i just compiled xfree86-4.2.0 on my brand new sony vaio fxa59 and i'm having 
some strange issues getting x to start correctly.  here's the quick rundown.

everything compiled and installed fine, and i'm using the attached XF86Config. 
as you can see from the attached XFree86.0.log file, there are no obvious error 
messages popping up on me...  but instead of getting a nice x screen when i 
'startx', i get a jagged lined (almost like chain links) and speckled grey 
screen with a little white box in the upper left corner (about 1" square).  this 
is not the "x is running but there's no wm" screen...

the specs sheet that came with the laptop says it has an ATI 3D RAGE MOBILITY-M1 
and a 15.0" SXGA TFT screen that's supposed to run at 1400x1050.

now i was completely stumped for a while, but i've actually made a positive 
discovery...  oddly enough, if i plug a monitor into the vga out on the laptop 
and switch the display over to it (which works) and then switch it back to the 
lcd, the lcd works correctly.  now, this is a good thing...  but having to plug 
the thing into a monitor whenever i want to use x kinda defeats the entire 
purpose of a laptop...  ;-)  baby steps in the right direction, though.

if i log into x, do the external monitor trick, log out of x, and log back in 
the lcd still does not work. (i have to do the external monitor trick again)  i 
also have to redo the external monitor trick if i do a 'ctrl-alt-+' to change 
the active resolution.

so, anyone have any idea whether this is a video card driver problem with x?  or 
an lcd compatibility problem with x?  or just an XF86Config problem?  (starting 
to doubt that last one...)

someone else i spoke with actually suggested that it might be a problem with x 
not detecting the route from my video card to my lcd screen.  is this a posibility?

thanks in advance!

-mike

ps - as an odd side note, when i attempted to install redhat 7.3 on the laptop, 
the graphical install worked fine (doesn't that use an x-server?) and it even 
succeeded in testing the video settings...  but when i started up x after 
installing, it did the same thing.  but still, why would redhat's graphical 
install and x test thing work during the install?  i believe the graphical 
install uses a framebuffer x server...  but why would that be so different? (i 
obviously don't know what a framebuffer x server is, or i wouldn't present such 
a silly question...)

pps - my appologies for the novel.  ;-)  you'de be writing books trying to fix 
this too if your brand new $1700 laptop had no x.  !@#$%

-- 
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|              Michael D. Labriola               |
|        [EMAIL PROTECTED]        |
|                                                |
|          Admiralty Drive West Apt F4           |
|             Middletown, RI 02842               |
|                (401)846-4085                   |
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Attachment: XF86Config.gz
Description: application/gunzip

Attachment: XFree86.0.log.gz
Description: application/gunzip

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