Can't install AMD Radeon R7 260X Graphics Driver on 13.10

[jweiner]

I recently bought Radeon R7 260X graphics driver and have tried to install the driver on my desktop PC running 13.10. It appears that the opensource drivers available do not include this model. I went to the AMD website and downloaded their proprietary driver that they claim works with linux-x86.x86_64.

The zipped file to download is amd-catalyst-13.12-linux-_64.zip. I unzipped it and followed the installation procedure indicated at wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Saucy_Installation_Guide#Removing_Catalyst. 2Ffglrx. When I tired to create and install the .deb packages, however, I got an error saying that the deb package build had failed. Now I don't know what to do. Is there an alternative method of installation? Are there alternative drivers that will give good 2D acceleration even if not providing all the 3D features?

Any advice about getting this graphics driver working would be greatly appreciated.

[slooksterpsv]

After you extract you should just have to run the .sh or .run file that was included in the archive. You may need to set it to executable. You don't have to make DEBs or that.

[jweiner]

I am just following the step-by-step indicated in the web link. I did run the .run file. After that, according to the step-by-step, one is supposed to issue the follwoing two commands. The first executes without error.

sudo ./amd-catalyst-13.11-beta\ V9.4-linux-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/saucy
sudo dpkg -i fglrx*.deb

The second command produces the error,
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 3.11.0-15-generic (x86_64)
Consult /var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/make.log for more information.

The log indicates the following:
/var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/2.6.x/kcl_acpi.c:999:5: error: too few arguments to function ‘(acpi_status (*)(u32, void *, void *))handler’

[chkneater]

Find that make.log and poste it. Also try updating before running those commands.

[jweiner]

Here is a copy and paste of the relevant parts of the log file:

/var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/2.6.x/kcl_acpi.c:999:5: warning: passing argument 1 of ‘(acpi_status (*)(u32, void *, void *))handler’ makes integer from pointer without a cast [enabled by default]
((acpi_table_handler)handler)(hdr);
^
/var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/2.6.x/kcl_acpi.c:999:5: note: expected ‘u32’ but argument is of type ‘struct acpi_table_header *’
/var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/2.6.x/kcl_acpi.c:999:5: error: too few arguments to function ‘(acpi_status (*)(u32, void *, void *))handler’
make[2]: *** [/var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/2.6.x/kcl_acpi.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/var/lib/dkms/fglrx/13.251/build/2.6.x] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-3.11.0-15-generic'
make: *** [kmod_build] Error 2
build failed with return value 2

The system is updated and all the relevant tools and packages had been added previous to this attempt.

[chkneater]

Before going through all that much, let's try 'sudo amdconfig --initial -f' . This should generate a good x.org file for you using the radeon driver. After running that command you need to reboot. After you reboot, open a terminal and paste this in there ' fglrxinfo '. If you see ATI and Radeon anywhere in the following text, you shuld be good to go.


On that link follow these parts, they're out of order but they should work:

Removing Catalyst/fglrx

The uninstall script in the first command will only exist if you downloaded the drivers and installed them directly (rather than building packages as this guide does). Skip the first command if it does not exist.

'sudo sh /usr/share/ati/fglrx-uninstall.sh'
'sudo apt-get remove --purge fglrx*'

You want to purge any fglrx config files completely. Do both commands just to be safe, I don't know what all has been done to this point. Continue with these:

'sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-xorg-video-ati xserver-xorg-video-radeon'
'sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-ati'
'sudo apt-get install --reinstall libgl1-mesa-glx libgl1-mesa-dri xserver-xorg-core'
'sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup'
'sudo rm -rf /etc/ati'

[jweiner]

Thanks for that very detailed reply. I just have one question: At present I am using a graphics driver that is included on the motherboard. It works more-or-less ok but is limited in what it can do. In my previous attempts to install the Radeon driver, I have shutdown the system, plugged in the power to the Radeon card and attempted to boot the system. The system never booted up but got stuck somewhere (in grub I suppose). Therefore I never could get to a text login, let alone a GUI. A reinstall of 13.10 from the live CD produced a very unstable system, and I was forced to do a clean install by erasing everything that I had done up to that point. I would like to avoid that happening again so my question is...what precautions cautions can I take to save myself if that happens again?

This is especially pertinent because when I try to execute the amdconfig command, I get a message that no adapters are detected, which is of course true because I have the card physcially installed in the PCI slot but it is not powered.

[chkneater]

When you first boot your comp. the very first screen, called the splash screen will give you a few seconds to acces the BIOS. You usually have to hit F6 or del or Esc, every comp is different, but anyway, once you figure out how to get to the BIOS you need to find the menu with the chipsets (this is all text based, no mice, just arrows and tab and space bar), eventually you'll see Onboard Vidio, scroll to it and turn it off, save changes and reboot. Make sure you make no other changes. If you mess up you can quit without saving and try again.

Get rid of the onboard video, purge the fglrx config files and 'sudo amdconfig --initial -f' should clear this up if not help clear up osme of the surrounding issues.

[jweiner]

Thanks for the Onboard Video tip. Now I should be able to reboot without trembling. I let you know how things turn out.

[jweiner]

OK I am at the "Chipsets" category in the BIOS (I'm logged in here on a different computer). There are a few main categories: IOH Configuration, Compatibility RID, Memory Configuration,
DIMM Configuration. Of these the IOH Configuration looks like the most promising. Inside it one finds: Intel(R) VT for directed I/O Configuration, VGA Priority [offboard]; Gen3 Equalization WA's [disabled]; MMCFG Base [0x80000000]; IOH O PCIe port Bifurcation Conrol, PCIe Slot1 speed [Gen3], PCIe Slot2 [Gen3]

Inside the Intel(R) VT for directed I/O Configuration one finds: Intel(R) VT-d [enabled] and ATS support [Disabled]

I'm not sure how any of this can be used to turn off the onboard video.
Should I invert the switches to Intel(R) VT-d [disabled] and ATS support [enabled]?

OK I get it...it should be the VGA Priority which is already "offboard".

So I let the boot proceed and it immediately takes me to the GNU Grub menu. There I have a choice of editing "Ubuntu" or "Advanced Options for Ubuntu". I am fully open to suggestions as to what to do now.