Newbie video problems

[James Takac]

On Monday 03 December 2007 12:07:41 Hal Davis wrote:
>  Got the graphical mode up and running in low-res, and nothing I change in
> the video settings "sticks". I pick something, test it, select it, and then
> go back into the settings and it's back on generic.
>
>  And while I can load Firefox, it doesn't see the internet anymore, so I
> don't see how I can execute the command you gave me, especially since I
> haven't a clue how to do internet access from a command line.
>

Hi Hal

What type of connection do you have, i.e. dialup or dsl or cable? Does the 
icon resembling 2 computer screens show near the time? If so and you're using 
dsl or better try right clicking it and disable networking. Then repeat and 
reenable it. Sometimes that's enough to get it going again. Otherwise enter a 
terminal Applications -> Accessories-> Terminal will suffice. See if you can 
ping a known website, e.g. "ping www.google.com" without the quotes as an 
example. If successful you should see a series of lines like this

64 bytes from cf-in-f103.google.com (74.125.19.103): icmp_seq=10 ttl=241 
time=205 ms

Use CTRL-C to stop it when done

You could also try rebooting the laptop to see if networking recovers or even 
reboot (turn off and on if need) your modem if dsl.

Also does your mail prog get the mail on that system? If so your firefox 
settings may be off. Usually set to direct connection and you can check that 
via edit -> preferences -> network -> settings in firefox

If this hasn't helped, then the following site in the ubuntu documentation may 
be of help

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetHowto

James
>  I guess I need to find a local geek squad equivalent who is versed in
> Ubuntu, and pay him/her to fix my system while I watch and learn. I'm in
> Plano, Texas. Anybody have thoughts?
>
>  Hal Davis
>
>  James Takac wrote:
> On Monday 03 December 2007 11:14:34 Hal Davis wrote:
>
>  Andy, James,
>
>  After trying Andy's suggestion, and fumbling and guessing my way through a
> large number of things, I now have Ubuntu up and running in low graphics
> mode.
>
>  I think I know what graphics adaptor to tell it to use, but I don't know
> what to tell it about my monitor. Looking at the HP tech support web site,
> it's not at all clear which monitor was installed on my laptop. Do I just
> guess-and-test until something works?
>
>  Thanks,
>
>  Hal
>
>  andy baxter wrote:
> James Takac wrote:
>
>  After the splash Ubuntu screen, I see about four of the login screen
> horizontally, and it goes down about 80% of the screen, with gibberish
> underneath that. The screen has "untuubuntuubuntuubuntuub" going across,
> with 4 logos, and a half username box, 3 username boxes, and another half
> username box.
>
>
>
> Ok, sounds like the driver have been switched to either the wrong one or
> wrong mode.
>
> Use CTRL-ALT-F1 to get a console. You'll have to login there. Don't worry
> that it wont echo the password, that's normal
>
> next type "sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf" without the quotes. You'll be
> asked for your password again. Scroll down to where you see the graphic
> card idintified.  You should see something resembling the following
>
> Section "Device"
>         Identifier      "Generic Video Card"
>         Driver          "nv"
>         Busid           "PCI:1:0:0"
>         Option          "AddARGBVisuals"        "True"
>         Option          "AddARGBGLXVisuals"     "True"
>         Option          "NoLogo"        "True"
> EndSection
>
> What does yours list there? Take note more so of the driver here.
>
> Below that will be the monitor and default screnn areas. Might help to
> report back what they say as well
>
> At the very worst, where mine says "nv" can be replaced with "vesa" just to
> get a working screen. For nvidia cards it's usually "nvidia" for 3d support
> or "nv" for 2d acceleration
>
> When making a change use CTRL-O to write back to disk. CTRL-X will exit
> back to the prompt at which you can type "sudo reboot" to reboot the system
> for changes to take effect for now
>
> Do you recall exactly what you did before things went awry?
>
>
> I was going to suggest exactly the same thing, but realised you can do
> the same thing in a way that may be easier for a new user by running
> dpkg-reconfigure.
>
> I.e.:
>
> get a terminal using ctrl-alt-f1
> log in as a normal user.
> type:
> sudo -i
> and type your user's password to become root.
> then type:
> dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
>
> This will start a text mode menu system which lets you reconfigure the
> graphics card. If you say yes whenever it asks you to autodetect
> something, and choose the selected option the rest of the time, you
> should get a working configuration. If not, try setting the driver to
> 'vesa' instead of (probably) 'nv' when that option comes up.
>
> You need to type:
> /etc/init.d/gdm restart
>
> to restart the graphics system (x server) after you've changed the
> configuration. You shouldn't need to reboot.
>
>
>
> Hi Al
>
> This is where the envy script at the page I pointed to should get your card
> up and going with any luck. install the deb package at
>
> http://albertomilone.com/ubuntu/nvidia/scripts/ubuntu/envy_0.9.9-0ubuntu1_a
>ll.deb
>
> then go thru Applications -> System Tools -> Envy
>
> that will install it. If it finds a ready installed one it will prompt you
> to uninstall it before carrying on
>
> James



-- 
Be the change you want to see in the world.  

Mahatma Gandh