X on old laptop

Captain Dondo · External Since: May 25, 2005 Posts: 300

I have an old Compaq Armada 1700 laptop. This has a Chips & Tech 65555
video chipset.

X detects the chip correctly but I can't seem to be able to convince it to
use the native 1024x768 resolution.

X Window System Version 1.3.0
Release Date: 19 April 2007
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 1.3
Build Operating System: Linux Debian
Current Operating System: Linux debian 2.6.21-2-686 #1 SMP Wed Jul 11 03:53:02 UTC 2007 i6
86

It insists on using 800x600 which gives me a large black border around the
desktop.

If I use the vesa driver, I get the full screen but only 256 colors. If I
use the chips driver, I get 16 bit color, but only 800x600 resolution.
AFAIK the laptop is capable of 1024x768x16 colors.... And IIRC when I
had DSL on it, the display was really nice. So how do I convince X to go
there?

Here's some snippets from xorg.0.log:

(II) CHIPS(0): VESA BIOS detected
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE Version 2.0
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE Total Mem: 2048 kB
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE OEM: CHIPS 65555 Super VGA
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE OEM Software Rev: 1.0
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE OEM Vendor: Chips & Technologies, Inc.
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE OEM Product: 65555 Display Controller
(II) CHIPS(0): VESA VBE OEM Product Rev: 2

(II) CHIPS(0): Probing for DDC1
(--) CHIPS(0): TFT probed
(--) CHIPS(0): LCD
(--) CHIPS(0): Display Size: x=1024; y=768
(--) CHIPS(0): PCI Bus
(--) CHIPS(0): Internal DAC disabled
(--) CHIPS(0): Using programmable clocks
(--) CHIPS(0): Dot clock 0: 25.056 MHz
(--) CHIPS(0): Dot clock 1: 28.238 MHz CRTclk
(--) CHIPS(0): Dot clock 2: 65.082 MHz FPclk
(--) CHIPS(0): Probed memory clock of 50.113 MHz
(==) CHIPS(0): Min pixel clock is 1.000 MHz
(--) CHIPS(0): Max pixel clock is 110.000 MHz
(II) CHIPS(0): Monitor0: Using default hsync range of 31.50-37.90 kHz
(II) CHIPS(0): Monitor0: Using default vrefresh range of 50.00-70.00 Hz
(II) CHIPS(0): Clock range: 1.00 to 110.00 MHz

It rejects all of the 1024x768 modes with
(II) CHIPS(0): Not using default mode "1024x768" (bad mode
clock/interlace/doublescan)
(II) CHIPS(0): Not using default mode "1024x768" (hsync out of range)

(II) CHIPS(0): Not using mode "1024x768" (no mode of this name)
(--) CHIPS(0): Virtual size is 800x600 (pitch 800)
(**) CHIPS(0): Default mode "800x600": 40.0 MHz, 37.9 kHz, 60.3 Hz
(II) CHIPS(0): Modeline "800x600" 40.00 800 840 968 1056 600 601 605 628 +hsync +vsync
(**) CHIPS(0): Default mode "800x600": 36.0 MHz, 35.2 kHz, 56.2 Hz
(II) CHIPS(0): Modeline "800x600" 36.00 800 824 896 1024 600 601 603 625 +hsync +vsync
(**) CHIPS(0): Default mode "640x480": 25.2 MHz, 31.5 kHz, 59.9 Hz
(II) CHIPS(0): Modeline "640x480" 25.18 640 656 752 800 480 490 492 525 -hsync -vsync

Captain Dondo · External Since: May 25, 2005 Posts: 300

V Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:09:12 +0000, Captain Dondo napsal(a):

> I have an old Compaq Armada 1700 laptop. This has a Chips & Tech 65555
> video chipset.
>
> X detects the chip correctly but I can't seem to be able to convince it to
> use the native 1024x768 resolution.
>

Never mind. Either X or the screen wasn't reporting its capabilities
correctly.

I manually set the HSync and all is well.

