I would appreciate some advice on monitor settings in Mandriva. I'm experiencing some distortion on the monitor screen when playing videos and or music files/CDs. Whichever program I use -it is difficult to utilize the the given dialogue boxes and their buttons, as a playing a video or CD, which has visualizations, will superimpose part of itself over them, making mouse access to them extremely difficult (i.e., you can't see the buttons you need to click to select options). I wondered if it was the way I set things up during the installation of Mandriva a few days back. My following monitor related settings are: Screen Resolution: 800 X 600 32 Thousand Colours (15 bits) Monitor: 1024 X 768@70 Hz Graphics: VT8751 ProSavage DDR P4M 266 VGA Controller The latter is 'onboard graphics'. During the Mandriva installation set-up, I was asked to specify a size for graphics. I figured that as my onboard graphics effectively siphons off 32 MB of the system's RAM - I would opt for the '32 MB' setting. I don't know if this was the right move. However, Mandriva flagged up a default setting of 4 MB, which I thought was too low. Everything else relating to graphics displays in Mandriva is fine – it's just the aforementioned issues with playing video and CDs/music files that causes problems. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers, Dave
Can you post you actual G chip and also if you could post the actual app. you are using for watching video and playing music?
I'm mainly using Kaffeine and Totem Movie Player, but it happens on any other programs that can play video/cds & music files. My 'G chip'. You've got me there! I'm thinking of 'graphics chip', if that's what you mean? Could you kindly be a little more specific, as I don't know exactly what information you want. Sorry.
Yes, sorry, Addis. It's rather hard to explain, but this is the closest I can describe it at present. I will try more screenshots if you can't make out the problem. I have taken a screenshot, but don't know how to get it into the forum - never done one before, sorry. cafile:///home/david/snapshot4.png Basically, say, if you are playing a video via a movie player program on your PC - you can navigate its menus to, say, reduce the screen to minimal mode, increase the volume, fast forward, etc. Well, parts of the actual video that is playing, cover these buttons that you would action to achieve the aforementioned tasks. The end result is, that you can't actually see what the functions of the buttons are, as you can't see them because the are covered by parts of the video footage. All my other applications work fine - but anything related to video graphics (programs) seem slow to respond. I hope this helps, if not - as I say, I'll try to take more screenshots. The current difficulty with doing the latter, is that I can barely, if at all, see the correct buttons to click to initiate the screenshot because the video distortion is affecting that program also.
Okay, Addis, think I have found out how to upload the screenshot. The screenshot is not truly present things as they are, i.e, in the large solid blue area of the movie clip you see in the screenshot - you could actually see the movie footage playing perfectly clearly underneath the distorted part at the top of the frame.
Thanks, AT. Here are the results after typing glxinfo in Konsole: Code: Password: [root@localhost david]# glxinfo name of display: :0.0 display: :0 screen: 0 direct rendering: No server glx vendor string: SGI server glx version string: 1.2 server glx extensions: GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_hyperpipe, GLX_SGIX_swap_barrier, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig client glx vendor string: SGI client glx version string: 1.4 client glx extensions: GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_allocate_memory, GLX_MESA_swap_control, GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_OML_sync_control, GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGI_swap_control, GLX_SGI_video_sync, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group GLX extensions: GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: [url=http://www.mesa3d.org]Mesa Home Page[/url] OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect OpenGL version string: 1.2 (1.5 Mesa 6.4.1) OpenGL extensions: GL_ARB_depth_texture, GL_ARB_imaging, GL_ARB_multitexture, GL_ARB_point_parameters, GL_ARB_point_sprite, GL_ARB_shadow, GL_ARB_shadow_ambient, GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp, GL_ARB_texture_cube_map, GL_ARB_texture_env_add, GL_ARB_texture_env_combine, GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar, GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3, GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_ARB_texture_rectangle, GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_ARB_window_pos, GL_EXT_abgr, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_EXT_blend_color, GL_EXT_blend_func_separate, GL_EXT_blend_logic_op, GL_EXT_blend_minmax, GL_EXT_blend_subtract, GL_EXT_clip_volume_hint, GL_EXT_copy_texture, GL_EXT_draw_range_elements, GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays, GL_EXT_packed_pixels, GL_EXT_point_parameters, GL_EXT_polygon_offset, GL_EXT_rescale_normal, GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color, GL_EXT_shadow_funcs, GL_EXT_stencil_two_side, GL_EXT_stencil_wrap, GL_EXT_subtexture, GL_EXT_texture, GL_EXT_texture3D, GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp, GL_EXT_texture_env_add, GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3, GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias, GL_EXT_texture_object, GL_EXT_texture_rectangle, GL_EXT_vertex_array, GL_APPLE_packed_pixels, GL_ATI_texture_env_combine3, GL_ATI_texture_mirror_once, GL_ATIX_texture_env_combine3, GL_HP_occlusion_test, GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_INGR_blend_func_separate, GL_MESA_pack_invert, GL_MESA_ycbcr_texture, GL_NV_blend_square, GL_NV_point_sprite, GL_NV_texgen_reflection, GL_NV_texture_rectangle, GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap, GL_SGIS_texture_border_clamp, GL_SGIS_texture_edge_clamp, GL_SGIS_texture_lod, GL_SGIX_depth_texture, GL_SGIX_shadow, GL_SGIX_shadow_ambient, GL_SUN_multi_draw_arrays