On Mon, 8 Jan 2001, Jon Biddell wrote:
> Has anyone any experience of running Linux (specifically, SuSE, but any
> distro) on a Compaq Deskpro 4000 (P233mmx, 64Mb, 2.1gb H/D) ??
>
> I can't seem to get X to run without locking up using the SVGA server.
>
> Jon
First, it's always worth checking whether you are getting any log
messages that might point to the problem? Check through
/var/log/XFree86.0.log
Also, any reason not to upgrade to X 4.0.2? Seems to be running stable
for most and fixes hardware problems for a lot of people. Worth trying
if you are having hardware problems.
Last, it's always worth a quick web search. According to
http://www.dsm.fordham.edu/~moniot/linux-compaq/Xwindows.html:
"This particular model of Compaq has some idiosyncrasies that complicate
running X-windows."
"First, if you use Xconfigurator to configure your graphics, it always
selects the XF86_SVGA driver. This is the wrong choice. According to the
documentation, this driver is supposed to be compatible with the S3
ViRGE and ViRGE/VX chipsets and superior to XF86_S3V, but apparently
Compaq has messed with the video in some way that makes the Deskpro 4000
incompatible with the XF86_SVGA driver. The symptoms of this problem are
that the mouse pointer has a block to the left of it and when you drag a
window, its contents get garbled."
"The fix for this problem is to use the XF86_S3V driver instead of the
XF86_SVGA driver. You cannot use Xconfigurator to configure it, since
there is no way to make the current version of Xconfigurator choose the
S3V driver. It seems to think the SVGA driver is perfect and no one
would make any other choice. You can choose the S3V driver by using
xf86config instead."
*SNIP*
"The second problem with X-windows is that when you shut down X or
switch from X-windows to console mode, the text console is garbaged. (I
have not seen this behavior on any other model of computer, including
more recent Compaq Deskpros.)"
"The fix for this problem is to run the program vga_reset after the
switch. This program can be obtained from the Slackware distribution in
d1/svgalib.tgz. For instance, it can be obtained from the Sunsite
archive or mirrors thereof. Many thanks to Dmitry Grigoriev for
informing me about this program."
"If you use startx to run X windows, you can add a line to execute
vga_reset at the end of /usr/bin/X11/startx. It would be nice to find a
way to run vga_reset automatically whenever the display is switched from
X to console mode (for example by control-alt-F1). If anyone knows how
to do this, please let me know."
The home page for all this info on the Compaq Deskpro 4000 is at
http://www.dsm.fordham.edu/~moniot/linux-compaq/index.html
Moral of the story: stay away from integrated hardware OEMs
cheers,
Martin
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