--Yan

I R A Darth Aggie · External Since: Apr 26, 2007 Posts: 12

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:39:45 -0000,
Captain Dondo <yan RemoveThis @NsOeSiPnAeMr.com>, in
<13a722h9o8om089 RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com> wrote:
>+ V Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:09:12 +0000, Captain Dondo napsal(a):
>+
>+ > I have an old Compaq Armada 1700 laptop. This has a Chips & Tech 65555
>+ > video chipset.
>+ >
>+ > X detects the chip correctly but I can't seem to be able to convince it to
>+ > use the native 1024x768 resolution.
>+ >
>+
>+ Never mind. Either X or the screen wasn't reporting its capabilities
>+ correctly.
>+
>+ I manually set the HSync and all is well.

Would you be so kind as to make note of what your settings are? others
may benefit from your knowledge.

--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow
isn't looking good, either.
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.

Captain Dondo · External Since: May 25, 2005 Posts: 300

V Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:55:37 +0000, I R A Darth Aggie napsal(a):

> On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:39:45 -0000,
> Captain Dondo <yan RemoveThis @NsOeSiPnAeMr.com>, in
> <13a722h9o8om089 RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com> wrote:
>>+ V Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:09:12 +0000, Captain Dondo napsal(a):
>>+
>>+ > I have an old Compaq Armada 1700 laptop. This has a Chips & Tech 65555
>>+ > video chipset.
>>+ >
>>+ > X detects the chip correctly but I can't seem to be able to convince it to
>>+ > use the native 1024x768 resolution.
>>+ >
>>+
>>+ Never mind. Either X or the screen wasn't reporting its capabilities
>>+ correctly.
>>+
>>+ I manually set the HSync and all is well.
>
> Would you be so kind as to make note of what your settings are? others
> may benefit from your knowledge.
>

Well, the big clue was the 1024x768 resolution....

From there, go to one of the many excellent modeline generators on the
web, and create a custom modeline for that resolution. Take note of the
required hsync and then add that information to the Monitor section of the
xorg.conf file:

HorizSync 25-49
Modeline "1024x768@60" 64.43 1024 1056 1296 1328 768 783 791 807

Stefan Patric · External Since: Apr 15, 2004 Posts: 153

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:09:12 +0000, Captain Dondo wrote:

> I have an old Compaq Armada 1700 laptop. This has a Chips & Tech 65555
> video chipset.
>
> X detects the chip correctly but I can't seem to be able to convince it
> to use the native 1024x768 resolution.
>
> X Window System Version 1.3.0
> Release Date: 19 April 2007
> X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 1.3 Build Operating System:
> Linux Debian
> Current Operating System: Linux debian 2.6.21-2-686 #1 SMP Wed Jul 11
> 03:53:02 UTC 2007 i6 86
>
> It insists on using 800x600 which gives me a large black border around
> the desktop.
>
> If I use the vesa driver, I get the full screen but only 256 colors. If
> I use the chips driver, I get 16 bit color, but only 800x600 resolution.
> AFAIK the laptop is capable of 1024x768x16 colors.... And IIRC when I
> had DSL on it, the display was really nice. So how do I convince X to
> go there?
>
> Here's some snippets from xorg.0.log:
>
> [snip]
>
> It rejects all of the 1024x768 modes with (II) CHIPS(0): Not using
> default mode "1024x768" (bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan)
> (II) CHIPS(0): Not using default mode "1024x768" (hsync out of range)
>
> [snip]
>

You probably just have "monitor" configuration problem that needs to be
corrected manually. I get this a lot with old hardware, notebooks, etc.

Check the "Monitor", "Device", and "Screen" sections of the /etc/X11/
XFree86.conf file (or whatever it's called in Debian. xorg.conf?) to see
if the sync frequencies are listed correctly for your LCD screen. (This
is going to require a little research on your part.) Also, check to see,
if the 1024x768 resolution as well as all the other resolutions are
listed correctly along with their appropriate number of colors. Check
the "DefaultDepth" is correct as well.

Stef