From Bugzilla Helper: User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/1.0 Description of problem: I tried to install Fedora Core 3 on my computer, and as soon as the X server is first started my monitor blanks and complains of an invalid sync rate. Apparently the probing for valid resolutions and sync rates for my monitor/video card combination fails. So here is what I did: 1. Boot the install disk with "linux resolution=1280x1024", anaconda is able to start up X windows, and the install process succeeds. 2. Reboot as directed. Try to add the "resolution=1280x1024" parameter to the boot command line. Figure out that this parameter is now ignored. Curse. Try to log in at the text mode console, and discover that the login program is not running yet. Curse. Apparently you need to do some more install steps, but I can't see the screen where these steps are since it is on a mis-functioning X server. It would be useful if there was a warning on the boot screen that if you need to use the "resolution" kernel parameter then your install will complete, but you will never be able to boot the machine which you have installed since that parameter is only available for the first stage of the install process. 3. Boot off of the install disk with "linux rescue". Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf, and add the resolution of "1280x1024" to the resolutions which are already there (640x480 and 800x600). 4. Reboot once more. Breathe a sigh of relief, it is working. The machine with which I had this problem is a stock Dell Optiplex GX280 computer with a Dell supplied ATI Radeon X300 video card and a ViewSonic VX-900-2 LCD monitor hooked up using a DVI cable. It is probably worth noting that Fedora Core 2 did not have this problem. I believe Fedora Core 2 also did not have a specific driver for my video card -- it instead used the generic SVGA driver. So perhaps this is a problem with the ATI Radeon X300 x.org driver. If you have any test cases you would like me to run, or need more information, please let me know. Thanks! Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Boot Fedora Core 3 install CD 2. Look at blank screen with monitor saying "invalid sync rate" 3. Cry Additional info:
I have noticed some related bugs appearing. In particular, see the following bugs: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=136108 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=139023
I encountered a similar problem installing FC3 x86_64 with my Radeon 9800 Pro and Syncmaster 191+. With the Monitor connected via the DVI interface, the screen blanks and the install fails because an invalid sync rate. Changing to a VGA connection (exact same video card and monitor) allowed the install to complete without problem. After the post-install reboot and configure, switching back to the DVI connection works just fine. FC3 test 3 did not have this problem. Only FC3 final.
Install in text mode if you haven't gotten the OS installed already, then afterward, log in as root, and run: system-config-display --reconfig Try to start up X, and if it does not work, please attach your X server log file, and config file to the bug report using the attachment feature below. Also, please file a bug report in the X.Org project bugzilla at http://bugs.freedesktop.org in the "xorg" component, as this will maximize the likelyhood of this issue being fixed sooner and made available as an update for Fedora Core. Once you've filed your bug report in X.Org bugzilla, paste the URL here and we will track the issue in the upstream bugzilla.
Setting status to "NEEDINFO", awaiting upstream bug URL and file attachments as requested above.
6 months have elapsed since the last feedback from this issue, and there has not been any feedback to my request in comment #3, so I assume the issue is resolved in the current updates released for Fedora Core 3. If the problem is still an issue with all Fedora updates applied however, file a bug report to X.Org as requested above, and if you paste the new bug URL here, Red Hat will continue to track the issue in the centralized X.Org bug tracker, and will review any bug fixes that become available for consideration in future updates. Setting status to "RAWHIDE"
Unfortunately, I do not have a spare computer to reinstall the operating system on from scratch for testing purposes. :-( I switched to a text console on my working and fully-up-to-date system, and ran "system-config-display --reconfig", and was rewarded with a blank screen (due to it starting up an X server with an invalid sync rate). I had to kill the invisible X server with ctrl-alt-backspace. No files were touched in /etc/X11 by doing this, so I have no failing config file to attach. If you can tell me where this command might leave a log file I can go looking for it. :-) I did a search for similar bugs in the X.Org bugzilla, and although I didn't find one exactly like this one, I did figure out that they would like exact X server invocation and configuration information in their bugreports. Since the redhat configure scripts do not give me this information (and I sadly don't have the time to read all of the redhat scripts to figure this out), I can't file a bugreport which would be useful to them. If you can tell me: a) where to find any log files which are generated by the X server started up by "system-config-display --reconfig", and b) how to find out what command line invocation of X is performed by this command then I will happily give you the information you desire.
Now that FC4 is out, I was able to try it again. It still doesn't work, so I am reopening the bug. If you can give me instructions on how to generate the log file you need, I would be happy to provide it.
As requested in comment #3 above, please file a bug report in the X.Org project bugzilla at http://bugs.freedesktop.org in the "xorg" component in order for Xorg developers to be made aware of the issue. The X server log file is automatically put into the system wide log directory /var/log. Attach the X server log file and config file to the X.org bug report you file, so that Xorg developers have enough detail to be able to diagnose the problem. Once you've filed your bug report in X.Org bugzilla, paste the URL here and we will track the issue in the upstream bugzilla. Setting status to "NEEDINFO", awaiting upstream bug URL.
Created attachment 115979 [details] X.org log file generated when running system-config-display
Comment on attachment 115979 [details] X.org log file generated when running system-config-display I attempted to run "system-config-display --reconfig" on my FC4 system, and it displayed a blank screen (invalid sync rate). So it never got as far as generating a new configuration file for me to try. Attached is the error log from the system-config-display command. I will open an x.org bug momentarily...
FYI -- I have not attached the config file for Xorg since either there was none, or system-config-display erased it faster than I was able to make a copy of it in /tmp....
Bug 3627 created in xorg is here: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3627
Tracking in upstream master X.Org bug report: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1129