nVidia or Ultrasharp problem?

**marciano** · 07-31-2003, 09:04 PM

I have a Dell desktop with an NVidia GeForce4 Ti4200 graphics card driving a Dell Ultrasharp 19" LCD display (using the DVI connection). Knoppix 7-26 correctly identifies both; actually, the display is detected as "DEL3009", whatever that means.

However, I cannot get the 1280x1024 resolution (native to this display) to work--not even using xscreen=1280x1024. If I use the autodetected nv driver and xscreen=1280x1024, I get garbage on screen (diagonal bands that look like the desktop background); perhaps this is a modeline issue. If I use the fb1280x1024 driver, I get bumped out of X to the command line with an error message saying that no suitable mode for my display was found. Everything works just fine if I let Knoppix boot into 1024x768 mode, except that, of course, the picture is "soft", or fuzzy, because that is not the LCD's native resolution.

I have tried the SuSe 8.2 live eval CDROM, and verified that it does manage to get 1280x1024 working somehow. But I cannot say whether this is an NVidia problem or a Dell Ultrasharp problem---although I suspect the latter.

ANy ideas?
Thanks!
M

**Stephen** · 07-31-2003, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by marciano

I have tried the SuSe 8.2 live eval CDROM, and verified that it does manage to get 1280x1024 working somehow. But I cannot say whether this is an NVidia problem or a Dell Ultrasharp problem---although I suspect the latter.

ANy ideas?
Thanks!
M

Make a copy the file that SUSE is using then when you boot the knoppix CD use the cheat code knoppix 2 to get to the terminal, take the copy of the SUSE working xconfig file and copy it to /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 over-writing the file that knoppix would use then /etc/init.d/xsession start to actually start the X server session for knoppix hopefully it will use the correct options that SUSE did.

**Viro** · 08-01-2003, 12:16 AM

I have a similar problem with my nVidia ti4200. I solved the problem by booting using the commands

boot: knoppix-txt xmodule=nv screen=1280x1024

Basically, I booted up in text mode and everything went fine.

**marciano** · 08-01-2003, 03:30 PM

Thanks! So, is the trick to first boot into text mode, and then start X (via the usual startx command)---or do you mean that there is no way to get X to work?

Anyway, thanks for the tips! I will only be able to try them out two weeks from now, but I look forward to it.

M

**Viro** · 08-02-2003, 09:45 AM

No, X starts fine. Its the framebuffer thingy that knoppix (and most Linuxes) boot into when first starting up.

Post back and let us (especially me) know if it works. Wouldn't want to be handing out false information.

**marciano** · 08-19-2003, 05:07 PM

No joy

I just tried using the boot paramters you suggested. I now get a blank screen as soon as X starts and switches to graphics mode. The display actually goes into sleep mode, which suggests that it's not getting any signal.

BTW, I am driving the LCD display via the DVI connector. I don't know if this means anything, but I'll mention it just in case.

Thanks anyway,
Marciano.

**marciano** · 08-19-2003, 11:54 PM

Hmm.... the plot thickens. I noticed by listing /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 that there is no 1280x1024 modeline, even it I specify it at the boot prompt. Indeed, there is no such line even if I choose "expert" booting and configure X by hand (deselecting all resolutions except for 1280x1024 in the Screen section)!

Any ideas? BTW, I *can* write to /etc/X11/XFConfig-4 (I tried adding a comment line with vim, just to be sure...)

M