This is what my laptop's screen with a
newly installed Gentoo system running twm to test X looks like (attached
image). It's distorted with overlapping and mirrored image. I have a
Dell Latitude C800 with the video card.

http://img6.imagebanana.com/img/qq4qz9jf/0705122206.jpg





01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Rage Mobility M4 AGP [1002:4d46]

Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:00a3]

Kernel driver in use: aty128fb



Yes, I have compiled the r128 driver directly into the kernel. Various
people around the internet had posted xorg.conf that was supposed "ati"
as the driver. I do not have that driver. I substituted in the same
xorg.conf with r128, and I still had the same issue. I tried with no
xorg.conf (the default), and I couldn't startx, errored and crashed. I
had also tried X -configure and had the same distorted screen. I know it
is possible to get this working just fine. I had it working just fine
in Arch Linux with r128. I really don't want to go back to using Arch. I
already used fdisk on it to install this new Gentoo system.
Christopher Lemire <christopher.lemire@gmail.com>
Ubuntu 64 bit Linux Raid Level 0



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On Friday 06 Jul 2012 05:09:08 Christopher Lemire wrote:
> **This is what my laptop's screen with a newly installed Gentoo system
> running twm to test X looks like (attached image). It's distorted with
> overlapping and mirrored image. I have a Dell Latitude C800 with the video
> card.
>
> http://img6.imagebanana.com/img/qq4qz9jf/0705122206.jpg
>
> 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee
> ATI Rage Mobility M4 AGP [1002:4d46]
> Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:00a3]
> Kernel driver in use: aty128fb
>
> Yes, I have compiled the r128 driver directly into the kernel. Various
> people around the internet had posted xorg.conf that was supposed "ati" as
> the driver. I do not have that driver. I substituted in the same xorg.conf
> with r128, and I still had the same issue. I tried with no xorg.conf (the
> default), and I couldn't startx, errored and crashed. I had also tried X
> -configure and had the same distorted screen. I know it is possible to get
> this working just fine. I had it working just fine in Arch Linux with r128.
> I really don't want to go back to using Arch. I already used fdisk on it to
> install this new Gentoo system.

You should still be able to startx with no xorg.conf, as long as you have KMS
built in the kernel, any firmware required for your card installed and
instructions followed closely here:

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/xorg-config.xml

PS. 'ati' is the proprietary driver. Given the age of your card you probably
need 'radeon' specified in your make.conf. The above link explains the
necessary.

HTH.
--
Regards,
Mick

I tried disabling r128 and building the raedon driver into the kernel. However, I am getting the message raedon module not found. It's not a module. It's built into the kernel. Xorg.0.log. I mistakenly typed raedom, but then fixed it to raedon, so if you see that in log, I corrected it and tried starting X again.



http://vpaste.net/K3N1v

Here's my .config:
http://vpaste.net/1MsRr

With no xorg.conf, I get:

beastlinux X11 # startx


xauth:* file /root/.serverauth.1891 does not exist


X.Org X Server 1.12.2
Release Date: 2012-05-29
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 3.2.12-gentoo-laptop i686 Gentoo
Current Operating System: Linux beastlinux 3.2.12-gentoo-laptop #2 Fri Jul 6 14:39:55 CDT 2012 i686


Kernel command line: root=/dev/sda3
Build Date: 05 July 2012* 05:40:09AM
*
Current version of pixman: 0.24.0
*** Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
*** to make sure that you have the latest version.


Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
*** (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
*** (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Fri Jul* 6 14:57:42 2012


(==) Using system config directory "/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d"

Fatal server error:
no screens found

Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
*** *at http://wiki.x.org


*for help.
Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.

Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.

Christopher Lemire <christopher.lemire@gmail.com>


Ubuntu 64 bit Linux Raid Level 0

Gnu Privacy Guard Key Fingerprint = 3E1A 9103 EF3D 4885 6866* E9DE C69F 18B3 E13B 0909

Web: http://linuxinnovations.blogspot.com


Jabber: recursivequicksort@jabber.org



On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Mick <michaelkintzios@gmail.com> wrote:


On Friday 06 Jul 2012 05:09:08 Christopher Lemire wrote:

> **This is what my laptop's screen with a newly installed Gentoo system

> running twm to test X looks like (attached image). It's distorted with

> overlapping and mirrored image. I have a Dell Latitude C800 with the video

> card.

