Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Wed, 23 Nov 2005, sindi keesan wrote:

> I have two Tseng ET4000 pci video cards which I was testing with David's
> framebuffer kernel on two computers that are dual-head (they have MGA card
> with TTL monitor and VGA card with VGA monitor).  They both worked
> consistently in their two computers.  Xvesa often crashed on exit.  X
> worked on one not the other. 

> We put the 'better' Tseng card into this computer where the other Tseng
> card was.

The Tseng that would do X on the other computer won't do X on this 
computer.  It is somehow related to the motherboard (a Soyo).
(I think I am using the same XF86Config on both boards).  I will switch 
computers (to something with USB) or cards (to S3).  Matrox won't display 
1280 on most 15" monitors.

I just ran across mention of a VESA 2.0 patch for S3 Trio64 and Virge 
cards for DOS.  Don't know why David's linux patch did not work.  Maybe it 
would work with a newer kernel?  S3 cards seem to always work perfectly 
and unlike Matrox and other AGP cards they display 1600 res on a 17" 
monitor.  But framebuffer makes for more readable smaller text.

I have one AGP S3, a Trio3D that won't do X except in 320x200 - perhaps in 
a different computer it would do better?  But everyone had problems with 
it in linux.  One Russian site suggested three cures:  exchange the card, 
use it in framebuffer mode, or try some different modelines.  It works 
fine with Xvesa for me.

> I booted into DOS and got lots of flashing characters all over the screen
> and saw nothing on the VGA screen.  Booted to linux and it got as far as a
> line about ide1.  Rebooted to DOS, more upper ascii - a small square full
> in upper right corner, lots of flashing.   Typed mode co80 - "function
> co80 not supported on this computer".  (So it is probably not the monitor
> or video card causing the problem).
>
> What part of the computer normally supports co80 (VGA)?  BIOS?  Some other
> chip onboard?  I have had computers where MGA did not work, but I never
> lost VGA.
>
> Can using framebuffer do this sort of damage to a computer?  I don't see
> how the old card could have damaged the new one.

I replaced the card, VGA worked again.  I put back the old card, it works 
in VGA now.  Perhaps the card was not pushed in all the way?

xfbdev is not useful except where neither Xvesa nor X will 
work, but you can't switch between X and cli without losing X.

All my video chips/cards but Tseng (and one WD laptop) do Xvesa.