Bug 461311 - /etc/X11/xorg.conf fixed by installation; start-up hangs with new video card installed.
Summary: /etc/X11/xorg.conf fixed by installation; start-up hangs with new video card ...
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED RAWHIDE
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: anaconda
Version: 9
Hardware: x86_64
OS: Linux
medium
medium
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Anaconda Maintenance Team
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2008-09-05 18:42 UTC by Jerry D. Laney
Modified: 2009-12-04 16:59 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2008-09-08 13:39:40 UTC
Type: ---
Embargoed:


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Description Jerry D. Laney 2008-09-05 18:42:19 UTC
Description of problem: /etc/X11/xorg.conf is fixed during installation; start-up hangs if new video card is installed.


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
Linux version 2.6.25.11-97.fc9.x86_64 (mockbuild@) (gcc version 4.3.0 20080428 (Red Hat 4.3.0-8) (GCC) ) #1 SMP Mon Jul 21 01:09:10 EDT 2008

How reproducible:
Install FC9 on PC with mainboard (MSI) video chips, then install a new video card such as MSI-R3450 PCI Express card (ATI-Radeon chips.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install FC9 on PC
2. Boot and configure FC9
3. Shutdown PC, and install new video card
4. Boot PC
  
Actual results: Video start-up fails, PC monitor shows text only login.


Expected results: Expected on video failure, that autodetection of video card would be done and xorg.conf corrected.


Additional info:

The Release Notes contained a clue with its statement to delete the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file to initiate autodetection; however, there was no reference to the fact that the xorg.conf file is frozen and no explanation of what would happen if video cards were exchanged. It would be best to NOT freeze the xorg.conf file, and always permit autodetection, even at the cost of some startup time. Off and on it cost me several days to diagnose and fix this problem by deleting the xorg.conf file!! (My test PC has 4 other Linux distributions under test, and all do autodetection, and in one case, ubuntu, the system gave the option to find and install a compatible vendor supplied proprietary driver.)

Comment 1 Chris Lumens 2008-09-08 13:39:40 UTC
We no longer write out a /etc/X11/xorg.conf file in rawhide, so this should no longer be a problem.  Thanks for the bug report.


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