>

> http://img6.imagebanana.com/img/qq4qz9jf/0705122206.jpg

>

> 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee

> ATI Rage Mobility M4 AGP [1002:4d46]

> Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:00a3]

> Kernel driver in use: aty128fb

>

> Yes, I have compiled the r128 driver directly into the kernel. Various

> people around the internet had posted xorg.conf that was supposed "ati" as

> the driver. I do not have that driver. I substituted in the same xorg.conf

> with r128, and I still had the same issue. I tried with no xorg.conf (the

> default), and I couldn't startx, errored and crashed. I had also tried X

> -configure and had the same distorted screen. I know it is possible to get

> this working just fine. I had it working just fine in Arch Linux with r128.

> I really don't want to go back to using Arch. I already used fdisk on it to

> install this new Gentoo system.



You should still be able to startx with no xorg.conf, as long as you have KMS

built in the kernel, any firmware required for your card installed and

instructions followed closely here:



* http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/xorg-config.xml



PS. *'ati' is the proprietary driver. *Given the age of your card you probably

need 'radeon' specified in your make.conf. *The above link explains the

necessary.



HTH.

--

Regards,

Mick

Christopher Lemire writes:

> I tried disabling r128 and building the raedon driver into the kernel.
> However, I am getting the message raedon module not found. It's not a
> module. It's built into the kernel. Xorg.0.log. I mistakenly typed
> raedom, but then fixed it to raedon, so if you see that in log, I
> corrected it and tried starting X again.

Do you have VIDEO_CARDS="radeon" in make.conf? That should pull in
x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati, I think that's what has the missing radeon X
module, which is different from the kernel module. I think!

> http://vpaste.net/K3N1v

Whoa, now THAT is a weird Xorg.0.log file!

Um, it's the wrong file

Wonko

After using a modified version of this:
http://www.baltimoremick.com/blog/2008/08/25/dell-latitude-c800-display-problems-with-ubuntu/



For some reason, it says Driver "ati". I changed that to r128 and a few other things in there.

Then, I emerged emerge -av x11-drivers/xf86-video-r128

And the picture is beautiful, crystal clear. Now if I could figure out why my framebuffer goes to a black screen. I had it working. The only change I made was recompiling the kernel with a 3Com driver for my ethernet. So now, the only way is to type my username and password without seeing a thing, then startx or login through ssh. Please help me to get the framebuffer working. Thank you.



.config (I double checked it this time)
http://vpaste.net/KFPZ9
Christopher Lemire <christopher.lemire@gmail.com>


Ubuntu 64 bit Linux Raid Level 0

Gnu Privacy Guard Key Fingerprint = 3E1A 9103 EF3D 4885 6866* E9DE C69F 18B3 E13B 0909

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Jabber: recursivequicksort@jabber.org



On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 8:38 PM, Alex Schuster <wonko@wonkology.org> wrote:


Christopher Lemire writes:



> I tried disabling r128 and building the raedon driver into the kernel.

> However, I am getting the message raedon module not found. It's not a

> module. It's built into the kernel. Xorg.0.log. I mistakenly typed

> raedom, but then fixed it to raedon, so if you see that in log, I

> corrected it and tried starting X again.



Do you have VIDEO_CARDS="radeon" in make.conf? That should pull in

x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati, I think that's what has the missing radeon X

module, which is different from the kernel module. I think!



> http://vpaste.net/K3N1v



Whoa, now THAT is a weird Xorg.0.log file!



Um, it's the wrong file



* * * * Wonko

On 2012-07-06 9:00 PM, Christopher Lemire <christopher.lemire@gmail.com>
wrote:

I tried disabling r128 and building the raedon driver into the kernel.
However, I am getting the message raedon module not found. It's not a
module. It's built into the kernel. Xorg.0.log. I mistakenly typed
raedom, but then fixed it to raedon, so if you see that in log, I
corrected it and tried starting X again.


Actually, isn't it raDEon, not raEDon?

Yes, but that wasn't the problem. I solved it in the last post here

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-7081620.html#7081620


Christopher Lemire <christopher.lemire@gmail.com>
Ubuntu 64 bit Linux Raid Level 0

Gnu Privacy Guard Key Fingerprint = 3E1A 9103 EF3D 4885 6866* E9DE C69F 18B3 E13B 0909



Web: http://linuxinnovations.blogspot.com
Jabber: recursivequicksort@jabber.org





On Mon, Jul 9, 2012 at 7:10 AM, Tanstaafl <tanstaafl@libertytrek.org> wrote:


On 2012-07-06 9:00 PM, Christopher Lemire <christopher.lemire@gmail.com> wrote:


I tried disabling r128 and building the raedon driver into the kernel.

However, I am getting the message raedon module not found. It's not a

module. It's built into the kernel. Xorg.0.log. I mistakenly typed

raedom, but then fixed it to raedon, so if you see that in log, I

corrected it and tried starting X again.




Actually, isn't it raDEon, not raEDon?