X Server File Modification To Add Vesa?

[Bren14]

How can I enter into my files, in xserver, which is not yet working, blank scree, x server error, and change a file to read vesa?

And what exactly should it read?

Maybe I should get a newer video card, or find a driver?

"file --help" gave commands I tried, like "file --f", but the reply is "-f needs argument".

[izar]

I take it you're using Stable/Etch. If so backup your present /etc/X11/xorg.conf file just in case:

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su
enter your root password
cd /etc/X11
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf-backup

Now do:

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nano xorg.conf

find the section for "Device" , write Vesa for your driver and save the file with Ctl+O and Ctl+x.
That should be enough

[Bren14]

Thanks, I made progress.

After the fault message, I logged in, used nano, ctrl+R, CTRL+T, found a vertical list in nano memory, and changed Xsever at the bottom, at the bottom to vesa, did ctrl+O, it prompted a file to write.

I wrote vesa, and tried ctrl+X, and it wanted another file to write. I restarted and it was as before.

I wrote in vesa again, and tried again, and it was as before, so I tried changing X server and Xserver to vesa. It wants a "file to write".

How do I make this permanent, when I restart vesa is not there. There are two new files as well as nano memory, similar sizes.

Is there a particular file to search for, only /etc/X11 is found, xorg.conf is there but not found in the search with ctrl+W.

[Gomer_X]

Looks to me like the problem is when nano ask for the "file to write" it's asking for a filename to save the file to. Tell it xorg.conf

You're somehow writing your changes to the wrong file.

[Bren14]

Hey Gomer, I did two file writes, one is called vesa the other xorg.conf , they are there with the original nano memory.

By the way, one of my youth group aquaintances went to live in Cincinatti. Matthew Kelly.

[Gomer_X]

Hey Gomer, I did two file writes, one is called vesa the other xorg.conf , they are there with the original nano memory.

Maybe I misunderstand. I'm not sure what you mean by "nano memory."

When you make the change and write the file as xorg.conf, can you open the file again and see that your changes are still there?

You also may need to make the driver "vesa" and not "Vesa".

By the way, one of my youth group aquaintances went to live in Cincinatti. Matthew Kelly.

Google tells me about a Matthew Kelly in Cincinnati from Sydney, but I don't know him. It's kind of a big place.

[Bren14]

I think my problem is in part, that I lost my root password, as su, and was using another.

This was my test 3 gig HD, I may try re-installing, and then go through the instructions, and I read this;

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Sleep for now.

[izar]

No need to reinstall to get your root password back.
This is what I copied from another thread on this forum

If you can boot as far as the GRUB menu, try this:

Boot to the GRUB menu. Then, press e (for edit) before Linux has a chance to boot.

Move cursor down a line or so, and press e (for edit) again, you should now be on the kernel line, and press End to go out to the very end of that line. Now add the folllowing:

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init=/bin/bash


Or:

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init=/bin/sh


Then press Enter, and you're back at the kernel line, press b (for boot) and the computer will proceed to boot to a prompt.

At this point, the root file system is still mounted read-only, so enter the following command:

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mount -n -o remount,rw /


Then type:

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passwd


Type your new password. Retype if asked to confirm.
Then type:

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reboot

[Bren14]

I erased my toying 3.2 GB hard drive, and simply re-installed, and the screen works fine,, I am happy with the development.

I am trialling Lenny, and I am about to install Compiz.