for that binary have been met, because maybe one of them is missing and causes foo not to run.

To check, you would run the following:

ldd /usr/local/bin/foo

Where, "ldd" is a command which will show you whether all library depencies are present for foo to be able to run. When you run it, you get the following output (remember this is a made up example):

librt.so.1 => /lib/librt.so.1 (0x4002d000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x4003f000)
libpthread.so.0 => Not Found
/lib/ld-linux.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x40000000)

Then you notice that libpthread.so.0 is not found. Which means the package containing libpthread.so.0 has not been installed. Now you are left with the option to find which package contains libpthread.so.0 in your installation cdrom. To make it easy, you can accomplish this by running the following little script I just wrote:

------------------------->8----------------------
#!/bin/sh

if [ ! "$1" -o ! "$2" ]; then
echo "USAGE: $0 <slack_package_repository> <pattern>";
echo "DESCRIPTION: simple script that locates files withing "
echo "..............a slackware packages, or any archive with the"
echo "...............tgz extension"
exit 1
fi

for file in `find $1 -type f -iregex .*tgz -print`;
do
result="`tar ztf $file | grep $2`";
if [ "$result" ]; then
echo "$result";
echo "|-> $file";
fi
done

-------------------------->8-------------------------

Do the following before running it:

- Transfer it to a file and name it whatever you want.
- Make sure the file has executable permission (i.e. chmod 755 <file>)
- Run it like this:
...../<file> in the command line, so that you learn what arguments it
....takes.
....(NOTE: <file> is the filename you gave the script)

Once you are familiar with this, you can mount your cd. For example:
mount -t iso9660 /dev/<device> /mnt/cdrom

And then run the script:
./<file> /mnt/cdrom/slackware libpthread.so | more

Finally if it finds it, you will get an output sort of like the following:

usr/local/lib/libpthread.so
usr/local/lib/libpthread.so.1
usr/local/lib/libpthread.so.1.0
usr/local/lib/libpthread.so.1.0.3
|-> /mnt/cdrom/slackware/yy/libpthread-1.0.3-i386-i.tgz

Where each line begining with |-> will contain the path of the package that may contain what you are looking for.

Then, for the example search, we see that libpthread.so is found in the libpthread-1.0.3-i386-i.tgz package under:
/mnt/cdrom/slackware/yy/

So now, all you would have to do is install it. . .

Hope this helps you a bit with your XFree86 version 3.3.6 install . . .


ALSO, make sure your have the ppp package installed from your cdrom (usually under slackware/n). PPP support should be already active in your kernel if you have not changed it and recompiled it . . .

To check if ppp is available for your kernel, run the command:
modprobe ppp
If you do not get any errors, run the following:
lsmod
And see whether ppp is loaded.
If it loads, then activate it for reboot by uncommenting the ppp module activation line(s) in the file "/etc/rc.d/rc.modules".

The lines you want to uncomment should be:

/sbin/modprobe ppp
/sbin/modprobe ppp_generic
/sbin/modprobe ppp_async
/sbin/modprobe ppp_deflate

Although I believe that if you just uncomment /sbin/modprobe ppp, that it should be enough. . .

If it does not load, then there may be something wrong with your installation.

Anyhow, once you succeed loading up ppp for your kernel, you should be able to connect to the internet using the ppp tools.

GL

edit:/ fixed bolding
edit:/ added ppp bit

Moses, thanks for joining in. I'll definitely check out what XFree86.org has got. I tried to mount the cdrom and it couldn't find any media. I checked /etc/fstab and /etc/mtab and it was listed there perfectly. I don't know what happened. It just couldn't see anything on my 8.1 cd.

LNXman, again I thank you for your support. I checked /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and uncommented /sbin/modeprobe ppp and rebooted. It worked, but it couldn't find ppp module. To answer your question--I did an install that allowed me to pick and choose programs (probably a mistake). As for all the other stuff you mentioned, I'll have to do some more reading on it as I'm extremely new to Linux. I've had it installed for a few months now, but am VERY new to it still. Although, all the troubles I've had with Slackware has helped me learn more than I think I would have without them. I've learned mostly about the file structures, and how to edit files a bit. However, I've also learned alot about finding solutions to problems. The steps you mentioned are still a bit over my head, but I've got this page bookmarked for future reference.

