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startx issue
http://www.x404.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8296		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  alanm [ Mon May 17, 2010 10:12 am ]
Post subject:  startx issue
Hi All,
I have a strange situation with a centos 5 installation.

I can start the laptop and boot centos into text mode but trying to boo with the gui brings up a blank screen.

From the command prompt I discovered that I can use the startx command and having done this I again get the blank screen.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can get the gui up and running?

regards

Alan
Author:  big_D [ Mon May 17, 2010 11:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
It sounds like the config is wrong. You will need to edit the XF86Config and apply the correct setting and get it to use the correct drivers for your hardware. My guess is that it is either using a resolution not supported by you laptop or is using the incorrect driver.

http://www.it.freebsd.org/pub/Unix/XFre ... fig.5.html
Author:  alanm [ Mon May 17, 2010 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
hi,
thanks for the reply.

Sould have mentioned that I am using centoes x86_64. I can find an xorg.conf file, is this the correct file to edit?

regards

Alan
Author:  big_D [ Mon May 17, 2010 4:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Yep, if it is using Xorg and not Xfree86. They perform the same function. You'll just need to find the right syntax for Xorg instead.
Author:  alanm [ Tue May 18, 2010 8:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
hi,
thanks for the tips

have tried to reconfig the screen but still it does not display. this is starnge as I know the screen works as it shows text as normal.

if I try and boot from the DVD is get the Centos-5 screen so again the display does work but not as the gui

regards

Alan
Author:  big_D [ Tue May 18, 2010 2:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Text doesn't use a "graphics" mode. The Centos DVD probably uses a generic configuration - try checking its xorg.conf file and copying that to your one and start from there...

My guess is that it is either using the wrong driver (and the DVD will be using a generic VESA driver) or it is using the wrong resolution or scan rate for the display.

Can you post your xorg.conf and the spec of your machine?
Author:  rustybucket [ Tue May 18, 2010 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Sorry for taking soooooo long to reply

It looks like this is a bug with CentOS - bug listing

There is however a workaround that might work for you. >Clicky<

Quote:
Monitor detection/configuration
It appears that the installer does not detect (every) monitor correctly. This will result in a misconfigured xorg.conf. When you boot into runlevel 5 (graphical mode), the X-server gets wrong information (or none at all) and makes a real mess of it. The solution for this is easy: reboot in textmode (runlevel-3) and run system-config-display as root. Notebook users might want to check it to see that you use the optimal settings.

[Emphasis added]


Hope this helps
Author:  alanm [ Wed May 19, 2010 3:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
have installed centos again, carried out a yum update and then run

system-config-display --reconfig --set-resolution=1024x768 --set-depth=16

this seems not to change the xorg.conf file however.

Am I doing something wrong.

the graphics is an x700 ati radeon

regards

Alan

ps text mode works a treat but I need a gui to install oracle software.
Author:  big_D [ Wed May 19, 2010 5:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Ati X700, there is your problem!!! I had to wait 18 months, after I bought my laptop, before ATi brought out a driver for it. In the mean time, I couldn't use the laptop with Linux...

I think Xfree86 eventually got some support, but I always had to install the official ATI (non-open source) drivers in order to get anything to display on the laptop - at least on the internal monitor, ISTR that I could use with with an external 17" TFT.
Author:  alanm [ Mon May 24, 2010 1:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Hi,
this is very odd now.

even from a complete clean install I cannot get into the GUI but text is working fine.

I have even gone as far as formatting the partition.

where do I go from here, any ideas.

regards

Alan
Author:  MrStevenRogers [ Tue May 25, 2010 5:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
try using another live linux cd

if that fires up take a note of the xorg or xfree86 config file
it will list the details such as resolution, monitor Htz etc

you can then use these details in text mode to set xorg/xfree86 file on the installed OS …
Author:  alanm [ Tue May 25, 2010 8:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Is there anyway that I can direct the output of the 'startx' command to a file so that I can then look at what is actually happening?

regards

Alan
Author:  big_D [ Tue May 25, 2010 8:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Have you installed the proprietary ATi drivers yet? The X700 is a dreadful chipset and there have always been problems with it in Linux, especially if the display panel has a non-VESA resolution.
Author:  alanm [ Tue May 25, 2010 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
Hi,
yes I have done this. I got the driver from the ati website and ran it but only in text mode.
it appeared to install correctly but I still have issues.

Is there a generic video driver that can be started?

Alan
Author:  big_D [ Tue May 25, 2010 2:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: startx issue
You could try the generic VESA driver, but you will have to use a maximum of 800x600...
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