video fucked

[voidmain]

If you replace the "sis_drv.o" file with the file you got in the ZIP file (remember, make it lower case), then make a copy of the SiS630 section which includes "DRIVER sis" I believe this should work. I am pretty sure X will append the "_drv.o" part internally when it starts.

So basically you will have a new section in your "Cards" file that looks like this:

Code: [Select]

Of course it would have been nice if there were instructions included with the driver. Fortunately normally most things for Linux include much documentation. This is an exception.

[ April 22, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

[Master of Reality]

this is part of the reason a chat room is a good idea.

I'm actually thinkin of setting up a chatroom site on my old comp. and get the virtual host from fuckmicrosoft "chatroom.fuckmicrosoft.com"

[voidmain]

But then no one else would benefit if we get this working...

[Master of Reality]

hmmmmmm....good point

[voidmain]

Also, "Variant 4" at the bottom of this page:
http://www.webit.at/~twinny/linuxsis630.shtml
looks like it should be just as easy, but use the module from that page and not the one from that ZIP file. Variant 4 doesn't require any recompiling of the kernel.

[Calum]

WAAHAAA!!! YIP YIP! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!! YAYHAYY! et c.

Having had this EXACT same problem as you with red hat 7.0 AND turbolinux 6.1, i had about given up hope of being able to install linux without going through this arduous driver thing for the SiS630 video card that i have onboard.

BUT

I just got mandrake 8.0 from my sister, stuck it in the CDROM and switched on.

A GRAPHICAL INSTALL SCREEN came up!!! with more than 4 colours!!! WITH SUPPORT FOR MY PS/2 GLIDEPAD!!!

Gods, i cannot recommend this enough. red hat do not but mandrake DO provide support for the SiS onboard video cards. It will be well worth your while to check mandrake out. Although you can get it working in red hat (and no doubt a lot of others too) but i can't believe it's all going smoothly!!!

well, install is nearly finished, so next i will find out if there's automatic support for my onboard SiS 630 modem!!!

[Master of Reality]

quote:Originally posted by Calum:
WAAHAAA!!! YIP YIP! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!! YAYHAYY! et c.

Having had this EXACT same problem as you with red hat 7.0 AND turbolinux 6.1, i had about given up hope of being able to install linux without going through this arduous driver thing for the SiS630 video card that i have onboard.

BUT

I just got mandrake 8.0 from my sister, stuck it in the CDROM and switched on.

A GRAPHICAL INSTALL SCREEN came up!!! with more than 4 colours!!! WITH SUPPORT FOR MY PS/2 GLIDEPAD!!!

Gods, i cannot recommend this enough. red hat do not but mandrake DO provide support for the SiS onboard video cards. It will be well worth your while to check mandrake out. Although you can get it working in red hat (and no doubt a lot of others too) but i can't believe it's all going smoothly!!!

well, install is nearly finished, so next i will find out if there's automatic support for my onboard SiS 630 modem!!!

redhat has support for the SiS 630 but not the 650.

[Calum]

ha! well mandrake bloody doesn't!!!

as soon as the installer had finished, the GUI and the mouse support disappeared completely, and i'm left with the blank screen of frustration and the total inability to get a prompt back without rebooting.

I cannot figure out Thomas Winischoffer's instructions. i must be pretty dumb, eh?

SO, i am stuck at the bash prompt again, i have all of thomas' files, but i can't understand all his instructions.
If Master of Reality or anybody else gets their SiS graphics card up and running please let m eknow how you did it.

thank you.

[ April 25, 2002: Message edited by: Calum ]

[Calum]

okay, let's get down to brass tacks here. I am not too knowledgeable, maybe someone can help me with the bits i don't know... from Thomas Winischhofer's site:  

quote:Variant 2: I want sisfb compiled as a module. I want to use X with a depth of 24 and with DRI.

Download the latest sisfb source code and decompress the archive to /usr/src/linux/drivers/video/sis/ (or whereever your kernel source tree is located).

Copy the file sisfb.h over the old one in /usr/src/linux/include/linux.

Configure the kernel to use the SiS framebuffer as a module; do only select SiS 300/630 support, not SiS 315 (unless your machine has a 315/550/650/740.

Apply the DRM kernel patch, choose the DRM module to be compiled as a module (not into the kernel) and re-compile the kernel. (The patch is not required as of 2.4.18-rc2.)

Before starting X, do insmod sisfb mode=none mem=12288 to start the framebuffer driver without changing the console mode.