I'm going to reinstall again as I'm not having much luck. This time, I'm going to let Slackware do a full install and I'll just remove stuff I don't need later. This way, I'll be starting out with everything I need and some stuff I don't. Hopefully I'll be able to fix my problems faster this time around with a new install of everything.

I'll be using both of your suggestions after the install to obtain an older version of X and for package handling.

Thanks again guys.

If the CDROM drive is listed in /etc/mtab, the device is mounted, or the
OS thinks it's still mounted for some reason. Did you get an error that
said something like "media not found"?

Post the result of:

(as root)
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

and

mount


DON'T reinstall! If you do that, you'll just start over with many of the
problems you may have already solved. . .

To do a "full" install after you've already installed Slack, you can go to
your /mnt/cdrom (or wherever your CD is mounted, once you get it
mounted), and install packages as you need them. This is, in my
opinion, a better solution than reinstalling, as it allows you to become
familiar with the pkgtools of Slackware (and more generally, whatever
distro you are using). It also allows you to become familiar with the
various packages that make up the full distribution that is Slackware.

moses,

I had already started reinstalling before your post. However, I've taken a break from Linux for the past few days as my reinstall had some errors. I figured out that one should never attempt to do anything with Linux after having slept for 3 hours and been at work for 10 hours. I will be doing another reinstall soon as the last one was botched. I know it was my mistake because I've installed Mandrake 8.1 3 times, Slackware 8.1 about 15 times and never have gotten this error. I don't remember the error at this time, but it won't matter after I format, repartition and reinstall.

Now, some news for both you and LNXman:

I might be getting another PC soon (I don't think I can pass it up). It's a pentium 266MHz, 192MB RAM, 8 or 16 MB vid card, 10GB hard drive, A 24 or 56x CD-ROM, a new sound card, and the only thing on board is the NIC. I don't have all the specs on the makes and models of the hardware, but if it's Linux compatible, I'll be scooping up this PC for $75 Canadian and installing Slackware 8.1 on it. Hopefully, since it will be newer than my current PC (Pentium 120MHz, 80MB RAM, 1MB vid card, 4.3GB hard drive, 8x CD-ROM, ancient sound card, old 33.6 Kbps modem), it will be less of a hassle to work with the hardware. I've read countless threads and websites where people have had problems with the Trident vid cards and hopefully this "new" PC will have a different one. If all goes well, I'll be getting this PC next week and be able to install Slackware, get cable internet access, setup my PC as a firewall and server, and network the 3 PCs. This will take some time for me to understand Linux enough to start doing this, but it will be worth it.

I really appreciate your help in all of this, and I will definitely be returning to this thread in the future for reference when problems arise. You guys have been great, and hopefully I'll be able to return the favor someday. Thanks again! :)

EDIT: added hardware

Well, good luck! I hope it works out better for you. You might consider
keeping your other 'puter around just for messing with (if you have time). . .

Hey guys,

I was thinking of re-installing Mandrake 8.1, pasting the XF86Config file here, removing Mandrake, re-installing Slackware 8.1, then copying the text from this website, and pasting it into my XF86Config file for Slackware. I remember having WAY more information in XF86Config for Mandrake and was thinking this could work. Do you know if vi or another text editor would allow for copy and pasting? I've only used vi so far and my knowledge with it is limited. Do you think this could work? If it does, then I'd be set. I've already re-installed Mandrake and found that XF86Config has all the Mode Lines and ALOT more info than my Slack XF86Config. The main difference is that I am using XFree86 v. 3.3.6. I don't the XF86Config file would be any different for XFree86 v. 4.1.x but I'm not sure. Do you think this will work?

The XF86Config file for the XFree86-v3.3.6 has a slight different format than the 4.X versions. So it will not work right of the bat. You can try to ported if you would like, but chances are some of the options from the 3.3.X version may not be available for version 4.X. I would just suggest to just stick with the 3.3.6 version of XFree86, by downloading the packages from the mirror I gave you in one of my earlier posts.

