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Empty xorg.conf?

Linux Kernel, Network, and Services configuration.
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Sephiroth
Posts: 1012
Joined: 2007-07-05 03:30
Location: North Carolina, USA

Empty xorg.conf?

#1 Post by Sephiroth »

I just noticed that my xorg.conf was almost empty whereas in Etch it contained all kinds of modules to load and extra settings. What gives? I installed Lenny with the bare minimum, installed X, then installed KDE. After that I installed a few extras followed by the ATI proprietary driver. Below is the configuration. What is it lacking?

Code: Select all


# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "aticonfig Layout"
	Screen      0  "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0" 0 0
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Generic Keyboard"
	Driver      "kbd"
	Option	    "XkbRules" "xorg"
	Option	    "XkbModel" "pc104"
	Option	    "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Configured Mouse"
	Driver      "mouse"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	Option	    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
	Option	    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
	Option	    "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "Configured Video Device"
	Option	    "UseFBDev" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Driver      "fglrx"
	BusID       "PCI:1:5:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
	Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Thanks for any help offered.
Intel C2Q 3.06GHz, 8GB PC-10600, Dual 250GB SATA 3.0GBps RAID-0, Dual GTX295 2GB, X-Fi Gamer
P4/3.20GHz HT, 2GB DDR400, 120GB SATA, 7800GS 256MB, Audigy IV w/4.1 Speakers
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xray492
Posts: 47
Joined: 2008-05-02 19:50
Location: USA

#2 Post by xray492 »

it's missing your video modes... you have an ATI Hi-Def driver? is it widescreen?

Underneath the "DefaultDepth 24" insert

Code: Select all

Modes      "1366x768"
Assuming you have 16:9 aspect ratio screen... If not insert the resolution of your choice

I posted my xorg.conf on another thread http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=
xray492

Dell XPS D333 Debian etch 2.6.26-1-686
Gateway MC Series Debian lenny 2.6.30.5-amd64

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bugsbunny
Posts: 5354
Joined: 2008-07-06 17:04
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#3 Post by bugsbunny »

xorg now doesn't need most of the entries in xorg.conf. In many cases it works with no xorg.conf file at all as the new version attempts (and often succeeds) in doing auto-configuration. This doesn't always work 100% and/or you may not like the choices that it makes for one reason or another, in which case you will have to modify it - but nothing is "missing" per-se. If you use a proprietary driver you may have to add an item or two (depending on the driver etc). But most options are no longer needed.

In other words if something isn't working right you may have to make a change - otherwise don't worry about it.

Sephiroth
Posts: 1012
Joined: 2007-07-05 03:30
Location: North Carolina, USA

#4 Post by Sephiroth »

Well my fonts seem a tad off. For example, fonts in a terminal overlap certain characters, which never happened before Lenny. I'd like to know what modules and such aren't being loaded that may be beneficial as well. The old Etch version of KDE 3.5 did contain a lot of data in the configuration file. If I am still using KDE 3.5, why does Lenny not do this?
Intel C2Q 3.06GHz, 8GB PC-10600, Dual 250GB SATA 3.0GBps RAID-0, Dual GTX295 2GB, X-Fi Gamer
P4/3.20GHz HT, 2GB DDR400, 120GB SATA, 7800GS 256MB, Audigy IV w/4.1 Speakers
AMD Turion64x2 1.60GHz, 1GB DDR2(667), 120GB PATA, ATI1100M

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987687
Posts: 2110
Joined: 2007-06-11 10:58
Location: Vacation Land

#5 Post by 987687 »

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. flgrx is a nasty horrible driver, and if it is currently working I wouldn't touch the xorg.conf file. (it probably won't stay working for long though, especially if you have a newer card... I think I made mine stop working by breathing.)

Xorg 6.9 in lenny does a lot more auto detecting than the version in etch, so it doesn't need as many settings. Unless you are customizing, then add things. The file on my old desktop to run the 3 screens was huge with all sorts of modules and crap definid.
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Eck
Posts: 740
Joined: 2007-06-27 16:13

#6 Post by Eck »

I use fglrx on my ATI Radeon x850 PRO because the radeon driver offers an older version of openGL than what VMWare, mupen64plus, GoogleEarth work well with. It seems you have run aticonfig --initial just fine as the normal settings are in there.

The only thing I have added is to edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the Driver section:

Option "TexturedVideo" "true"

That activates the advanced avivo codec that 3D stuff like Compiz will like, as well as enabling XV accelerated video (run xvinfo to see).

Other than that Xorg is mostly automatic these days. Instead of resolution information being contained in xorg.conf, it uses xrandr. There is a nice GUI I used to change my resolution called grandr. Once I used that and rebooted all the KDE and Gnome Display properties controls had automatically been set to what I did in there. Quite nice. Or you can consult the man page for xrandr for the command line stuff to type in.

At least the Debian Way installation of fglrx in Lenny has set me up fine. I didn't even need to use module-assistant. Installing fglrx-modules-2.6-686 brought in the pre-packaged fglrx-modules-2.6.26-1-686. The Debian Way rocks! We don't have the just released fglrx with its compiz related video playback fixes, but we'll likely get it in squeeze soon enough. I had problems when I tried the 9.1's using the ATI installer so I wiped it out (had been using 8.12 using theirs) and installed the Debian packages, which are the just previous 8.12's.

