Volker Kuhlmann wrote:
WinXP - fine. SuSE 9.1 KDE 3.2 - same VGA480 mode fault.
SuSE 9.0 KDE 3.1.4 - had been mucking about previously, & gotten projection right through a combination of SaX2, "Compaq Presario" screen selection, & setting it to 1280x1024 max. This makes the desktop stretched & needing scroll movement with touchpad to get about all of it
Fedora Core 2 - *best result*: Gnome, Generic LCD Panel 1024x768 detected. Laptop LCD & projection correct. [ X.org ]
All this smells like timing differences in the video signal. As it's always the same hardware, it's a question of getting the software to program the video hardware in a way which gives identical timing to 'doze. The differences between distros is nothing intrinsic - just how each of them decides to program the video timing. The correct course of action is to find out the correct modelines which give a good result.
First I'd try to find any Linux which comes up with useable modelines. Or perhaps good ones, as opposed to just usable ones. If that turns a blank, some action with an oscilloscope (I have access to one) might be in order for debugging and investigation.
Ok, I've tried stuff & better understand what's going on now.
The laptop panel is a fixed 60Hz (as in WinXP) @ 1024x768. The projector does a range up to 78Hz & 1024x768. By reproducing the condition which led to success on Fedora (projector attached/on @installtime), I now have the gear running properly with SuSE 9.2 too (nice release, thanks Derek; also X.org ?). The trick is to set X around 75Hz to drive the projector; the laptop panel then just ignores the impossible & displays its highest capability (I think).
I have copied the modelines in from Knoppix to the Ubuntu XF86Config-4 (attached, has comments) but there was no effect. There's probably chaff in there to dump. Before that I tried a fresh install of the newer Ubuntu 04.10 with projector on, but it's panicking on unrecognised root partition (which I'm off to resolve next).
The good news is that there's still a partition free to try Gentoo again next year :-) So far, I don't see it as an ATI driver issue though.
Cheers,
Rik
