[ubuntu] HowTo fix Intel video in Jaunty (alternative way)

[dentaku65]

*Updated 28/04/09

A new version of Intel driver has been released through PPA.
This driver really improve performances with Jaunty upstream.
The page/repos are here:
https://edge.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-x...ive/x-updates/

1) Add the PPA repo to the end of your APT sorces.list

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

and add the following lines:

# Intel latest drv for upstream deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates/ubuntu jaunty main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates/ubuntu jaunty main

2) Add the gpg key of this PPA repo

sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com AF1CDFA9

2) Upgrade the drivers:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

3) Modify your Device section in xorg.conf

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Section "Device" Identifier "Configured Video Device" Driver "intel" Option "AccelMethod" "UXA" EndSection

4) Reboot

* END UPDATE =============

Hi all.
I'm writing this HowTo in order to give a different way to fix the issues for Intel video cards on Jaunty.

The way showed here is lighter than the one described here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582
and I suggest to give a try to this one -before- approaching the one posted by psyke83, that involving the substitution of drivers (xorg-hedgers repository) and kernel (vanilla 2.6.30rc2).

What will follow worked for my Intel card and uses the default Jaunty packages and kernel.

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)

I think that on other Intel cards should work as well. Feedbacks are welcome.

1)
Discovering the memory of your card; do this command:

lspci -vv

and search in the output for the block regarding VGA; in my case:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02) Subsystem: Fujitsu Siemens Computers Device 106a Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx- Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx+ Latency: 0 Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 16 Region 0: Memory at d8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M] Region 1: Memory at e0380000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K] Region 2: I/O ports at ec00 [size=8] Capabilities: <access denied> Kernel modules: intelfb

In red you can see the amount of the memory that your card can manage and in blue the non-prefetchable memory. In order to use the video card memory in the correct way, you can use Videoram option in xorg.conf; but we must calculate the ram from MB to KB in order to use it in Videoram option; here the table:

16 -> 16384 32 -> 32768 64 -> 65536 128 -> 131072 256 -> 262144

Now we have to subtract the value of non-prefetchable to our amount of ram; in my case:

131072 - 512 = 130560

2)
As soon as you calculate your video ram minus the non-prefetchable memory, you can modify your xorg.conf in the device section:

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

In my case the device section is configured like this:

Section "Device" Identifier "Configured Video Device" Driver "intel" Option "AccelMethod" "UXA" VideoRam 130560 EndSection

Please be sure that VideoRam matching the ram of Video card based on what you calculate above. Of course the option UXA is mandatory too.
Save xorg.conf

3)
If you are using Compiz, please modify these settings using Compiz manager:

ccsm

Choose General options -> General -> remove the flag on Unredirect Fullscreen Windows Choose General options -> Display Settings -> remove the flag Sync To VBlank

Close ccsm

4)
Reboot your box

Hope this help