Server failure with S3 86c764/765 [Trio32/64/64V+]

[Michael Fletcher]

When Ubuntu starts up after installation I can see the boot messages. As soon as GDM starts up the screen says "No signal" and shuts off. I can remotly connect to the box and shutdown GDM.

I have an S3 video card which Ubuntu autodetects at startup. My monitor is an NEC LCD 1970GX.

I have checked the Xorg log and there are no errors. The X server thinks that everything is working correctly.

When I use dpkg-reconfigure and change the video card to a VESA card it works but the screen is pretty slow.

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

This is the log file when X is configured to use VESA.

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

This is the configuration when X is configured to use the VESA driver.

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

The output of "lspci -n".

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

The output of discover video.

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

The output of xresprobe.

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

The automatically generated xorg.conf when it chooses the S3 driver.

[Michael Fletcher (mikefletcher)]

The output of the X server when using the S3 driver.

[ZepOz (claritas)]

I have also had this identical bug on the following config:

Ubuntu 10.5, default installation mode
Pentium-S CPU 150MHz, 64MB RAM, 10GB HDD
S3 video card, generic.
Compaq P110 monitor

This bug is repeatable and consistent on this platform. Ubuntu install works fine, including the install splash screen and graphics messages, until the X-server is started. Then all video signal is lost to the monitor, and the KB and mouse fail to respond (X-server fails to start properly). I can do a telnet to the box and shut down. So far, I have been unable to reconfigure to allow video to work (I'm not a total Linux guru!).

PS. Yes, it is a low-end platform, but it is within spec for Ubuntu.

[SebastianIvan (sebastian-ivan-ubuntu)]

Same thing on my side, if I boot I just can reboot or ssh into my box.
I can go in recovery mode and start X from there
for more info can refer also
Bug #40560: GDM session does not start

[SebastianIvan (sebastian-ivan-ubuntu)]

please refer to the attached file: S3_bug_dapper6.06.txt
for it reflects the duplicated Bug #40560 and also applyes to the current bug

as well depicts my hw configuration, xorg.conf, log and lspci [-n] outputs

[SebastianIvan (sebastian-ivan-ubuntu)]

here is lspci not attached above

[Federico Tello Gentile (federicotg)]

I have a Diamond Stealth 64 DRAM 2MB, It works fine with breezy at 1024x768 with 16bit color.
When GDM starts the system freezes. A full crash, no kernel panics, no CTR-ALT-BACKSPACE, no numlock or capslock lights respnding, only the reset button.

lspci sais
0000:00:08.0 VGA compatible controller: S3 Inc. 86c764/765 [Trio32/64/64V+]

In rescue mode, everything works. I can boot in rescue mode (the grub menu rescue option) and execute startx, only after seeing a gray screen and the GNOME splash for a second I get the freeze.

The thing is I see the screen going into graphical mode, but it freezed right before showing anything but a black screen and a fuzzy small gray rectangle where the mouse poiter shows up in the middle of the screen.

I used dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg to sert up all the setting as I do for breezy, but nothing happens. In breezy it is just a matter og switching color depth to 16 and setting the horizontal and vertical refresh rates to amke it work, but this is time in draper I get a total freeze.

[D. Brodzik (amyrose)]

Same problem on an S3 Vision968-based card on a Pentium II 333 MHz system with 160 MB RAM. The card worked perfectly before the upgrade from Breezy to Dapper. :(

[Federico Tello Gentile (federicotg)]

There's a bug files against Xorg about the S3 driver.

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7112

Apparently it is broken.

[D. Brodzik (amyrose)]

My current workaround for my Pentium II system with a Number Nine 9FX Motion (S3 Vision 968) is to use the VESA driver. It is really slow, and it doesn't allow me to use the whole 2MB VRAM on the card (VESA only allows 1MB VRAM on this card), but at least it works at 800x600 with 16-bit colors, so I can at least *use* the system...

I hope this gets fixed soon, because this computer performed really well with the native driver.

[Andras Nemeseri (izemize)]

Exactly the same here.

If I try to use the s3 driver, my monitor says: "wrong frequency" and switch to suspend mode...

[D. Brodzik (amyrose)]

Oh, and one more comment--

On my computer, running the command

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

"autodetects" the VESA driver. Is this a workaround for the bug?

[Marcelo Boveto Shima (marceloshima)]

I've applied the last patch from https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7112
and recompiled the driver. It works for me.
Driver attached

[D. Brodzik (amyrose)]

Thanks, Marcelo Shima, for the fixed driver! This works perfectly.

[Pascal De Vuyst (pascal-devuyst)]

Same problem on feisty for 86c775/86c785 [Trio 64V2/DX or /GX] with xserver-xorg-video-s3 0.4.1-0ubuntu1.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

fixed by this upload:

 xserver-xorg-video-s3 (1:0.5.0-0ubuntu1) feisty; urgency=low
 .
   * New upstream release.
   * Merge from debian unstable. Remaining changes:
     - debian/control:
       + Added Conflicts:, Replaces: xserver-xorg-driver-s3
       + Change Maintainer address.
   * debian/patches/01_enable_new_mmio.diff:
     - dropped, applied upstream.

[fromoven (fromoven)]

Hi,

I've fixed my problem for the S3 86c775/86c785 on dapper + XFCE install afterwards: in despair and on a hunch I've zipped all xorg.conf files in /etc/X11 in recovery mode and launch startx and VOILA! The dammed thing displayed the frikkin interface! I don't know if it'll work on other systems but hey what the heck. Hope that helps