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trouble getting radeon to work

Graphical Environments, Managers, Multimedia & Desktop questions.
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debinst
Posts: 25
Joined: 2009-09-03 14:24

trouble getting radeon to work

#1 Post by debinst »

I have a mainboard with onboard AMD Radeon graphics and I don't get it to work properly. All I get is the vesa driver. The xorg.conf file is pretty empty by default ("Configured Device", "Configured Monitor") and when I force the actual content to be there, then I can see the vesa configuration. Replacing the string "vesa" with "radeon" or "radeonhd" or "ati" does not work (X does not start then). Is there any package to get the (free) Radeon driver to work?

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Soul Singin'
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#2 Post by Soul Singin' »

Post the output of:

Code: Select all

lspci | grep -i radeon
Mine is pretty old:

Code: Select all

[ Sat 19-Sep-2009  2.56 xxxx ] ~ $ lspci | grep -i radeon
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility M6 LY
but it works with the default /etc/X11/xorg.conf configuration:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
EndSection
.

debinst
Posts: 25
Joined: 2009-09-03 14:24

Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#3 Post by debinst »

Soul Singin' wrote:Post the output of:

Code: Select all

lspci | grep -i radeon
The output of that command is precisely nothing (empty string, if you will).

The output of

Code: Select all

lspci | grep -i radeonhd
is also empty. But the output of

Code: Select all

lspci | grep -i ati
includes the line

Code: Select all

01:05.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Device 9710
The mainboard has a AMD 785G chipset, which means it has a ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics device onboard. And as I can see at http://developer.amd.com/drivers/pc_ven ... fault.aspx this graphics device indeed is called "9710" by AMD.
Mine is pretty old:

Code: Select all

[ Sat 19-Sep-2009  2.56 xxxx ] ~ $ lspci | grep -i radeon
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility M6 LY
but it works with the default /etc/X11/xorg.conf configuration:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
EndSection
.
I had such xorg.conf too, and I don't like it much. Mainly because it does not run the ati/radeon/radeonhd driver for me, it runs vesa.

Bulkley
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#4 Post by Bulkley »

First, have you checked your BIOS configuration? With onboard hardware, you never know unless you look.

To get ATI acceleration you need to add mesa and dri.

What does glxinfo tell you?

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Soul Singin'
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Joined: 2008-12-21 07:02

Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#5 Post by Soul Singin' »

I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I should have told you to check the output of:

Code: Select all

lspci -nn | grep ATI
The -nn flag also prints the vendor and device IDs, which can then be checked against Debian's Device Database.
debinst wrote:Replacing the string "vesa" with "radeon" or "radeonhd" or "ati" does not work (X does not start then). Is there any package to get the (free) Radeon driver to work?
How are you adding the driver to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file?

Here's mine on a different machine:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Generic Video Card"
        Driver          "ati"
##      Driver          "vesa"                ## stable ol' "vesa"
        BusID           "PCI:1:0:0"
        Option          "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"  ## https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver
        Option          "BusType" "PCI"          ## Ubuntu community help
        Option          "AGPMode" "1"            ## Ubuntu community help
EndSection
.

debinst
Posts: 25
Joined: 2009-09-03 14:24

Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#6 Post by debinst »

Soul Singin' wrote:I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I should have told you to check the output of:

Code: Select all

lspci -nn | grep ATI
The -nn flag also prints the vendor and device IDs, which can then be checked against Debian's Device Database.

Code: Select all

#lspci -nn | grep ATI
01:05.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: ATI Technologies Inc Device [1002:9710]
Debian's Device Database does not list "1002:9710" at all. It lists the number 9710 several times but these are all completely unrelated things by a company called "NetMos". There is nothing with "9710" after the ":". There are many entries that start with "1002:" and they are indeed all AMD graphics cards (mostly listed with the radeon and radeonhd drivers) but mine is not there. The last one on the list is "1002:9613". Also, the list seems to have onboard graphics only up to approximately "Radeon HD 3200 Graphics", whereas I have HD 4200.

Does that mean that my graphics chip is not supported yet?

Do I have to use the proprietary AMD driver (fglrx)?
Soul Singin' wrote:
debinst wrote:Replacing the string "vesa" with "radeon" or "radeonhd" or "ati" does not work (X does not start then). Is there any package to get the (free) Radeon driver to work?
How are you adding the driver to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file?

Here's mine on a different machine:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Generic Video Card"
        Driver          "ati"
##      Driver          "vesa"                ## stable ol' "vesa"
        BusID           "PCI:1:0:0"
        Option          "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"  ## https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver
        Option          "BusType" "PCI"          ## Ubuntu community help
        Option          "AGPMode" "1"            ## Ubuntu community help
EndSection
.
Here's the section of my xorg.conf:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
        #Option "ShadowFB" # [<bool>]
        #Option "DefaultRefresh"  #[<bool>]
        #Option "ModeSetClearScreen" # [<bool>]
        Identifier "Card0"
#        Driver "ati"         #does not work
#        Driver "radeon"         #does not work
#        Driver "radeonhd"         #does not work
        Driver "vesa"     #works
        VendorName  "ATI Technologies Inc"
        BoardName  "Unknown Board"
        BusID   "PCI:1:5:0"
EndSection
I'm a bit worried about the "Unknown Board" thing. But at least the OS knows it's an ATI graphics device.

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Soul Singin'
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#7 Post by Soul Singin' »

Wow! You're really in uncharted territory. I googled:

Code: Select all

ATI  "1002 9710"
and only got two results.
debinst wrote:Do I have to use the proprietary AMD driver (fglrx)?
Give it a shot. Here are some tips from the Debian Wiki and from the Unofficial ATI Linux Driver Wiki.
debinst wrote:I'm a bit worried about the "Unknown Board" thing.
I wouldn't worry about it.
.

debinst
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Joined: 2009-09-03 14:24

Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#8 Post by debinst »

OK, I tried to install the proprietary ATI driver (fglrx). But no luck so far either.

First I tried the download version from the amd.com website (Catalyst version 9.9, which is the most current one at the time of this posting). I had a hard time with it:

I tried the "automatic install" option, followed by "aticonfig --initial" which works but badly so: it gives a running X server, but many programs (glxgears and maybe everything that tries to use OpenGL) don't run at all and just dump error messages.

Then I tried the option to generate distribution-specific packages (with the Catalyst 9.9 installer). I get 4 .debs. They don't install due to a conflict of fglrx-driver_8.85-1_amd64.deb with xserver-xorg-core. I can force the installation but there's clearly something wrong. And I don't get a properly running X server either.

Then I gave up on the Catalyst 9.9 that I got from AMD's web site and tried the fglrx stuff in the "non-free" section of the debian packages. It installs kinda OK, but the X server now doesn't run at all (nothing, just black screen). When I manually run "aticonfig --initial" I get "Segmentation fault".

So what can I do?

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BioTube
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#9 Post by BioTube »

What version of Debian are you running? The 4200 is newer than Lenny AFAIK, so you'll need at least a newer DDX(3D acceleration requires a whole slew of new things and even then isn't fully stable); you can find instructions for (all)that here. As for fglrx, it's probably built against newer software.
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debinst
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#10 Post by debinst »

I'm running Debian lenny (5.0.3). I would have loved to run the free driver (radoen, radeonhd) but it does not work because it does not recognize my hardware at all. You are quite right that the 4200 is new.

Bulkley
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#11 Post by Bulkley »

debinst wrote:I'm running Debian lenny (5.0.3). I would have loved to run the free driver (radoen, radeonhd) but it does not work because it does not recognize my hardware at all. You are quite right that the 4200 is new.
I'm running Squeeze and the open-source ati driver includes the 4200. You nave to have the mesa libraries.

libgl1-mesa-dri
libgl1-mesa-glx
libgl1-mesa-dev
libglu1-mesa
mesa-utils
All version 7.5.1-1
xserver-xorg-video-radeon version 1:6.12.3-1

If you don't want these, you have to get the proprietary driver. That's your choice, upgrade to Squeeze or proprietary.

debinst
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#12 Post by debinst »

Bulkley wrote: I'm running Squeeze and the open-source ati driver includes the 4200.
Hey, great! I want to try that but not do a distro upgrade. Is there a way to just use the 4200 driver, mesa, and all that's required from squeeze and keep the rest from lenny?

By the way, how come squeeze supports the 4200 but it's not listed in the PCI DevicaDatabase http://wiki.debian.org/DeviceDatabase/PCI?

Bulkley
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#13 Post by Bulkley »

debinst wrote:Is there a way to just use the 4200 driver, mesa, and all that's required from squeeze and keep the rest from lenny?
Yes, it's called a mixed system. This forum has lots of threads on it. Browse through "Docs, Howtos, Tips & Tricks" or do a search. Be cautioned that mixing can induce problems.

You might try Lenny backport sources. These sort of bridge the gap between Lenny and Squeeze.

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BioTube
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#14 Post by BioTube »

Xorg isn't in backports; to get the new driver, you'll need to build it yourself(see radeonBuildHowTo; you should be able to build against the X in Lenny). You shouldn't have to build anything else unless you want KMS or 3D support, which require a whole new stack.
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debinst
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#15 Post by debinst »

Now that I think about it, I see no reason to believe that a mixed system will overcome the installation problems. It cannot possibly give me a better or newer driver than the one from the AMD web site (Catalyst 9.9).

Fortunately, I found a way to use the latter (Catalyst 9.9) and get it to work. The solution was to get rid of absolutely everything on the system that came from the debian repo and had fglrx* in the name, whether conflicting with the Catalyst 9.9 version or not. After that, the 9.9-generated .debs (which then had versionn numbers 8.51-1, how idiotic) did install without errors.

I still have no OpenGL (glxgears and so), no games and of course no 3D, but at least something. I welcome any other suggestions to improve this, short of reinstalling half the operating system.

Does anyone else have a Radeon HD4200 onboard graphics (Chipset: AMD 785G / SB710) and ever got it to work under linux (any distribution)?

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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#16 Post by sickie »

After installing the driver (either directly or through .debs) you need to set xorg.conf to use fglrx instead of radeon/ati. You can achieve this with issuing aticonfig --initial
:shock:

covarde_anonimo
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#17 Post by covarde_anonimo »

debinst wrote:OK, I tried to install the proprietary ATI driver (fglrx). But no luck so far either.

First I tried the download version from the amd.com website (Catalyst version 9.9, which is the most current one at the time of this posting). I had a hard time with it:

I tried the "automatic install" option, followed by "aticonfig --initial" which works but badly so: it gives a running X server, but many programs (glxgears and maybe everything that tries to use OpenGL) don't run at all and just dump error messages.
(SNIP)
So what can I do?
debinst, I've been pulling my hair with this catalyst BS since I bought my current acer notebook some 3 months ago. I ended up using kubuntu jaunty just to get the damn 3D working. this monday I decided to go back to debian ( I can't stay away from it for too long...), so here's my tale:

- Installed a bare-bones system (base system + laptop on tasksel) from a lenny CD
- edited /etc/apt/sources.conf and replaced "lenny" with "unstable"
- upgraded everything, installed kernel-image 2.6.30 plus KDE and xorg from aptitude
- tried to install fglrx 9.9 packages from aptitude, and...

KERNEL PANIC!!!

everytime i tried to bring up xorg with fglrx driver loaded on the kernel and xorg.conf as edited by "aticonfig --initial" it'd lock with a black screen, forcing me to use the SysRq magic key to reboot. even using ATI's own installer resulted in the same thing.

I did it all over again yesterday night, and found that there's some weird thing going on between catalyst 9.9 and debian's kernel-image 2.6.30. i found it was all ATI's fault when i finally had the idea of purging everything I had installed from aptitude (didn't try the ATI installer this time) and ran ATI's _9.8_ driver instead.

after i installed catalyst 9.8 from ATI's installer, everything started to work wonderfully.

my hardware is an athlon 64X2 with a radeon HD3200 (mobile chipset). give it a try and post the results.

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alpha-dog
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Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#18 Post by alpha-dog »

I'm useing the liquorix 2.6.30 kernel and radeon 3870 card. I used the sgfxi script to install the 9-9 ati driver and it worked. I now have 3D, the cube, wobble, ect. I don't know if its neccesary but the command I used after ctrl-alt-f1 was sgfxi -f -1! . This didn't use debs.

debinst
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Joined: 2009-09-03 14:24

Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#19 Post by debinst »

sickie wrote:After installing the driver (either directly or through .debs) you need to set xorg.conf to use fglrx instead of radeon/ati. You can achieve this with issuing aticonfig --initial
Thanks, but I already know that. It's what the installation notes say, and it is what I already did before starting to post here.

Actually, I now even have a xorg.conf with device sections both for fglrx and for vesa, and it actually works if I temporarily deinstall the fglrx driver (the next time X starts, it automatically selects the vesa driver). So my xorg.conf is perfectly configured for the day (which may never come) when the fglrx driver finally works with my onboard graphics chipset and gives me OpenGL.

debinst
Posts: 25
Joined: 2009-09-03 14:24

Re: trouble getting radeon to work

#20 Post by debinst »

covarde_anonimo wrote:
debinst wrote:OK, I tried to install the proprietary ATI driver (fglrx). But no luck so far either.

First I tried the download version from the amd.com website (Catalyst version 9.9, which is the most current one at the time of this posting). I had a hard time with it:

I tried the "automatic install" option, followed by "aticonfig --initial" which works but badly so: it gives a running X server, but many programs (glxgears and maybe everything that tries to use OpenGL) don't run at all and just dump error messages.
(SNIP)
So what can I do?
debinst, I've been pulling my hair with this catalyst BS since I bought my current acer notebook some 3 months ago. I ended up using kubuntu jaunty just to get the damn 3D working. this monday I decided to go back to debian ( I can't stay away from it for too long...), so here's my tale:

- Installed a bare-bones system (base system + laptop on tasksel) from a lenny CD
- edited /etc/apt/sources.conf and replaced "lenny" with "unstable"
- upgraded everything, installed kernel-image 2.6.30 plus KDE and xorg from aptitude
- tried to install fglrx 9.9 packages from aptitude, and...

KERNEL PANIC!!!

everytime i tried to bring up xorg with fglrx driver loaded on the kernel and xorg.conf as edited by "aticonfig --initial" it'd lock with a black screen, forcing me to use the SysRq magic key to reboot. even using ATI's own installer resulted in the same thing.

I did it all over again yesterday night, and found that there's some weird thing going on between catalyst 9.9 and debian's kernel-image 2.6.30. i found it was all ATI's fault when i finally had the idea of purging everything I had installed from aptitude (didn't try the ATI installer this time) and ran ATI's _9.8_ driver instead.
Hi covarde_anonimo, thanks for sharing your story. I already expected that similar problems would affect others too.
covarde_anonimo wrote:my hardware is an athlon 64X2 with a radeon HD3200 (mobile chipset). give it a try and post the results.
I would really love to try earlier Catalyst versions but unfortunately my HD4200 chipset is only supported as of 9.9. So I can't even copy your method of achieving success.

Not until I go out and by me some older ATI hardware, older than what I have and hence probably better supported. Which I am now plannig to do.

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