[solved (partially)] desktop freezes after startup

victorvictor · n00b Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 22

hello

i've just installed Gentoo on Asus X62J

everything went fine for the install, but i have problems regarding the X server and the desktop:

1) after the installation of the X server, i type startx to test, and it works; but when I come back to my Gentoo without X, eveything is blurred! the letters are trembling horizontally; i can still read the letters on the screen, but it is very blurry...

2) i've installed gnome-light desktop; i'm able using hal policies (without need of /etc/X11/xorg.conf file); but after a few seconds/minutes, everything freezes : the install i was doing in a terminal, the firefox session, or music software i've installed....

i have installed this with the help of the official doc...
2 problems? or maybe are they related?

thank you

victor
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victor

VoidMage · Watchman Joined: 14 Oct 2006 Posts: 6196

That suggest you've got a problem with kernel config.
Seems something is not right with video card/framebuffer drivers.

victorvictor · n00b Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 22

thank you for your answer

i have a nVidia GT240M graphic card, and i use the free nv driver; i didn't compile anything in the kernel, except support for vesa (build-in, not a module); (i've tried to compile nVidia support for the frambuffer, also build-in, but it was exacttly the same...)....

i must also that i've compiled the last gentoo kernel with real-time preemption patch (from pro-audio overlay)...

No idea what else i could do....

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victor

Rexilion · Veteran Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 1044

It's not recommended to enable the framebuffers + userspace drivers (except fbdev) even if the nv driver is completely userspace. You could try the nouveau driver, your card (nv50) is very well supported by this driver. There driver is in the gentoo main tree (xf86-video-nouveau and nouveau-drm). You need to enable some more kernel configuration for it to work (btw, don't use the staging nouveau!).

victorvictor · n00b Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 22

i've tried it with and without the framebuffers enabled...

thank you for your suggestion, but i've noticed that they say that it can only work with xorg-x11 >= 7.5 (or xorg-server >= 1.7); i've installed the x11 overlay to get it, and i have to unmask a huge bunch packages... then after that there are still 5 blocked packages... i did everything they asked for, but i'm getting blocked at the end...

actually, i just need 2D, because my interrest is computer-assisted music, and i don't need very good graphic performance... unless i install it from gentoo repositories, but recommend on the wiki to install it from x11 overlay... and

by the way i noticed that, on the live-cd of Ubuntu Karmic, it uses the nvidiafb kernel driver; should i try this without what you call the userspace drivers? if yes, how can disable the userspace drivers?

any idea about something i should check? 'cause i'm getting a bit lost...
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victor

Rexilion · Veteran Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 1044

Yes, the current requirement is indeed xorg 1.7.5 sorry for not mentioning that. However, if you activate the overlay (and not the in-tree packages) , than this magic command below will help you out :wink:

victorvictor · n00b Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 22

hello Rexilion

indeed it was a magic command; it worked perfectly (except i had to activate something in the kernel to get drm, but as i don't need it, i did'nt do that part)

the results where much better.... but ended up the same finally : i still got a frozen dektop, after a longer time than previouly (5 to 10 minutes in place of 30 to 60 seconds)

even with the vesa driver, i got the same result!!

not to mention the proprietary nvidia driver which 1) has some kind of bug for GT240M; 2)cannot be compiled against a real-time kernel (since a long time; found many posts on this)...

there must be some issue related to the card-x11-drivers, since it happens with vesa, nouveau and nv driver...

by the way, as i've seen on the live cd of ubuntu that nvidiafb was the kernel in use (it can be compiled in the kernel, either build-in, either as a module), is there a way to force the use of that driver instead of the others?

thank you very much for your help

v
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victor

Rexilion · Veteran Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 1044

Good to hear the command worked

. Pitty it didn't fix your problem. You can force the use of nvidiafb by compiling it into the kernel (press Y at it's option in make menuconfig). But be sure that you disable anything else (nouveau or any other nvidia driver except nvidiafb).

hmm :/ still weird that it locks up though. If I were you, I would starting messing around with kernel parameters such as acpi=off,irqpoll etc. If you want to try that, I can give some suggestions

victorvictor · n00b Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 22

Rexilion · Veteran Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 1044

victorvictor · n00b Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 22

hello

i partially solved the problem : i was using the latest UNSTABLE REAL TIME kernel (2.6.33-r4); when i used the lastet STABLE real time kernek (2.6.31.12-r21) i was able to have a functionally working dektop; we will see how it works now... but i still have the blurry screen when i go back to the terminal, after killing x server

i must say i was not able to get drm with nouveau; there was CONFIG_DRM_NOUVEAU to active in the kernel menuconfig, but i was not able to find it. for now i'm using the classical nv driver; i'm happy to have learned about the nouveau driver; i suppose the version you talked me about is going to be unmasked soon...

thank you so much for your help
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victor

Rexilion · Veteran Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 1044