fixed frequency +Radeon 9000 on a PCI-Slot

kong · n00b Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 3

I have a problem running a Sony GDM 1964 with a radeon 9000 which is on a PCI-Slot of my K7SOM motherboard.
I used Windows XP and it produced a complete system-breakdon, when i opened any videofile. Screen froze and nothing helped but rebooting with the power-button of the computer. Now i have a gentoo 2.4.25 system and the screen doesn't make any problems. Lately i compiled a new kernel (2.6.7 gentoo) and it booted ok. But: starting the x-Server produced the same breakdown i knew from windows. The log-file does not help: it contains no differences to the log-file, which is produced by starting the x-Server with the 2.4.25 kernel - without breakdown! For testing i installed slackware 10.0 with a 2.4.26 kernel: It does boot, but startig X leads to breakdown. All three kernels use the same XF86Config-file (in slackware: xorg.conf - just another name, same contents). The gentoo-kernels use the same X-server, slackware another. The gentoo-system is freshly compiled with /usr/src/linux pointing to the 2.6.7 kernel-sources (the 2.4.25 kernel still works allright with X)
Therefore i wonder: Windows produces breakdown, some linux do also, looks like a software-problem, because gentoo 2.4.25 doesn't break down. On the other hand: log files produced by breakdown-sessions contain no difference to the 2.4.25 kernel's logs: looks like a hardware-problem.
The sony GDM 1964 is an old fixed-frequency monitor. And i think it is unusual to run a radeon 9000 on a PCI-Slot. Maybe my problem has something to do with this - but i really don't know! Thanks for all advice!

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2004 11:39 am Post subject:

kong,

The Sony GDM 1964 isn't quite as fixed frequence as your post suggests. http://www.datordesign.se/servsupo/sony/moni/mod/GDM-1964.html
shows that XF86Config should contain

kong · n00b Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 3

NeddySeagoon,

sorry, was on holyday, so i answer that late. Your Information about the GDM 1964 is not correct. If you write: "HorizSync 61.4-68.7", your X-Server will not start. You must write "HorizSync 61.4, 68.7", for the monitor not being able to accept the range between those two frequencys, but only the exact values (trust me, i tryed).
Also: The monitor does start up, showing me kdm or xdm, even kde once started completly with the 2.6.7-gentoo kernel; gnome didn't till now, and most trys resulted in breakdown as described even before the desktop-environment starts completly. But in my opinion it can only be a problem with the desk.env. if these (kde as gnome) use kernel functions - if awaylable - wich are not awaylable in the 2.4.SomethingBefore6-kernels. Maybe there are such funktions and i can turn them off ??? Must be some funktions windows has - or at least compareables, activated by playing video files or starting a modern game - since win98.

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 5:52 pm Post subject:

kong,

Sorry about the misinformation. I hope you enjoyed your holiday.

Does the monitor synchronisation change with temperature?
That is, if you start X with the monitor turned off, is it OK for a few seconds after you switch it on?
Or will it work if it has been on for half an hour to 'warm up'?

What happens, is that with age, the timing componets in the monitor change values and it no longer works quite as it did when it was new.

Can you post the resolutions you are trying to use and the modelines for them, if you have your own modelines.

Doing the arithmentic, you get 722 or 808 per frame, or twice that in interlaced modes. I've not had much luck finding out if these tie into the standard VESA modes preprogrammed into X. If not, you will certainly need your own modeline.
_________________
Regards,

NeddySeagoon

Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail.

kong · n00b Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 3

NeddySeagoon,

thanks for your tips, maybe they are very useful for trying to optimize my monitors performance, but I think you misunderstood my problem. So I try it again:
The monitor is working, not with the high resolution it worked with windows till now, but I wanted to optimize this later on. For now I have another problem: Starting X whith the gentoo-2.4.25-kernel causes no problem at all. kde comes up and runs whithout any breakdown. X is compiled with /usr/src/linux pointing to the gentoo-2.6.7-kernel sources (maybe that doesn't matter, but for information in case it matters). Starting the same system with the same X-server and configuration but with the 2.6.7-kernel causes a system-breaksown. Not a monitor-braekdown: I can still see a picture (in most cases the kde-splash), but the picture is frozen. That means: the jumping icons at kde-startup stop jumping, I see the mouse-cursor, but it doesn't move when I move the mouse, typing ctrl+alt+backspace doesn't lead to anything. I don't think it is a problem directly in the X-system, because the X-logfile of a breakdown-session does not contain any difference to the logfile of a 2.4.25-kernel session.
Perhaps you know where I have to look for a logfile that could help?
My tip for the reason of the breakdown is: the newer kernel provides some funktions which kde uses if available, that the old kernel does not provide. These funktions have something to do with the graphics-device and my divice (Radeon 9000) produces some mistake when these functions are called - although it is run whith the appropriate driver. My main-question is: Are breakedowns like mine any known issue whith my hardware (Radeon on a pci-slot and old monitor, which could eventually produce some overloading ore something), or do I simply have a broken graphics-device, which refuses to do the modern jobs, althoug it should be able to handle them?

regards,
kong

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 10:44 am Post subject:

kong,

I think I understand better.
When the picture freezes do your keyboards LEDS flash?
That would indicate a kernel panic.

Are you able to log in remotely and check dmesg?
Does the soft off power button still work (if you have an ATX PSU). If not, your system has crashed in a big way, possibly hardware related.

Have you considered trying twm as a testbed?
Its not clear at the moment if its an X or a KDE problem. Trying another window manager would resolve that.
Do you use a graphical login or do you have to say startx to run X and KDE?

How did you create your 2.6 kernel .config file?
_________________
Regards,

NeddySeagoon

Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail.