Re: Help me get my beer! (or: How RH 5.2 made a mockery of me)

[John Logsdon <j logsdon lancaster ac uk>]

On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Steve Frampton wrote:

[snip snip]
> 
> - I absolutely, positively cannot get X working.  The card is a Diamond
> Fire GL 1000 PRO with 8 Mb of RAM.  I upgraded the XFree packages to
> 3.3.3.1-1 which includes support for that card (from the
> XFree-3DLabs-3.3.3.1-1.i386.rpm package).  Typing 'Xconfigurator'
> segfaults as soon as I choose the card (er, it actually segfaults on
> *every* machine I have tested it on); so I used 'xf86config' to set up the
> XF86Config file.  I did this several times, both with defaults as well as
> with hand-tweaked XF86Config files, but startx seems to want to run the
> vga16 server!  Yet the /etc/X11/bin/X file is symlinked to XF86_3DLab as
> it should be.  Guess what happens if I type /etc/X11/bin/X?  I get a nice
> 1024x768 X display exactly as I tweaked the XF86Config file.  So why isn't
> 'startx' running the damn correct X server!??!  ;-(
> 

I *seriously* advise XF86Setup and xvidtune (which it prompts you to do
and with which you can fine-tune the X set up very easily). I have had
problems with Xconfigurator, which steadfastly refused to recognise the
S3Virge/DX card, or rather refused to use the S3V driver, which meant that
I only had 8 bit displays. xf86config is much too hacky for my taste. 
With XF86Setup, you can select mouse, keyboard, card, monitor etc.

> - I can't seem to get the modem working.  It is a U.S. Robotics 56K Voice
> PnP modem.  My "client" told me he made *sure* not to get a WinModem, so
> I'll have to believe him.  I'm not too fond of PnP modems, but I *have*
> gotten one working before.  However, 'pnp_serial' gives me an error 'could
> not probe /dev/modem'.  There *is* no /dev/modem -- I tried symlinking
> /dev/ttys0 and /dev/ttys1 to it but to no avail.  Minicom won't work
> either.  :-(  (The modem is apparently using IRQ 3, 02f8-02ff, on COM2).
> 

You will probably have to disable the PnP not only from within Windows (ie
using the floppy that comes with the modem, if it is still there) but also
from the BIOS.  Inspect all the screens of the BIOS 'cos they put things
in silly places sometimes.  I had a problem on a (on an TxPro 100
motherboard) where the Genius network card kept getting mistaken by
Windows and I had to unselect everything to get it working.  I suspect the
same.  You can always mkdir /dev/modem of course.

> - Hmmm...the mouse is a Microsoft IntelliMouse with the little scroll
> wheel.  The installation program allowed me to select this, and it works
> fine in the console.  But for xf86config, I had to select the 'PS2' mouse;
> if I selected 'IntelliMouse' I got a very jerky mouse pointer which did
> nothing but jump around the screen.
> 

See XF86Setup ...

Look forward to your case.

John