[SOLVED] Graphics driver SiS 630

[samden]

I am attempting to boot Xubuntu 8.04 from the live cd on an old desktop machine (it has a Windows ME sticker on the side to give you an idea of the age). It hangs when it has to select the graphics driver, and says it cannot configure this correctly. I have gone through the manual configuration dialogue and tried every single driver available, with no luck - whenever I click the "test" button I get the message "Configuration test failed".

lspci -v

VGA compatible controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 630/730 PCI AGP VGA Display Adapter (rev 21) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
     Subsystem: ASUSTek Computer Inc. Unknown device 80e1
     Flags: 66MHz, medium devsel, IRQ 11
     BIST result: 00
     Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M]
     Memory at e9800000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128K]
     I/O ports at a800 [size=128]
     Capabilities: <access denied>

I see from the forums that SiS cards aren't very well supported, but most people just seem to have issues getting them to run at the correct resolution. My computer doesn't seem to recognise the card at all.

What might I do to work around this and get Xubuntu installed on this computer?

[littlebat]

Try vesa driver.

Try Xubuntu 8.04 alternative CD , because I know alternative CD is better than others on an old machine.

Here are some useful links you can read:
Ubuntu System Requirements - Community Ubuntu Documentation
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...emRequirements

Install Ubuntu on Old Computer(You can install ubuntu with iso image puted in the hard disk without burning a CD.)
http://www.learndiary.com/en/2008/11...d-computer.htm

[samden]

I have tried vesa, no luck. I have been unable to boot the alternative cd yet as I only have a usb keyboard, and this isn't recognised until Linux boots. The live cd automatically loads but the alternative cd won't without some keyboard input. I will borrow a PS/2 keyboard later today if possible to try the alternative cd.

Is there another driver that may work but not be installed on the cd by default, that I could download?

[abn91c]

the pc im on right now has that card and ubuntu 8.10, select start ubuntu in low graphics mode option and you may be able to get to the desktop.for you keyboard issue check your BIOS for an USB DOS support setting, mine is 10 yrs old and it has that. i ws able to install ubuntu 8.10, it runs at 1024 x 768 with low graphics, you cant tell the difference much. No compix or 3D effects, everything else is normal considering its a generic 400mhz celeron with 40 gig IDE HDD and 448Mb ram and SIS chipset pC100 motherboard.
If you get one of those initrams> prompt at reboot wait a few seconds at the prompt then type exit then hit enter. thats what mine does, sometime i have to type kinit at the prompt then the exit hit enter combination once or twice to get going normally, a minor inconvinience for me but i get full use of Ubuntu 8.10

[tazza]

I think that I have a similar problem. I'm trying to install Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) on a new Toshiba Sattelite laptop and get these errors in the log file:

(EE) VESA(0): No matching modes
(II) UnloadModule: "vesa"
(II) UnloadModule: "ddc"
 ~other stuff~
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a useable configuration.
Fatal server error:
no screens found

before starting the $ prompt.

lspci shows the following:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Unknown device 2a42 (rev 07) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
      Subsystem: Toshiba America Info Systems Unknown device ff67
      Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 11
      Memory at 50000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
      Memory at 40000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
      I/O ports at 5140 [size=8]
      Capabilities: <access denied>

00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Unknown device 2a43 (rev 07)
      Subsystem: Toshiba America Info Systems Unknown device ff67
      Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
      Memory at 53500000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
      Capabilities: <access denied>

among other things. Does this mean that the computer isn't recognising the graphics card?
I tried using BIOs to no avail, so I'm guessing that this is a configuration problem.

[littlebat]

I'm trying to install Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) on a new Toshiba Sattelite laptop

Maybe you need install restricted modules drivers for your video card, is it a ATI Radeon card? If it is, see: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI

[samden]

I obtained a PS/2 keyboard and managed to install from the alternate cd. However I am stuck with 800 x 600 resolution, which is frustrating. It is great to have the computer running, but this does limit what I can do with it.

How might I get the resolution higher? There is no option for a higher resolution in the screen resolution control panel (it only offers 800x600 and 640x480). I note that abn91c has 1024x768 with the same hardware, how did you achieve that?

[littlebat]

See the Driver parameter in Section "Device" in file "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" if it is "sis". If it is "sis", make sure your hardware (include monitor and video card) support 1024x768x16, then try edit file "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" manually.
Add "1024x768" into the Modes line like below:

Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection

If it can't work, try change Depth from "16" to "8".

[samden]

Thanks heaps, that worked perfectly. I now have it running at 1024x768. I can't seem to get it to go any higher than that so it is probably the limit of the card, the monitor can go higher. Excellent, now I have a usable computer!

By the way, I've put Fluxbox on it now, very practical, I'd recommend it for anyone else with a low spec computer like this one. Xfce idle uses 125Mb of RAM, half what I have, while Fluxbox only uses 47Mb - massive saving.

[samden]

I celebrated too soon, it's gone back to 800x600 again for no apparant reason and whatever I do to xorg.conf (sis or vesa, whatever resolutions I type in) it is determined not to go above that. Not enough time to try and fix it today, but it is extremely frustrating. I have no idea why one day it would work perfectly and the next day it would stop.