Problems with XFree86

[alcacic]

Having problems with XFree86. I think. Just installed my new ATI Radeon 8500LE (video card) and it won't work with my best friend, Linux-Mandrake 8.2.

I enter the wrong runlevel or something. It boots me into the text-based login prompt. Not a problem. But when I say "XFree86" or "X" it says that there is a problem with the log file. Could this be because of the video card, or just a coincidence?

And how do I fix it? With Xfree86 4.2.0, the driver for Radeon 8500-series is included.

Maybe I'm just entering the command wrong. I want to use KDE, is there a way to do this directly? Perhaps easier than how I intended to do it? Even if the problem would still exist?

Thanks,

[JP83]

I enter the wrong runlevel or something. It boots me into the text-based login prompt. Not a problem. But when I say "XFree86" or "X" it says that there is a problem with the log file. Could this be because of the video card, or just a coincidence?

You should say startx and runlevel can be found in /etc/inittab file.

[alcacic]

Well that's a start. My system boots into runlevel 5 (which I know to be for X) and then switches to 3 after login. Here is what it says after I type "startx" into the command line:

"XFree86 version 4.2.0 / X Window System
(protocol version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)
Release Date: 23 January, 2002
If the server is older than 6-12 months, or if your card is
newer than the above date, look for a newer version before
reporting problems. (See http://www.xfree86.Org)
Build Operating System: Linux 2.4.18-1mdksmp i686 [ELF]
Module Loader present
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/XFree86.0.log", Time: Sun Nov 3 11:02:13 2002
(==) Using config gile : "/etc/X11/XF86Config-4"
(EE) No devices, detected.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

When reporting a problem related to a server crash, please send
the full server output, not just the last messages.
This can be found in the log file "/var/log/XFree86.0.log".
Please report problems to xfree86@xfree86.org

XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining."

As if it can't tell my monitor is there. You and I both know it is. Linux found it before, with the old card. I'm notifying MandrakeSoft.

[ashoksagar]

You have made a change in your hardware configuration.


"ATI has updated their site with official drivers for the Radeon 8500/8500LE. They have a version for XFree86 4.1.0 and 4.2.0, and claim to require glibc 2.2. The files are only available in RPM. The drivers come with a QT control panel, and support dual monitors. "

http://www.linuxgames.com/news/index.php3/5860

Try the ATi drivers. They should recognise your video card and you should be able to run X. BTW the device not found error relates to yur video card not monitor.

[JP83]

If that doesn't help post your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file.

[mdwatts]

Fatal server error:
no screens found

You changed video cards and now the 'Screens' section will not work with the 8500.

You need to reconfigure X.

[alcacic]

Ok thanks. I was going to get the ATI drivers, but there are two problems with that:

1) I wouldn't know how to install it without X.
2) When I download the drivers in Windows with Mozilla, an odd screen comes up and it appears I should ... play a sound file. Try it yourself?

I'd like to learn more. What is "screens"?

[alcacic]

Did it. Here's how:

Login as root. Run "XFdrake" (only works in my Mandrake system) and follow the on-screen directions.

Thanks for all your help, I learned a lot.

[bwkaz]

Originally posted by alcacic
2) When I download the drivers in Windows with Mozilla, an odd screen comes up and it appears I should ... play a sound file. That's because you're in Windows, and you have effing RealPlayer installed. RealPlayer registers all .rpm files to itself, so any browser that tries to follow a link to an rpm file will, unless you specifically tell it to "save as" or whatever, try to open up RealPlayer to play it. Which is the wrong thing to do.

This is also why basing file types on nothing more than the file extension, without some authority on which extensions are valid, is a really bad way to do things. Magic numbers or strings inside the actual files (like the %Adobe- stuff in PostScript files) are, imho, a better solution, but Windows of course doesn't do that. Which means very few real file types have predictable magic in them, including apparently rpm's. Sigh...

[quodlibet]

Re:

That's because you're in Windows, and you have effing RealPlayer installed. RealPlayer registers all .rpm files to itself, so any browser that tries to follow a link to an rpm file will, unless you specifically tell it to "save as" or whatever, try to open up RealPlayer to play it. Which is the wrong thing to do.

...

I'm running mozilla 0.9.9 under linux, and I can't download .rpm files either. How do I tell mozilla to "save as"?

[bwkaz]

Right-clicking and hitting "Save link target as..." should work. If not, right-click, hit copy link location or whatever it is, and do a wget <and hit the middle mouse button to paste>, and that should work as long as wget is installed.

[quodlibet]

Okay, I'm able to download .rpm's now, but how can I tell Mozilla not to try to play .rpm files, just download them. I remember under Netscape (on that other OS) I was able to tell it just to download all .rpm files. In mozilla, would that be associated with pluggins, or maybe in some KDE dialog? I tried commenting out the line about rpm's in /etc/plugginrc, but it didn't change anything, even after I restarted mozilla.

Thanks for the help so far . . .