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From: Frank Millman on 8 Dec 2008 04:01
Hi all

I am trying to install FC10 on a desktop machine. I am over-writing an
existing installation of FC7, which worked ok.

For some reason I cannot get it to work in graphical mode. The
installation gave a very mixed-up screen that was unreadable, so I
installed in text mode successfully. I am now trying to configure X. I
am no expert, and I could not find any information on the Fedora site,
so I am using the information from X.org.

First I typed 'X -configure'. This created a file called '/root/
xorg.conf.new'. It seems to detect the on-board VGA card ok - it shows
it as an Intel 82845G/GL. It does not pick up any information about
the monitor - it just fills in defaults for the identifier, vendor
name, and model name.

Following the instructions on X.org, I typed 'X -config /root/
xorg.conf.new'. It tries to start a graphical screen, nothing appears,
and then the machine hangs.

The monitor is actually an Ultra DT-1454D. I got the specs from the
web and manually entered HorizSync and VertRefresh into xorg.conf.new
and tried again, but it made no difference.

To check that the hardware has not gone faulty, I booted off my old
FC7 dvd, and told it to do a fresh install. It brings up the media
check in text mode, then starts anaconda, and then continues with the
install in graphics mode with no problem. I did not continue past that
point, it was just to prove that the hardware was ok.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Frank Millman
From: Allen Kistler on 8 Dec 2008 15:27
Frank Millman wrote:
> I am trying to install FC10 on a desktop machine. I am over-writing an
> existing installation of FC7, which worked ok.
>
> For some reason I cannot get it to work in graphical mode. The
> installation gave a very mixed-up screen that was unreadable, so I
> installed in text mode successfully. I am now trying to configure X. I
> am no expert, and I could not find any information on the Fedora site,
> so I am using the information from X.org.
>
> First I typed 'X -configure'. This created a file called '/root/
> xorg.conf.new'. It seems to detect the on-board VGA card ok - it shows
> it as an Intel 82845G/GL. It does not pick up any information about
> the monitor - it just fills in defaults for the identifier, vendor
> name, and model name.
>
> Following the instructions on X.org, I typed 'X -config /root/
> xorg.conf.new'. It tries to start a graphical screen, nothing appears,
> and then the machine hangs.
>
> The monitor is actually an Ultra DT-1454D. I got the specs from the
> web and manually entered HorizSync and VertRefresh into xorg.conf.new
> and tried again, but it made no difference.
>
> To check that the hardware has not gone faulty, I booted off my old
> FC7 dvd, and told it to do a fresh install. It brings up the media
> check in text mode, then starts anaconda, and then continues with the
> install in graphics mode with no problem. I did not continue past that
> point, it was just to prove that the hardware was ok.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions?

In Fedora, the X config tool is system-config-display from the setuptool
rpm, at least for F9 and previous. I'd bet the package is the same for
F10, but I haven't tried.

FWIW, you can run anaconda and have it install Gnome or KDE, whichever
you prefer, then boot into text mode by selecting run level 3 in GRUB.
From there you can start the X interface with "startx" to test after
you login (and possibly alter xorg.conf). Ctrl-Alt-Backspace kills X
and dumps you back to text, where you can edit xorg.conf and try again.

FWIW, anaconda just uses standard VGA modes. Any special modes with
particular drivers wouldn't be testing during installation. If all else
fails, it means you *could* use the generic VGA driver for X, but your
resolution options (at the least) would be limited.

