calling all hardware gurus - ATI card issues

[mr orion77]

i've had this problem with my ATI radeon since i bought it, when i restart my computer after installing a driver/kernel compile etc.
the display stays blank and i get no picture on the screen e.g. no Bios screen.
although if i boot into windows the display restores eventually when the OS has loaded, id assume thats because the windows drivers are better than the linux drivers.

this is a problem since i dual boot otherwise i wouldnt be so concerned.

anybody have an idea, i've asked around and nobody seems to know of a solution.

[glitch003]

Hmm... Seems more like a software problem than hardware, If it works with windbloze.

[acid45]

I used to have an IBM monitor that did that...I switched to a different monitor IBM G41 and the problem went away. I could do so much with the old monitor but then once it got so far in the linux boot it would crap out. The monitor worked fine under windows. I ran the xfree86 configuratio script SOO many times I just eventually switched to the other monitor expecting it to do the same...it worked...

Hope this helps...

Other things to know about my system at that time...

Slackware 8.0
nVidia GeForce 4MMx440
The "other" monitor was one that came with an old IBM K6 aptiva. I don't know which is newer the aptive monitor or the G41.

HOWEVER! When I used that "other" monitor with the aptive it came with with the same distrobution it worked fine...funny things eh.


Windows drivers suck...you can't see how they work...they just do...

You can't see what else it's doing either = /

[mr orion77]

id love a new monitor (gateway desktop brand - says it all) but being a poor student i am stuck.

thanx anyways

[Nonnacrats]

i have used ATi official release drivers on many different ATi/motherboard combinations, and with both Mandrake and Redhat distro's, and with kernels that i cooked here at home. Be sure to run the ATi configurator, its generally very good and advised over the stock x86 configurator.
Just my 2 copper pieces, good luck and hope you get it solved

Rob

[mr orion77]

is that a specific program or part of the package with the drivers??

[MMYoung]

It comes with the ATI Drivers but not with the standard drivers that come with the kernel. I think it's called fglrxconfig.

[IsaacKuo]

This sounds like a hardware problem to me--specifically, I expect the monitor is going bad. Normally, a monitor can handle a range of resolutions and refresh rates, and can display them all within its valid range. However, it seems that your monitor can no longer handle plain vanilla 640x480x60hz (the usual boot up resolution), and can't handle whatever resolutions your Linux setup is using. Your Windows setup is set to some resolution/refresh rate which your monitor can still handle.

What is the resolution and refresh rate your Windows setup is set to?

If you can temporarily bring your computer somewhere to hook it up to a different monitor, you can go and set your Linux setup to match your Windows's resolution/refresh rate.

[mr orion77]

it works absolutely fine with my ati rage 16mb card that came with the computer. its the radeon that causes this problem - i assume.
its just i cant play some decent games without the card otherwise id stick with the rage.

[IsaacKuo]

That's quite strange. The bootup display works with the Rage but not the Radeon? They're both AGP cards, right?

There must be something wrong with the Radeon, then. I find it strange that it's unable to display the plain vanilla 640x480x60 display, but it IS able to display whatever resolution you've set your Windows setup to. Strange as it is, the solution seems obvious as I said--change the Linux resolution and refresh rate to match the Windows resolution/refresh rate.

Anyway, here are the steps you need to take. PLEASE at least do the first step:

1. Boot up in Windows and write down the display resolution and refresh rate. (Right click on the desktop and select "properties", etc...I hope you're familiar enough in Windows to be able to do this.)

2. Take out the Radeon and stick in the Rage.

3. Boot up in Linux.

4. Change the Linux resolution and refresh rate to match the Windows settings written above. Depending on your Distro and desktop environment, there may be a convenient GUI to do this. Or you may need to edit your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file (if it exists, or /etc/X11/XF86Config if the XF86Config-4 file does not exist). Make a backup copy of this file before editing it, of course.

5. Reboot into Linux to see if the resolution change worked. If you've never messed with XF86Config-4 before, you may have accidentally messed things up and booted up to a text prompt. Or maybe you changed things but you didn't change the correct thing. Anyway, we're here to help.

6. Take out the Rage and stick in the Radeon.

7. Boot up again in Linux to see if it works!

[mr orion77]

done it dude, heres the resolution i had for windows
1280x1024 60Hz 24-bit colour

in linux
128x1024 60Hz 24-bit colour i choose the folowing rates
v = 30-70
h = 50-160

its not the linux bootup as such but the actual BIOS screen i dont see at all.
if i can figure out how to get the BIOS screen up then im sure the linux boot mode would be visual too. this only happens when i restart not after switching the computer off then on again, which is what i always did for dual booting.
so clearly something goes wrong when i reboot the machine rather than turning it off/on

[acid45]

Uh, try testing it on another monitor if nothing is working. See if one of your roomates/dormates/friends have a monitor that you can go to their place and use for the boot up and some minimal testing. If it works and your computer is still under warantee contact gateway. :D

It shouldn't be the card if it works fine under windows...

I would check the monitor out before you smash your head on the wall over this :P
[/2cents]