glu version: 1.3 glu extensions: GLU_EXT_nurbs_tessellator, GLU_EXT_object_space_tess visual x bf lv rg d st colorbuffer ax dp st accumbuffer ms cav id dep cl sp sz l ci b ro r g b a bf th cl r g b a ns b eat ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 0x22 15 tc 0 15 0 r y . 5 5 5 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None 0x23 15 tc 0 15 0 r y . 5 5 5 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 None 0x24 15 tc 0 23 0 r y . 5 5 5 8 0 16 8 16 16 16 16 0 0 None 0x25 15 tc 0 23 0 r . . 5 5 5 8 0 16 8 16 16 16 16 0 0 None [root@localhost david]#
Okay, you don't have direct rendering enabled, plus your graphics card drivers have not been set up correctly. Is that how it shows up under the Windows Device Manager? I think that's an old S3 graphics chipset. I don't know for sure, but you should be able to change your graphics card under the Mandriva Control Centre. You'll have to ask AT. I'll have a look around the net a bit later for answer. The fix may involve you editing some important files
Thanks, very much, Mega. Yes, that's how it shows up under the Windows Device Manager, and yes, it is an old S3 graphics chipset. I have since re-installed Mandriva and the problem seems to have sorted itself out. On the original install, I was asked to specify a size for graphics (see ealier post in this thread for reference). This time, I elected for 4 MB as opposed to 32 MB (the size of my onboard graphics). I don't know about these things, but logic tells me that this (4 MB) would be too low. I have also lowered the screen resolution from 32 million to 16 million colours. I don't know if what I did helped or if it was sorted by a re-install, but everything works fine - well except for not being able to access the external USB drive. I'll live with that for now.
And can you post the output of glxinfo again. Just want to check that everything is OK as you say. 4MB sounds about right for those old S3 graphics chipsets.
Yes, I think you might be right. I changed back to 32 million colours, just as an experiment, and low and behold - the screen distortion was back! Just switched back to 16 million colours and it works fine! Got the monitor set at: 1024 X 768@ 70Hz - hope that how it should be, but as I say, it seems to work okay.
As I said, can you post the output again of this command: Code: glxinfo Because I want to make sure that everything is set up OK on your computer. BTW, it could be that your S3 Graphics card is not capable of 32-BIT colour at that resolution. Do you run 32-BIT colour in Windows?
Thanks, Mega. Yes, I run 32 Bit colours in Windows and everything works fine. Here's the latest glxinfo information on my latest settings that seem to work well: Code: name of display: :0.0 display: :0 screen: 0 direct rendering: No server glx vendor string: SGI server glx version string: 1.2 server glx extensions: GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig client glx vendor string: SGI client glx version string: 1.4 client glx extensions: GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_allocate_memory, GLX_MESA_swap_control, GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_OML_sync_control, GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGI_swap_control, GLX_SGI_video_sync, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group GLX extensions: GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: [url=http://www.mesa3d.org]Mesa Home Page[/url] OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect OpenGL version string: 1.2 (1.5 Mesa 6.3.1) OpenGL extensions: GL_ARB_depth_texture, GL_ARB_imaging, GL_ARB_multitexture, GL_ARB_point_parameters, GL_ARB_point_sprite, GL_ARB_shadow, GL_ARB_shadow_ambient, GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp, GL_ARB_texture_cube_map, GL_ARB_texture_env_add, GL_ARB_texture_env_combine, GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar, GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3, GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_ARB_texture_rectangle, GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_ARB_window_pos, GL_EXT_abgr, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_EXT_blend_color, GL_EXT_blend_func_separate, GL_EXT_blend_logic_op, GL_EXT_blend_minmax, GL_EXT_blend_subtract, GL_EXT_clip_volume_hint, GL_EXT_copy_texture, GL_EXT_draw_range_elements, GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays, GL_EXT_packed_pixels, GL_EXT_point_parameters, GL_EXT_polygon_offset, GL_EXT_rescale_normal, GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color, GL_EXT_shadow_funcs, GL_EXT_stencil_two_side, GL_EXT_stencil_wrap, GL_EXT_subtexture, GL_EXT_texture, GL_EXT_texture3D, GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp, GL_EXT_texture_env_add, GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3, GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias, GL_EXT_texture_object, GL_EXT_texture_rectangle, GL_EXT_vertex_array, GL_APPLE_packed_pixels, GL_ATI_texture_env_combine3, GL_ATI_texture_mirror_once, GL_ATIX_texture_env_combine3, GL_HP_occlusion_test, GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_INGR_blend_func_separate, GL_MESA_pack_invert, GL_MESA_ycbcr_texture, GL_NV_blend_square, GL_NV_point_sprite, GL_NV_texgen_reflection, GL_NV_texture_rectangle, GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap, GL_SGIS_texture_border_clamp, GL_SGIS_texture_edge_clamp, GL_SGIS_texture_lod, GL_SGIX_depth_texture, GL_SGIX_shadow, GL_SGIX_shadow_ambient, GL_SUN_multi_draw_arrays