910 KU live boot CD Graphics fail 6yo Compaq laptop. (jor)

[Clay Weber]

On Tuesday 19 January 2010 06:01:20 am giovanni_re wrote:
> =====  TRYING TO INSTALL KU 910, BUT GRAPHICS PROBLEMS
> I'm working to see if I can get KU 910 onto a laptop that runs KU 904 ok
>  (from the alternate, text based installer CD) (there are some minor
>  existing issues like Kate & some other program occasionally get rectangles
>  of garbage (typically dots on a black background)), but that doesn't
>  affect the 910 install issue).
> 
> =====  PROBLEMS:
> KU 910 live boots to the GUI desktop display OK except:
> 1) the bottom task bar is all black
> 2) Mouse over where the K-start button is (LHS) & the popup window is
>  garbage (ie, some incorrect graphic, perhaps a hash pattern, perhaps
>  random, i don't recall exactly)). 3) left click on where the k-start
>  button should be & the menu popup is garage 4) _right_ click on the k-s
>  button, the popup is correct & readable. Select "classic menu style" & the
>  menu properly changes to classic, & that menu displays ok. Further, now
>  the bottom of screen task bar changes from black to gray garbage (hash
>  pattern?).
> 
> So, maybe this is an X driver issue.
> 
I have a 6 year old Compaq Evo N610C, and found the issue with your graphics 
is a known bug in Karmic
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-
ati/+bug/426582
This issue has been fixed in Lucid

To temporarily get your plasma bits working on a live-cd session, you might 
try enabling desktop effects either via alt-shift-f12, or somehow open a window 
with a titlebar , right-click on it , go to 'configure window behavior" and 
enable desktop effects from there

To remedy this (after the install)
look here
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3107466.msg203904#msg203904
You need to create a short xorg.conf file to fix it permanently *and* get decent 
performance if you like desktop effects

> Or, maybe it is a KDE issue.
> 
> From the 910 _Ubuntu_ live boot CD, everything works properly graphics
>  wise. I'm able to boot & the simple "robots" game displays on the screen,
>  no graphics problems.
> 
> =====  QUESTIONS:
> So:
> 1) LIVE BOOT CD W/ PARTITION SHRINKER:
> I want to get some live boot CD that has a partition shrinker, so I can
>  shrink my existing linux partition, so I can keep my existing working 904
>  install, & also make room for a small partition to test out an install of
>  KU 910.
>
The Kubuntu livecd should be able to  do this, if the installer thinks it is 
possible to do space-wise. I have not done so myself, but I have heard from 
some that the option does not always show up 

> What live boot CD has that capability? Knoppix? puppy??? It's been a while
>  since I used one, & I don't know the current good rescue distros. Does an
>  earlier KU live boot CD have the partition resizer?
> 

Parted Magic

> Where is there a list of rescue CDs?  Didn't distrowatch used to have a
>  page listing them? I don't see it. http://distrowatch.com/
> 
> 
> 2) PREFERRED 910 INSTALL METHOD - WHAT WILL GET GRAPHICS WORKING?
> Given the graphics problems with 910 live CD, & desire for a properly
>  working install might I be better off: a) doing the 910 install on a fresh
>  partition (using either live or alternate install), & do an apt-update to
>  get the latest sw, & perhaps that graphics problem will go away, or b)
>  doing _another_ 904 KU install on a fresh partition, & then following the
>  904 to 910 upgrade procedure (which might pull in a working X driver newer
>  than the one on the 910 live CD), or c) ? something else?
>
You  will most likely have the graphics problem doing an upgrade (I did) as it 
is the newer driver/hardware detection that causes this problem.
 
> =====  TOOL TO SHOW HARDWARE?  LIKE IN KDE 3 KCONTROL?
> One final thought is about how KDE 3 used to have kcontrol that had some
>  program to display hardware system info (Processor?? graphics?) - it's
>  mainly the graphics hw I want to find out about.
> 
> Has that kcontrol program died out?  I don't see anything like it in my
>  desktop 904 KU system, which has upgrades to the ppa launchpad newer KDE 4
>  than comes with ku 904.

System Settings has replaced it - you can now configure it to have a tree view 
much similar to kcontrol

> Is there any other tool for 910 KU that enables one to see the system
>  hardware info?  Maybe something from the GNOME system??
> 
Try installing 'kinfocenter'
> 
> Thanks :)
> 

-- 
Clay Weber
http://kubuntuforums.net
http://flyballmaine.com
http://emacdogsports.com