ATI driver: which is the right procedure?

[Larry Hartman]

On Tuesday 05 June 2007 10:11:35 am Terence Simpson wrote:
> Mario Gianni (mgianni) wrote:
> > Hi
> >
> > I have installed Kubuntu on my Thinkpad T60. I was trying to install the
> > ATI drivers but I have found so many procedure on the web that I am a
> > bit confused.
> >
> > So far I understood that I can install it from the repository (as
> > restricted driver) or download from ati.com and do the installation
> > manually. All these links show the setup procedure. They are pretty
> > similar but not completely the same:
> >
> > http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Feisty_Installation_Guide
> > http://divilinux.wordpress.com/tag/hardware/ati/
> > http://divilinux.wordpress.com/2007/03/29/installazione-driver-fglrx-kub
> > untu-feisty-fawn-704/
> >
> > On the ATI web site there is this one which looks pretty easy. Just need
> > to run the package:
> >
> > https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/linux_
> > 8.37.6-inst.html
> >
> > Can you please help me? Which one is the right procedure? Do you have a
> > link for the right one?
> >
> > I'll use KDE with Kubuntu. Not sure whether there are two procedure for
> > GNOME or KDE.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Mario
>
> Try these official instructions from ubuntu:
> <https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI#head-d8c6fd05bce34
>0dfc3ad483abf0e18997868540b>

The first one listed  above:

http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Feisty_Installation_Guide

This one I just updated a week ago when the new driver came out.   Follow 
method 2 on this website to the letter and you will be just fine, works with 
both KDE and GNOME.  

If you have problems running the commands "sudo aticonfig --initial" and 
the "sudo aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv" in the Configure the Driver section 
let me know--not a problem with the WIKI procedure, but the driver package 
itself.   In that event I will post the /etc/xorg.conf file on this email 
list that these commands automatically set up for you.

The big thing to remember is that anytime a new Linux kernel is updated on 
your machine you must--read must--reinstall the ATI driver, otherwise the 
computer will run the open source driver at greatly reduced performance.  
When you download the package save it somewhere safe so that you can reload 
it as necessary.

I have done this many times, and while it seems intimidating at first, you 
will do this procedure blindfolded after a while.  ATI releases a new driver 
about every month that I load manually.

Larry