glu version: 1.3 glu extensions: GLU_EXT_nurbs_tessellator, GLU_EXT_object_space_tess visual x bf lv rg d st colorbuffer ax dp st accumbuffer ms cav id dep cl sp sz l ci b ro r g b a bf th cl r g b a ns b eat ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 0x23 24 tc 0 24 0 r y . 8 8 8 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None 0x24 24 tc 0 24 0 r y . 8 8 8 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 None 0x25 24 tc 0 32 0 r y . 8 8 8 8 0 16 8 16 16 16 16 0 0 None 0x26 24 tc 0 32 0 r . . 8 8 8 8 0 16 8 16 16 16 16 0 0 None 0x27 24 dc 0 24 0 r y . 8 8 8 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 None 0x28 24 dc 0 24 0 r y . 8 8 8 0 0 16 8 16 16 16 0 0 0 None 0x29 24 dc 0 32 0 r y . 8 8 8 8 0 16 8 16 16 16 16 0 0 None 0x2a 24 dc 0 32 0 r . . 8 8 8 8 0 16 8 16 16 16 16 0 0 None [david@localhost ~]$
It may be working OK, but it's still not as good as it could be. It appears as though you still don't have direct rendering enabled. This will impact the quality of graphics and 3D performance. As I said before, i'll look around for a fix, because ideally you do want Direct Rendering. For the time being, you should make a backup of your xorg.conf file. The xorg.conf file holds all of the settings for your graphics card. So should anything go wrong in the future, you can just restore your backup. Run the following command to back up your video settings: Code: sudo cp /usr/X11/xorg.conf /usr/X11/xorg.conf.working.backup
You should be using the 'savage4' driver for your graphics card. Can you post the contents of the following file: Code: kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf BTW, your graphics card IS 32MB, not 4MB
Thanks, Mega. Yes, the graphics driver is set to Savage 4. I have been into MCC to try to change the graphics card memory size to 32 MB, but there does not appear to be an option to do this (well, none that I could see). It is, of course, an option on installation, but I don't want to necessarily opt for that if it can be worked around. Here are the contents of kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf : # File generated by XFdrake. # ********************************************************************** # Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of # this file. # ********************************************************************** Section "Files" # Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together) # By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of # the X server to render fonts. FontPath "unix/:-1" EndSection Section "ServerFlags" #DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort) #DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching) AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse does not work EndSection Section "Module" Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension Load "v4l" # Video for Linux Load "extmod" Load "type1" Load "freetype" Load "glx" # 3D layer EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Keyboard1" Driver "keyboard" Option "XkbModel" "pc105" Option "XkbLayout" "gb" Option "XkbOptions" "compose:rwin" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Mouse1" Driver "mouse" Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2" Option "Device" "/dev/mouse" Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7" EndSection Section "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" VendorName "Generic" ModelName "1024x768 @ 70 Hz" HorizSync 31.5-57.0 VertRefresh 50-70 # TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output. # 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630 # 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616 EndSection Section "Device" Identifier "device1" VendorName "S3 Inc." BoardName "S3 Savage4" Driver "savage" VideoRam 4096 Option "DPMS" # Option "no_accel" # You may enable this if there are timeouts when starting X EndSection Section "Screen" Identifier "screen1" Device "device1" Monitor "monitor1" DefaultColorDepth 24 Subsection "Display" Depth 8 Virtual 800 600 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 15 Virtual 800 600 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 16 Virtual 800 600 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 24 Virtual 800 600 EndSubsection EndSection Section "ServerLayout" Identifier "layout1" InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard" InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer" Screen "screen1" EndSection
Do you have your resolution set to 800X600? Do you prefer it like that? I am going to build you a new xorg.conf file and i'll post it here later
Thanks very much, Mega. Well, 800X600 just seems to work okay. I could try altering it to see if any improvement in screen display could be gained. I can always revert back if it's no better or worse.
