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baslinux - Re: [BL] startx on an elderly Thinkpad 755CE

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  • From: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • To: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [BL] startx on an elderly Thinkpad 755CE
  • Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:35:40 +0000 (UTC)

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007, baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

Message from Steven
===================
Sindi wrote:

There is an X configuration file there for the 370C,
with modelines for 640x480 (chipset wd90c30), 500C,
750C, 755C.

It appears that this is the one to use. He says
his ThinkPad is 755CE (see subject line).

Cheers,
Steven

From Sindi:

That was dumb of me!

The E apparently means they added modem and infrared. 755C was $4000 in 1994 and came with 50-100MHz cpu and 170-810MB hard disk, all more than adequate for BL3.

If you use a swap file instead of swap partition you can experiment with different sizes, without repartitioning.

At the Linux for Laptops site, IBM, the XF86Config listed for the 755C has a non-standard modeline for 640x480 (28.322 640 680 720 480 488 491 521) but a standard one for 800x600. Does it really support 800x600? The HorizSync and VertRefresh listed here look much too high for an old LCD screen. Maybe it worked anyway?

I found something more promising for the 755C:

http://www.geocities.com/renomero/linux-tp/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/renomero/linux-tp/XF86Config.txt

HorizSync 31.5 - 35.58
VertRefresh 60 - 67.43
Chipset "wd90c24"
VideoRam 1024
Modeline "640x480" 28.32 640 664 760 800 480 491 493 525
No other resolutions listed for this computer.

Color depth listed as going to 24-bit with svga server, probably incorrect.

A similar XF86Config except for color depth is found at:

http://thinkunix.net/unix/os/linux/XF86Configs/wd90c24-tp755c-debian30r1

Lists this video chipset as 256 colors (8-bit), which is another reason to give up on Xvesa, since Xvesa is not usable at 256 colors (the colors are all wrong).

The above XF86Config is unlikely to work in BL because of the Pointer device being /dev/gpmdata and it calls for fonts we don't have, but you can use the modeline and rates from it (or trust that I typed them correctly).

Get and pkg xsvga.tgz and Steven's no-xvesa.tgz package, which contains some required files including a default XF86Config, and edit XF86Config to change the 640x480 modeline and HorizSync and VertRefresh to match the above. Delete or remark out the lines with 800x600 resolution. (It might work even if you don't, but give error messages and load slower).

Sindi




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