[SOLVED] How do I install drivers for my VIA graphics card?

[JoshuaRL]

Try the steps again, but this time run:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

without the -phigh flag. It should let you select the display driver.

EDIT: Hardy is less dependent on xorg.conf for the display configuration, so that might be an issue in trying to specify certain parameters in xorg.conf.

I don't think Hardy has much to do with the new Xorg which is totally new. As I understand it this new xorg adapts to your video card and monitor. As I said before running dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg doesn't help a bit.

After editing your xorg.conf file you're advised to run the -phigh command mentioned above - so says the xorg.conf file.

As for installing openchrome, it's already installed -- probably installed when you install Hardy on a via-S3 machine.

Agreed. From what I understand, the newest version of Xorg that is in Hardy has moved primarily to autodetection at bootup. Thus the reason that in the xorg.conf it has merely "configured video device" instead of all the drivers and arguements like in Gutsy. Also, I think that dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg now has strictly to do with the keyboard and mouse. No settings for the video card or monitor are there.

What you might try is, besides Screens and Graphics, the GTK port of displayconfig from KDE. You can open it with:

displayconfig-gtk

You might be able to easier set your monitor to what you need, although at this point I kind of doubt it. I agree with Rome and others, VIA is nasty on Linux. They have pretty crappy drivers, and don't release specs on their chips to make it easier for open source drivers to be written. I have a VIA onboard chip on my computer, but I put in a nVidia 8400GS right away.

Sorry.

[eeried]

Hello all,

I agree that VIA's rather rotten and when you can change the video card you're lucky. Our LUG has been given a laptop with VIA chipset and apparently onboard S3 video card. As the screen doesn't light up anymore we have added a CRT monitor. It's fine to display 1024x768 but I was looking for a way to make it compatible with a 19" LCD screen, and I have some doubts, reading this thread carefully.

I'll try editing the xorg.conf file as has been described in this thread to see if the video card can be pushed to display 1280x1024 on a very good though old and small Trinitron CRT monitor.

I was told the new Xorg can now adapt to various video cards without you having to run dpkg-reconfigure...

[simontaylor]

Hi JoshuaRL,

displayconfig-gtk
mmap /dev/zero: Permission denied
VESA BIOS Extensions not detected.

That's what I get. Reconciled to running 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz now I know why. (I could run 1024 x 768 @ 87 Hz but it's really pretty ugly on my monitor - it's like duplo as opposed to lego.) Vesa has come up before. It's in the Bios?

best,
simon

[RomeReactor]

Hi again, Simon. VESA is a display standard, and the VESA driver in Ubuntu is considered a generic solution if the system is unable to configure the display with a more appropriate driver. The VESA driver will work with any video card, but its performance leaves a lot to be desired.

Before Hardy, one could edit the xorg.conf file and specify which driver to use; this time around, with the new version of Xorg, it seems that's no longer the case.

EDIT: displayconfig-gtk is the Screens and Graphics application.

[eeried]

simontaylor, in fact you're lucky to be able to run 1280x1024 I'll report if I manage to achieve the same feat on our old laptop

[simontaylor]

I feel like using a newzealandism, cherrr!

With RomeReactor and alienexplorer's help I feel we turned some turf.

best,
bien à vous,

simon

[JoshuaRL]

Hi JoshuaRL,



That's what I get. Reconciled to running 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz now I know why. (I could run 1024 x 768 @ 87 Hz but it's really pretty ugly on my monitor - it's like duplo as opposed to lego.) Vesa has come up before. It's in the Bios?

best,
simon

Okay, if it is saying you have permission errors, try putting gksu in front of it. It would be:

gksu displayconfig-gtk

That may fix it.

Just a note, you would want to use gksu instead of sudo when launching graphical applications with root privilidges. gksu means "graphical superuser-do". That's a good rule of thumb; sudo for command line, gksu for graphical.

And yeah, RomeReactor and alienexplorer are both pretty helpful.