x server crashing - sometimes

[Stephen]

Ray Parrish wrote:
> Stephen wrote:
>> Stephen wrote:
>>   
>>> Dear All
>>>
>>> Kubuntu 8.10
>>>
>>> I want to reduce the resolution as a way of improving the graphics and 
>>> text size as these are to small.  I have seen these setting in two places:
>>> 1) K > System > System Settings > Display
>>> 2) K > System > KR and RTray Screen Resize & Rotate
>>>
>>> When I chose either of these, the server exits to a login screen and I 
>>> have to login again.  Odd, as I have used these before.
>>> The most recent change I have made was in K > System > System Settings > 
>>> Desktop -All Effects tab, where I unticked most of the 3D options and 
>>> improved performance.
>>>
>>> I would also like to reduce colour depth.  When I last looked at the 
>>> settings for changing the resolution I did not see anything about 
>>> reducing the colour depth.  I have looked around System Settings.
>>>
>>> Any help appreciated
>>>
>>> Stephen
>>>
>>>     
>> Dear All
>>
>> This issue has proved problematic to resolve.  I have tried some
>> suggestions about editing /etc/X11/Xorg.conf, but what doesn't crash X
>> at start up makes no difference to the display.
>>
>> I still have the problems of
>> 1) most of the time I cannot access Display or KR and RTray Screen 
>> Resize & Rotate.
>> 2) When I maximise a window it is too wide for the screen and goes off 
>> the right edge so losing the X out icon and other bits
>> 3) Windows render slowly
>> 4) I cannot control the resolution enough to have text on screen of a
>> size that I can read - it is all too small
>> 5) When I had a 17inch screen I used a res on 1024 X 768, now I have a
>> wide screen 17inch (16/9 ratio), I think I want a res of 1280 X 768.
>> But I cannot access the display options to change it.
>>
>> I have looked in the BIOS and up to 8MB of memory is allocated to the
>> onboard graphics.  The pc has 1GB of RAM.  If I installed a PCI graphics
>> card I would not have to make a change in the BIOS as it is already
>> configured to select a user installed graphics card if one is installed.
>> One of the editions of Linux Format had an article that mentioned
>> onboard/Intel graphics are problematic.  Now I am fed up with the problem.
>>
>> I want to explore installing a graphics card.  Has any one any 
>> recommendations that will allow me to overcome these problems and not 
>> have to be fiddled with.
>>
>> I appear to have two PCI slots and a very short slot above that - not 
>> sure what it is.
>>
>> Any recommendations welcomed.
>>
>> Stephen
>>   
> Hello,
> 
> Since you have 1 GB RAM, you have plenty to spare that can be assigned 
> to your on board video card's use. You state that the BIOS shows 8 MB's 
> currently assigned to the video card.  This is way too low, and you 
> should be able to change that setting  right there where it's displayed 
> in the BIOS. On my motherboard I have selections that start at 8 MB's, 
> and go all the way up to 256 MB's.
> 
> Currently I have this set to 64 MB's out of my 512 MB's of available 
> system RAM. This setting allows running in the highest graphics mode 
> with 3D acceleration, all of the eye candy features of Compiz enabled, 
> all with no problems whatsoever.
> 
> When I got this computer, it was set to use 128 MB's for  the video card 
> and this seemed to work pretty good, but at times programs would gray 
> out and be unresponsive for a few seconds up to as much as a minute or 
> two. Now that I have reduced the video card to 64 MB's, I no longer have 
> the gray out problem.
> 
> An easy way to test and change video resolutions is with xvidtune. It 
> works in conjunction with a terminal, but is actually a small GUI 
> program. You start it from Terminal, and it then uses the terminal 
> screen to write modelines fetched from your system or which you create 
> with xvidtune to so you can inspect or copy them. On the GUI portion of 
> it, there are buttons which allow cycling through your available video 
> resolutions in either the up or down direction. The resolution changes 
> take place when you press one of these buttons immediately.
> 
> xvidtune also presents you with sliders to change the hsyncstart, 
> hsyncend, vyncstart, and vsyncend values for the current mode, and a 
> Test button to try any changes you make to those settings. xvidtune will 
> then warn you if your selections result in an invalid combination.
> 
> There are also Apply and Restore buttons which allow you to write your 
> changes to the xorg.conf file.
> 
> Later, Ray Parrish
> 
Dear Ray

Thanks for the responses.  I tried the BIOS to adjust the video memory 
and it only allows selection between 1MB and 8MB.  Nice idea but thwarted.

xvidtune was revealing.  I started it as root as I assumed it had to 
write to Xorg.conf, and it showed that my res is 1440 X 900.  I could 
indeed use the Left/Right, Wider/Narrower, up/down, shorter/taller 
buttons.  No sliders I am sorry to say.

However, when I adjusted using Narrower/Shorter and then pressed Test I 
got an error message that "Sorry you have requested a Mode-Line that is 
not possible, or not supported by your hardware or configuration"

Not sure if this is user error.  Should I have logged out of the GUI (if 
so not sure how to do that)?

Should I have used Wider/Taller?

Dell have replied to my  enquiry and confirmed that  can only use PCI 
(not PCI express) graphics cards.  Any recommendations if I am not able 
to increase onboard video memory

Hope to hear from you

Stephen