8.10 on Dell Optiplex GX60

[Lawrence Houston]

Stephen:

On Sun, 22 Feb 2009, Stephen Kawamoto wrote:

> It installs great off the LiveCD but fails to boot successfully, which
> is odd considering that the LiveCD works.

With my DELL Optiplex GX260 the Imbedded Intel 845 Graphics has "Known"
Driver Issues when Graphics Acceleration is Enabled, this might be your
"Problem" as well???  Although I had posted to DELL's Linux Desktop Group,
I can NOT find that within DELL's archives so I will Cut & Paste what I
had Post to DELL's Group (DELL sells Ubuntu Pre-Installed now!!!):

================================================================================

On Sun, 1 Feb 2009, Lawrence Houston wrote:

> Suggesting a "Conflict" between Ubuntu 8.10's GNOME and the "Higher
> Functions" of the GX260's On-board Intel Graphics???  If another
> DELL/GX260 User could explain what is going on and what the "Workaround"
> might be that would be greatly appreciated!!!

Turns out this is a "Known Issue" with the Intel 845G Support contained
within Xorg's Intel Driver (the 845G worked correctly with Hardy's i810
Driver, which has been replace with a more General Intel Driver) and
misbehaviour with "compiz":

Taken from Ubuntu 8.10's Release Note:

     http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hangs with desktop effects on Intel 830MG and 845G video cards

There is a bug in the Intel video driver for the older intel 830 and 845
integrated video cards that are used on laptops like the IBM R30. Desktop
effects with compiz will not work on those chips and will freeze the system.
For new installations, please install using the safe graphics mode (press F4
in the startup screen) on these systems and disable desktop effects via
System -> Preferences -> Appearance, clicking on "Visual effects" and
choosing "None".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although there is an Update for the Intel Xorg Driver (2.4.1-1ubuntu10.3),
for me it did NOT resolve the issue!!!  One Solution I found was using
"gconf-editor" to switch GNOME's Window Manager from "compiz" to
"metacity":


http://tusharg.blogspot.com/2008/11/intel-845-freezing-issue-with-ubuntu.
html

A Second Solution was removing the "compiz" and "compiz-core" packages:

     http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=990228

Although both of the above worked for me, personally I would prefer to see
Xorg "Fix" their Intel Driver so that it correctly supports the Intel 845G
and "compiz" could be re-instated as GNOME's Window Manager!!!

Lawrence Houston  --  (dell at greenfield.dyndns.org)

================================================================================

Lawrence Houston  --  (ubuntu at greenfield.dyndns.org)