no X on ati radeon9700 : where start debugging?

[gruad]

ati-radeon9700
widescreen-display
acer travelmate 4501wlmi

I cant get any proper X on this machine. To boot I need to use the nolapic-option or the kernel26 hangs. Then booting goes on fine until it says "starting the X11"

and there it stops. Just no X appears, but the system stays in textmode. I tried all other consoles (ALT-F1 to ALT-F12) but no X anywhere.
When I press enter on the boot-console the X-terminates and I find myself in a root-bash.


I tried all imagainable boot-options from screen=1024x768 screen=1280x800 the same with fb and both together and vga=normal and failsafe and xmodule=ati.

The last lines on the screen are:
That video is detected as ATI RADEON MOBILTY 9600 M10 using XFree86(radeon) Server. Monitor is QDS0014, and H:28-96k and V:50-70

I dont even know where to start debug. I consider myself als linux-expert, but traditionally I'm completely lost when it comes to graphics or sound. When I simpy start X with the X or Xfree86 -command, then I get a X on console 5, but no winmanager in it. Dont know which resolution it has.
How could I try to restart the "real" X, or KDE or whatever is needed from command-prompt. I tried to view the usual logs, but didnt find and.

When I issue #X first and then #startkde kde complains that it cannot connect to the X-server.

I feel lost ... thnx for any advice ... thnx,
peter

ps:
I put two entries for this laptop in my KB already:
http://www2.goldfisch.at/knowledge/307 (disable framebuffer to see the first lines after booting)
http://www2.goldfisch.at/knowledge/308 (the need of disabling local apic)

[rabba42]

I have a acer travelmate 4502 wlmi and I use noagp and x is starting. The only problem i have is to configure the wlan. Maybe someone can help?

cheers
Peter

[jul]

I don't know if that can help you:

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/flavio.sta...installer.html

regards
jul