It would probably help a lot if you still have a copy of your old F7
xorg.conf to compare to your new F10 xorg.conf. I'm really not a fan of
posting conf files to Usenet, but it might actually help in this case.
From: Frank Millman on 9 Dec 2008 10:29
On Dec 8, 10:27 pm, Allen Kistler <ackist...(a)oohay.moc> wrote:
> Frank Millman wrote:
> > I am trying to install FC10 on a desktop machine. I am over-writing an
> > existing installation of FC7, which worked ok.
>
> > For some reason I cannot get it to work in graphical mode. The
> > installation gave a very mixed-up screen that was unreadable, so I
> > installed in text mode successfully. I am now trying to configure X. I
> > am no expert, and I could not find any information on the Fedora site,
> > so I am using the information from X.org.
>
> > First I typed 'X -configure'. This created a file called '/root/
> > xorg.conf.new'. It seems to detect the on-board VGA card ok - it shows
> > it as an Intel 82845G/GL. It does not pick up any information about
> > the monitor - it just fills in defaults for the identifier, vendor
> > name, and model name.
>
> > Following the instructions on X.org, I typed 'X -config /root/
> > xorg.conf.new'. It tries to start a graphical screen, nothing appears,
> > and then the machine hangs.
>
> > The monitor is actually an Ultra DT-1454D. I got the specs from the
> > web and manually entered HorizSync and VertRefresh into xorg.conf.new
> > and tried again, but it made no difference.
>
> > To check that the hardware has not gone faulty, I booted off my old
> > FC7 dvd, and told it to do a fresh install. It brings up the media
> > check in text mode, then starts anaconda, and then continues with the
> > install in graphics mode with no problem. I did not continue past that
> > point, it was just to prove that the hardware was ok.
>
> > Does anyone have any suggestions?
>
> In Fedora, the X config tool is system-config-display from the setuptool
> rpm, at least for F9 and previous. I'd bet the package is the same for
> F10, but I haven't tried.
>
> FWIW, you can run anaconda and have it install Gnome or KDE, whichever
> you prefer, then boot into text mode by selecting run level 3 in GRUB.
> From there you can start the X interface with "startx" to test after
> you login (and possibly alter xorg.conf). Ctrl-Alt-Backspace kills X
> and dumps you back to text, where you can edit xorg.conf and try again.
>
> FWIW, anaconda just uses standard VGA modes. Any special modes with
> particular drivers wouldn't be testing during installation. If all else
> fails, it means you *could* use the generic VGA driver for X, but your
> resolution options (at the least) would be limited.
>
> It would probably help a lot if you still have a copy of your old F7
> xorg.conf to compare to your new F10 xorg.conf. I'm really not a fan of
> posting conf files to Usenet, but it might actually help in this case.- Hide quoted text -
>

Thanks for the reply, Allen. I spent most of today googling for
information, and trying various suggestions I have read about, but no
luck.

I ran a full 'yum upgrade' (after a lot of difficulty with PackageKit
dependencies) but still no luck.

For some reason Fedora 10 does not ship with system-config-display,
but I followed a suggestion to run 'yum install system-config-
display'. It downloaded ok, but when I run it, I it uses a HUGE font -
all I can see is 'Settings' and half of 'Hardware', and I cannot
scroll the screen, so I cannot do anything useful there.

Here is xorg.conf from my FC7 machine -
--------------------------------------------------------------
# Xorg configuration created by system-config-display

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "single head configuration"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

### Comment all HorizSync and VertSync values to use DCC:
Identifier "DT-1454D"
ModelName "Monitor 800x600"
HorizSync 30.0 - 54.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 120.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "i810"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection
--------------------------------------------------------------

Here is /root/xorg.conf.new on my FC10 machine, as generated by 'X -
configure' -
--------------------------------------------------------------
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "X.org Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
FontPath "catalogue:/etc/X11/fontpath.d"
FontPath "built-ins"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dri"
Load "glx"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
EndSection

Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "SWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "ColorKey" # <i>
#Option "CacheLines" # <i>
#Option "Dac6Bit" # [<bool>]
#Option "DRI" # [<bool>]
#Option "NoDDC" # [<bool>]
#Option "ShowCache" # [<bool>]
#Option "XvMCSurfaces" # <i>
#Option "PageFlip" # [<bool>]
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "intel"
VendorName "Intel Corporation"
BoardName "82845G/GL[Brookdale-G]/GE Chipset Integrated Graphics
Device"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 1
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 4
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 15
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
--------------------------------------------------------------

I tried copying HorizSync, VertRefresh, and Modes to xorg.conf.new,
but it makes no difference.

I experimented with a couple of options in '/root/xorg.conf.new'. If I
remove the comment at the front of #Option "NoAccel", and then run
'X -config /root/xorg.conf.new', it behaves slightly differently
compared to before. It still does not work, but the computer does not
hang. If I return to tty1, the last line says 'intel(0): Failed to
init memory manager'. I can kill it with Ctrl+C and it returns to the
prompt.

Maybe I should be posting all this to the Fedora mailing list, but I
will wait for a bit to see if anyone here has any ideas.