Using mode:none is up to your preference; if you like a graphical console and sisfb works on your machine, specify a valid mode instead of mode=none, such as mode=1024x768x16.
Download the latest X driver and place it to /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/

Set up the X config file (in most cases /etc/X11/XF86Config-4) with a depth of 24 (DefaultDepth 24 in the Screen section) and specify Option "MaxXFBMem" "12288" in the Device section.

Set the video memory to at least 32MB in the BIOS.

Reboot.

That's it!

okay, i have the latest sisfb source code and i have decompressed them. I have copied sisfb.h over the old one in /usr/src/linux/include/linux.

Now how do i configure the kernel
to use the SiS framebuffer as a module? and how and where do i only select SiS 300/630 support?

I don't think i need the DRM module, since i am now running mandrake 8.0 and i think the kernel is recent enough, but i still would not know how to apply it if i did need to. Does this involve "make config"? if so, do you need to be in a certain directory for that to work?

Now, i am told to do insmod sisfb mode=none mem=12288 to start the framebuffer driver without changing the console mode, but is this necessary every time i want to startx? if so, where can i put it to make sure i don't need to type it on every boot?

Using mode:none is apparently up to my preference, but how should i know if i want to specify a valid mode instead of mode=none, such as mode=1024x768x16? will i see some picture improvement? by this stage in the instructions i am totally lost.

Now i haven't downloaded the latest X driver to /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/
and i haven't set up the X config file with a depth of 24 and Device, "MaxXFBMem" "12288" because i don't know how to do the steps before this. Nor have i set the video memory to at least 32MB in the BIOS, though i don't expect i will need to change the BIOS.

I should be able to easily do all those last things though, provided that the values given are correct, but it's just all that configuring and recompiling in the middle that foxes me. Can anybody help with this? I know it is possible, as i had it working before. A mate of mine got it working though, and I really need to be able to do it myself.
Thank you in advance...

[ April 25, 2002: Message edited by: Calum ]

[Master of Reality]

quote:Originally posted by Calum:
okay, let's get down to brass tacks here. I am not too knowledgeable, maybe someone can help me with the bits i don't know... from Thomas Winischhofer's site:   okay, i have the latest sisfb source code and i have decompressed them. I have copied sisfb.h over the old one in /usr/src/linux/include/linux.

Now how do i configure the kernel
to use the SiS framebuffer as a module? and how and where do i only select SiS 300/630 support?

I don't think i need the DRM module, since i am now running mandrake 8.0 and i think the kernel is recent enough, but i still would not know how to apply it if i did need to. Does this involve "make config"? if so, do you need to be in a certain directory for that to work?

Now, i am told to do insmod sisfb mode=none mem=12288 to start the framebuffer driver without changing the console mode, but is this necessary every time i want to startx? if so, where can i put it to make sure i don't need to type it on every boot?

Using mode:none is apparently up to my preference, but how should i know if i want to specify a valid mode instead of mode=none, such as mode=1024x768x16? will i see some picture improvement? by this stage in the instructions i am totally lost.

Now i haven't downloaded the latest X driver to /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/
and i haven't set up the X config file with a depth of 24 and Device, "MaxXFBMem" "12288" because i don't know how to do the steps before this. Nor have i set the video memory to at least 32MB in the BIOS, though i don't expect i will need to change the BIOS.

I should be able to easily do all those last things though, provided that the values given are correct, but it's just all that configuring and recompiling in the middle that foxes me. Can anybody help with this? I know it is possible, as i had it working before. A mate of mine got it working though, and I really need to be able to do it myself.
Thank you in advance...

[ April 25, 2002: Message edited by: Calum ]

what linux are you running?
linux red hat 7.2 comes with sis630 supported.
run "Xconfigurator" at the command-line and try to setup your video using that.

[Calum]

mandrake 8.0, as i said somewhere else, the setup screen had multiclours and mouse support but once the system was setup, nada.
Tried configurator, no luck whatsoever  

[voidmain]

RedHat is similar that they give you that nice graphical configuration utility at install time but then it's not an option aftarwards.  I believe it is "anaconda" that does this graphical configuration.  But I believe it will do a lot more than just configure X which may not be what you want.

[voidmain]

Calum, did you try "XFdrake"?

[Calum]

nope, will do though...

i'd probably be able to sort it all out myself, except i am hairy on the whole framebuffer concept, thanks for the input guys!