Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 71632
screen resolution problem
Last modified: 2008-05-01 11:38:03 EDT
From Bugzilla Helper: User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020724 Description of problem: On my Dell C800 laptop with a screen size of 1600x1200 I can not get a resolution of 1024x768 and therefore can not read the screen very well. It has a ATI Mobility M4 32MB graphics card. It basically ignores any lower resolution. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1.choose a screen of 1600x1200 laptop under dell. 2.choose ati rage mobility m4 or ati rage 128 mobility 3.choose a resolution of 1024x768. Actual Results: I get font sizes that appear to be 1600x1200 resolution. Expected Results: I should get larger font sizes that scale to the 1024x768 screen size as it does in windows 2000. Additional info: I don't know if it is a bug in the X server 4.2.0 or in the r128 driver.
mharris, i think this is yours.
Could my problem be the same as reported in 70073. That the compiler used to compile XFree86 in limbo2 had a flaw?
Anything is possible. We don't know conclusively that there was a compiler bug. That was speculation. Without complete full analysis of the problem it is all speculation. Does it work for you now using the Null beta, with the latest rawhide XFree86?
I have not tried the rawhide XFree86. I also get the white screen when launching a console as the other bug reported that uses a dell c800 laptop. I will try to get the rawhide XFree86 if you like or will a new beta be coming out soon?
I am sorry. I misunderstood your comment about the null beta. I am now downloading it to try out.
OK. I loaded null. Still the screen resolution will not go to 1024x768. In fact, I beleive the font size in mozilla is worst than it was with limbo beta2. It appears to be 1600x1200 resolution instead of 1280x1024. 1280x1024 is the lowest resolution i can get to work.
I just learned something else. When I use the Display tool under System Settings to change monitors from a Dell laptop with a 1280x1024 to a 1600x1200 the fonts in my browser look better. I noticed that the only thing that changed was the vertical refresh rate from 75 to 85 on the upper end. Is it possible that if I enter a modeline of 1024x768 and get the real refresh rates V and H from Dell form my screen and enter those that I will be able to get the 1024x768 resolution that I want? Please advise on what i should do next.
Potentially, however I can't really advise you in either way. The only way to know is to try it. I don't have such hardware to make a remotely accurate guess. Also, I must point out that your request is more of a technical support type of request than a bug report. Bugzilla is strictly for bug reporting and tracking. You should use Red Hat and/or XFree86 mailing lists for technical support type of questions. For now, what I suggest is that you attach your XFree86 config file, and X server log file to the bug report as individual file attachments using the link below. I'll examine their output and see if there is anything obvious there.
Created attachment 73224 [details] Here is the X config file
Created attachment 73225 [details] Here is the Log file for X
I have attached the log and config files for X. I do have to disagree with your comment about needing technical support instead of a bug problem. I earlier comments about trying some different modelines and getting refresh information from Dell was in the spirit of trying to help locate what the configuration program that redhat uses is failing to do. After all, my Windows 2000 installation does not have this problem on the same machine. Unless my understanding is incorrect, the next Redhat release is aimed more at the desktop, I think this kind of problem is critical since many corporations have Dell laptops in addition to the consumer market. I consider this a bug since changing resolutions as show in the options of the program that works with the Display under System Settings does not work. I notice bug report 72153 is also having problems. I have as well experienced the white screen issue but not often.
Linux is not Windows 2000. EVERYTHING works in Windows, because the hardware vendors write 100% for their video hardware in Windows, and have it tested and certified before they get the Microsoft stamp of approval. That is just the way it is. In Linux, we have _partial_ driver support for most hardware. Barely any video drivers cover 100% of the functionality of the particular video card. Source is contributed by _some_ vendors, but not all. Any version of Windows working on ANY machine is in absolutley no way whatsoever indicative of anything at all working at ALL in Linux. I didn't say this wasn't a bug. I said that your last comment was more of a tech support question. I do NOT answer tech support questions in bug reports because I do not have the time to do so. If someone can ask tech support questions on a mailing list or somesuch and get an answer, me answering it here is taking my time away from fixing bugs. Bugs such as this one. Then less bugs get fixed, and more sit here open. I do not have any laptop hardware at all, let alone a specific laptop. I therefore can not reproduce this or really do much about it at all without a lot more information from someone with the hardware. This is frustrating. Frustrating for you, because you have the problem, and frustrating for me, because I likely can't do much about it. I still get to listen to users compare us to things like WIndows though, and that doesn't help me fix bugs. It only worsens the situtiaotn. To fix this, someone with the hardware ultimately needs to debug XFree86 debug build in gdb for XFree86, single step through the driver, find out where modelines are getting killed, and then check the internal state of the video driver to find out why. Is this critical to people with this laptop? Probably. How much can I do about it? I have no idea. I dont have the hardware to debug with. Trying to troubleshoot a bug that happens on hardware which you do not have, with a user who is demeaning and demanding is not a simple thing to do at all. I fully realize how the whole world will want to use Linux on the desktop, and "expect" things to work as they do in Windows. That simply is NOT going to happen anytime soon however. Those expectations sound good in theory, but it just is not reality in Linux right now. I will try to fix what I can out of the 300-400 bug reports on my plate, and hopefully get 40-50 of them fixed before another 600 pile on. Hopefully only 200 of those 600 users will flame me for things not working like they do in Windows (despite the fact that it is really an XFree86.org problem, not a Red Hat one. We do not create/produce XFree86. We just _use_ it in our distro, and provide over 100 bugfixes (more than pretty much anyone else).
First, I apologise for anything that I said that offended you. We are in the same boat (Linux) and both would like to see MS crash and burn. If I had the money I would send you a dell notebook to work with. Short of that I have already written Dell and said if they do not work with RH to try to make their hardware work with RH linux I will never buy dell again nor recommend it to my University or anyone else. I understand the bias that hardware companies are exhibiting with supporting Windows. I will continue to do what I can. Thank you for your efforts. They mean a lot not just to me but the world that is trapped by that spoiled brat that runs MS. I am just a little anxious since I want to demonstrate how Linux can replace Windows right now for common desktop use to businesses, universities and my students using my laptop. Until I can get the screen thing fixed, I don't want to demo it. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Thank You.
Just an update on screen problems. I am noticing after launching some applications--for example i launched services to turn off kudzu-- and then wanted to logout of Gnome--as i clicked logout the screen went "White" just as it does sometimes when returning from a console screen using ctl alt F7.
I don't know if this helps to diagnose the problem but I have learned that when I increase the Vertical refresh rate to 110, I can get my resolution down to 1280x960. Before that I increased the upper V refresh from the 85 that you get when you choose the Dell 1280X laptop screen to 90 by choosing the 1600x laptop screen and then i could get 1280X1024. There seems to be a correlation between increasing the upper Vertical Refresh rate and being able to lower the screen resolution. I have not tried above 110 to see if I could get the desired 1024x768. I thought I would wait for your advice first.
I have sent the requested files and have not heard a word. I something else needed. Resolution is still and problem and might prove to be a bigger issue with the upcoming Desktop release recently announced. Many companies I know of have Dell laptops.
Rawhide XFree86 fixes this problem and other problems on Dell laptops.
Way to go Mike. If my dell laptop problems are over in X, I owe you lunch or dinner or both.