What I would do . . .

When you install Slackware 8.1, install everything except the XFree86 packages (It is the "x" dir under the "slackware" dir in your cd). You can, then, use lynx (the cli browser) to load up the forums, navigate to this thread and then download ALL the packages for XFree86-v3.3.6 from the link I gave you earlier. Or, you can use ncftp to download them as well. Then, install the packages using installpkg or pkgtool. And finally, copy the XF86Config file from your Mandrake, onto your machine (under [/b]/etc/X11[/b].

Then again, you can try to see if the options from the 4.X version, ARE honored, in the 3.3.X version. . .

It is upto you. . .;)

WRT vi. . . you can use vi to edit both files using your console.

Once you are in the screen console, you can call vi with the file you want to edit. Then hit ctrl+w s to split the screen. Once you have the 2 screens, you can switch between the 2 by hitting ctrl+w w. In whichever one you want, you can load the file you need to get the information from. To accomplish this feat you do the following:
1. hit [esc] <- which brings you to command mode
2. type :e <filename> <- loads the file you want (notice ':')

If sucessfull you will have the two files you want in one split screen. Just remember which split screen you are in when trying to paste.

If you would like to use the mouse to copy and paste, then you can call gpm prior to working with vi so that you can have mouse capabilities in your screen. To do that, you call gpm like this:
gpm -t <mouse_protocol>

For more info, do a man on gpm. Sometimes, you may need to add the option -m <device> for your mouse to work, so make sure you read the man page if you have problems loading your mouse.

Hope this helps. . .

GL

edit:// fixed obvious typos for future readers

Hey guys,

I just wanted to thank you both again for all your help. Just an FYI, I ended up buying that box I mentioned earlier. I just got it 2 nights ago. The specs are slightly different than before, but I'll post 'em just for fun:

AMD K-6 266MHz (My first AMD and I love it)
Tekram P5T30-B4E mobo
128MB DIMM RAM
6.5GB Fujitsu HDD
S3 ViRGE/DX 86C375 video card
Opti Sound Card
Generic NIC
Logitech 3 button serial mouse
Crappy keyboard where the | key is right next to the +/= key

So, I switched out the Opti sound card and replaced it with my old SoundBlaster because I know for sure it works, and I switched out the NIC with my modem. I hooked up my normal keyboard too. I now have a fully functional Slackbox!

I haven't tried to get it connected to my ISP, because I'm not too sure what port my modem sits on. I know exactly where on the mobo it is, but it doesn't have any markings indicating if it's /dev/ttys2 or /dev/ttys3 or what. I have 2 serial ports (comm1 and 2 in Winspeak) and 3 ISA slots. On my old board, it was the same but only 2 ISA slots and they were marked comm3 and 4. Any thoughts on how to check for certain where my modem resides on the board?

BTW, I want to thank both of you for all the help you've provided. It is very much appreciated. You guys are both too :cool:

Y.W.

If you want to check which com port your modem is (assuming it is not a winmodem OR you have the appropriate windmodem module running), you can do it the geek way with the echo command like this:

echo "atdt<some_phone_number>" > /dev/cuaN

where N is a number 0-4 and <some_phone_number> is some phone number to dial. Whichever of the devices dials when you send the command to it, then that device has your modem installed in it.

Then, you can create a modem symlink name to that device (i.e. cd /dev; ln -s cuaN modem) so that you won't have to fiddle around with other apps that use the /dev/modem device by default.


GL

That's one way, another is to make sure your /etc/rc.d/rc.serial script is
executable, then run it (or if it is already executable -- default),
dmesg | less
look for Serial. It will probably report more than one device, but it should
be clear which is the modem (I can't give you an example, the serial ports
are turned off in my BIOS, and I can't reboot right now).

You guys both ROCK! I tried both ways and both ways came up with /dev/ttys3 for my modem. This post is proof that it works!

Thanks for everything guys! I owe you both BIGTIME!