Black screen with a ATI graphic card

[Olivier Prieur]

Acer Aspire 5024 WLMI
Graphic card : ATI Mobility Radeon X700 PCI Express 128 MB VRAM

Got a black screen with a Ubuntu Edgy Knot 3.
I got a black screen even though i choose xforcevesa (fail safe graphic)

I can hear the gnome sound but no screen : BLACK !
A dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg, choosing the vesa driver, make it run ...but in 1024*768 and not in 1280*800.

[towsonu2003 (towsonu2003)]

are you using the ati driver or the fglrx?

[towsonu2003 (towsonu2003)]

also, for the devels, please attach your Xorg.0.log and xorg.conf after you experience the blank screen :)

[Olivier Prieur (mumbly)]

As i try to boot from the Edgy knot 3 live-cd :
- if i boot with the "test or install Ubuntu" : it boots but i've got a black screen (I can hear the Gnome music)
- if i boot with the "failed safe graphics" option (i.e. xforcevesa option), it is the same result : black screen but i hear the gnome music

so i switch to another console and run a dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg, choosing the vesa driver and it works !!! But in 1024*768 and not in 1280*800 (15.4'' laptop screen)

BUT if choose the ati driver, it does not work at all !

I don't even have tested the fglrx driver ...

[Olivier Prieur (mumbly)]

original xorg.conf

[towsonu2003 (towsonu2003)]

I cannot see an error in your Xorg.0.log except "error opening security policy file /usr/lib/xserver/SecurityPolicy", which is a remnant of http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=362246

seems similar to bug # 44370 , but that one has a fatal error. leaving as "needsinfo" [couldn't triage]

[Tiago Sousa (tiagoboldt)]

The x700 doesn't work with the ATI open source driver yet. So you must use vesa as generic driver or the proprietary fglrx driver from ATI/AMD, which has 3d support. The problem is that, the default configuration, brings the unsopported driver, which leads to the blank monitor. You must always edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and change the driver to vesa/fglrx, in order make it work(fglrx may not be available! "apt-get install xorg-driver-fglrx" for it to work).

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

it should use a safe vesa mode

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

please try on Feisty beta.

The free driver supports X700 just fine.

[Olivier Prieur (mumbly)]

Hummmm ... I'm afraid NOT !
Just installed a fresh new copy of Feisty beta on my Acer Aspire 5024 wlmi (x700 mobility pci express) with default options and i still have the black screen when it reboots for the first time after install is completed. I can hear the little music of the GDM connection but my screen is all black !

[Olivier Prieur (mumbly)]

UPDATE :
It works with the last update !