Some stuff to check (install mesa-utils) are glxinfo, fgl_glxinfo, fglrxinfo, glxgears, fgl_glxgears (or fgl_fglrxgears, I forget).

If it works don't break it! :)
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paivakil
Posts: 434
Joined: 2009-02-15 11:57

Re: Empty xorg.conf?

#7 Post by paivakil »

Sephiroth wrote:Below is the configuration. What is it lacking?
If things work fine, you are not lacking anything. ;-)

It is a feature. The version of xorg is supposed to autodetect your hardware, identify the ideal resolution and load the appropriate drivers too.

Sephiroth
Posts: 1012
Joined: 2007-07-05 03:30
Location: North Carolina, USA

#8 Post by Sephiroth »

I'm using the proprietary ATI driver, not the one in the repositories. This is for performance issues. The only problems I have are overlapping terminal characters and the password dialog when resuming from a screensaver is hidden behind the screensaver. Did not have this problem in Etch. Actually, using the same driver in Etch worked flawlessly.

Anyway, it just seems odd that there is almost nothing in my configuration file and now two problems are occurring. Also, where do I put that option? What section?
Intel C2Q 3.06GHz, 8GB PC-10600, Dual 250GB SATA 3.0GBps RAID-0, Dual GTX295 2GB, X-Fi Gamer
P4/3.20GHz HT, 2GB DDR400, 120GB SATA, 7800GS 256MB, Audigy IV w/4.1 Speakers
AMD Turion64x2 1.60GHz, 1GB DDR2(667), 120GB PATA, ATI1100M

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BioTube
Posts: 7520
Joined: 2007-06-01 04:34

#9 Post by BioTube »

fglrx is not the same version - it's perfectly possible to have a regression in little-cared-about 2d code. As for the OpenGL version, that's mostly Mesa's responsibility.
Image
Ludwig von Mises wrote:The elite should be supreme by virtue of persuasion, not by the assistance of firing squads.

pvossen
Posts: 2
Joined: 2009-02-18 02:12

Re: Empty xorg.conf?

#10 Post by pvossen »

Had same problem with any Ubuntu or Linux Mint with the newer auto feature
for picking up the monitors. Older monitors are not configured correctly in
a lot of situations. Is there a way to get back some of the choices we had
previously for choice of monitors without to much hassle? Otherwise,
Lenny is doing just fine after grabbing multimedia codecs and plugins
for Iceweasel.




Sephiroth wrote:I just noticed that my xorg.conf was almost empty whereas in Etch it contained all kinds of modules to load and extra settings. What gives? I installed Lenny with the bare minimum, installed X, then installed KDE. After that I installed a few extras followed by the ATI proprietary driver. Below is the configuration. What is it lacking?

Code: Select all


# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "aticonfig Layout"
	Screen      0  "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0" 0 0
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Generic Keyboard"
	Driver      "kbd"
	Option	    "XkbRules" "xorg"
	Option	    "XkbModel" "pc104"
	Option	    "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Configured Mouse"
	Driver      "mouse"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	Option	    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
	Option	    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
	Option	    "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "Configured Video Device"
	Option	    "UseFBDev" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Driver      "fglrx"
	BusID       "PCI:1:5:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
	Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Thanks for any help offered.

User avatar
987687
Posts: 2110
Joined: 2007-06-11 10:58
Location: Vacation Land

#11 Post by 987687 »

Just because it auto-detects a lot of stuff, you can still modify the file all you want. When I switched from etch to lenny on my old desktop I still used my gigantic xorg.conf file... X isn't geed enough to detect 3 screens all at different resolutions with 3 different graphic cards, I still needed to tell it how to do that :wink:
But by all means, you don't have to use the default file. change it to your heart's content :D
Desktop - 3.2GHz core2 quad
Laptop - 2.4GHz core2 duo ancient macbook
Bring back the penguin!! http://tinyurl.com/d57jwv

otter
Posts: 84
Joined: 2007-07-19 19:10

#12 Post by otter »

I was wondering about this very same thing. The only thing I really needed to mess with in xorg.conf was the screen resolution, which I just copy and pasted from my backup. I'm using fluxbox, and the default font with the resolution it was using was just impossible to read.
Last edited by otter on 2009-02-18 22:02, edited 3 times in total.

Eck
Posts: 740
Joined: 2007-06-27 16:13

#13 Post by Eck »

The fglrx-glx package (recommended, if one keeps aptitude installing recommends, by fglrx-driver) installs ATI's version of openGL and puts in redirects so applications wind up using it instead of mesa's installed version.

I needed that, otherwise the programs I mentioned had problems. Mesa isn't up to openGL 2.1 yet, it's using 1.3 which wasn't good enough.

That grandr tool fixed up my resolutions fine without needing to add the older ways of things (modelines, resolution specifics, etc) to xorg.conf.
Lenovo z560 Laptop Nvidia GeForce 310m Hitachi 500GB HD Intel HD Audio 4GB RAM

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