Many thanks

Frank
From: Allen Kistler on 9 Dec 2008 11:23
Frank Millman wrote:
> On Dec 8, 10:27 pm, Allen Kistler <ackist...(a)oohay.moc> wrote:
>> Frank Millman wrote:
>>>
>>> [snip]
>>>
>>> Does anyone have any suggestions?
>>
>> In Fedora, the X config tool is system-config-display from the setuptool
>> rpm, at least for F9 and previous. I'd bet the package is the same for
>> F10, but I haven't tried.
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>> It would probably help a lot if you still have a copy of your old F7
>> xorg.conf to compare to your new F10 xorg.conf. I'm really not a fan of
>> posting conf files to Usenet, but it might actually help in this case.
>>
>
> Thanks for the reply, Allen. I spent most of today googling for
> information, and trying various suggestions I have read about, but no
> luck.
>
> I ran a full 'yum upgrade' (after a lot of difficulty with PackageKit
> dependencies) but still no luck.
>
> For some reason Fedora 10 does not ship with system-config-display,
> but I followed a suggestion to run 'yum install system-config-
> display'. It downloaded ok, but when I run it, I it uses a HUGE font -
> all I can see is 'Settings' and half of 'Hardware', and I cannot
> scroll the screen, so I cannot do anything useful there.
>
> Here is xorg.conf from my FC7 machine -
>
> [snip]
>
> Here is /root/xorg.conf.new on my FC10 machine, as generated by 'X -
> configure' -
>
> [snip]
>
> I tried copying HorizSync, VertRefresh, and Modes to xorg.conf.new,
> but it makes no difference.
>
> I experimented with a couple of options in '/root/xorg.conf.new'. If I
> remove the comment at the front of #Option "NoAccel", and then run
> 'X -config /root/xorg.conf.new', it behaves slightly differently
> compared to before. It still does not work, but the computer does not
> hang. If I return to tty1, the last line says 'intel(0): Failed to
> init memory manager'. I can kill it with Ctrl+C and it returns to the
> prompt.
>
> Maybe I should be posting all this to the Fedora mailing list, but I
> will wait for a bit to see if anyone here has any ideas.

I just double-checked. Yeah, system-config-display is now its own rpm.
I did download one of the Beta DVDs a while ago.
system-config-display was on that one.

A better comparison would be between your F7 and F10 configs as
generated by system-config-display, or at least between F7 and whatever
F10 creates at installation.

If you want to be read by a wider audience, you really want to post from
someplace other than Google Groups. Many (most?) readers of the Linux
lists kill everything from there automatically.
From: FrediFizzx on 10 Dec 2008 01:48
Frank Millman wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I am trying to install FC10 on a desktop machine. I am over-writing an
> existing installation of FC7, which worked ok.
>
> For some reason I cannot get it to work in graphical mode. The
> installation gave a very mixed-up screen that was unreadable, so I
> installed in text mode successfully. I am now trying to configure X. I
> am no expert, and I could not find any information on the Fedora site,
> so I am using the information from X.org.
>
> First I typed 'X -configure'. This created a file called '/root/
> xorg.conf.new'. It seems to detect the on-board VGA card ok - it shows
> it as an Intel 82845G/GL. It does not pick up any information about
> the monitor - it just fills in defaults for the identifier, vendor
> name, and model name.
>
> Following the instructions on X.org, I typed 'X -config /root/
> xorg.conf.new'. It tries to start a graphical screen, nothing appears,
> and then the machine hangs.
>
> The monitor is actually an Ultra DT-1454D. I got the specs from the
> web and manually entered HorizSync and VertRefresh into xorg.conf.new
> and tried again, but it made no difference.
>
> To check that the hardware has not gone faulty, I booted off my old
> FC7 dvd, and told it to do a fresh install. It brings up the media
> check in text mode, then starts anaconda, and then continues with the
> install in graphics mode with no problem. I did not continue past that
> point, it was just to prove that the hardware was ok.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions?

I had the same problem installing FC9 with Intel onboard video in a new
HP Pavillion box that I setup to dual boot. I believe the answer was to
boot Linux with the 'lowres' option. That will allow you to startx and
have a workable display. Then you can set the display resolution to
make it work every time.

Best,

Fred Diether
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