Linux installation question

I'm trying to install Red Hat Linux 7.3 on my PC. Probably not a good idea, since I know nothing about Linux or Unix.

All goes well until it gets to the bit where I have to set up my monitor. It doesn't have my monitor (Iiyama AS4612 TFT) listed, so I selected "undetected monitor" and entered the correct horizontal and vertical refresh rates.

When I click "test" to see if my settings work, they don't - I get a scrambled image.

The monitor is connected to a GeForce3 Ti via a digital connection. Does it need to be connected via analogue or could something else be the problem?

It's really just testing your video card at this point. The data you entered for the monitor doesn't really do anything other than limit the resolutions that XFree86 (the base GUI software for Linux) will display. If you're seeing a scrambled image, it's a problem with the video card settings most likely.

How is it scrambled? Is there anything recognizable on the screen, like the image has been shuffled? Is it continuously changing, like the vertical hold is off, or like an application is moving underneath?

My guess, even though I have little knowledge about digital monitors, is that it expects to see a particular frequency or set of frequencies coming over the digital connection, and your video card is sending something valid, but not what it wants. The fact that you're seeing anything at all is a positive sign. I'd try hooking it up to the analog connectors first and see if you get anything useful. If so, I'll bet that if you set the refresh rate to 60 Hz, the digital would start coming in, too. I'm unfamiliar with RedHat's setup for this, so I don't know if that'd be an immediately obvious selection or not. You might try fudging the monitor settings to tell it that it can only do 60Hz vertical refresh.

So maybe it's the monitor settings after all, now that I've gotten this far.

I can tell that there is something on the screen, but as you say it's like my vertical and horizontal hold is off. Like you sometimes get in Windows when selecting an invalid resolution for your screen.

I tried setting the frequency to 60Hz and that didn't make any difference. I'll try the analogue cable tonight and see if that makes any difference

Thanks for your help.

Probably not a good idea, since I know nothing about Linux or Unix.

Nah... that's why it *is* a good idea!

Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions for your problem, as your gear is all too new for my knowledge to be of use...

Sorted.

Plugged in the analogue cable and it works fine. Now all I've got to do is try and figure out how to install the drivers for my ADSL Alcatel Speedtouch USB thingy.

Thanks

In reply to:

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ADSL Alcatel Speedtouch USB thingy

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Evil! I borrowed said modem when I got my adsl enabled with a view to buying one. I sure am glad I didn't! I got an ADSL modem and ethernet router combined. Works a treat and allows all my systems access to the net without arseing around with drivers. The unit only cost £50 too, bargain!

I've installed a few Alcatel SpeedTouch green frogs (why do people call it a green frog when it's a stingray shape?!?) and used the GPL user mode driver. I found it a lot easier to install and more reliable than the kernel driver. It's here

Alcatel is a French company...

Ohhh... Makes more sense now

Plugged in the analogue cable and it works fine.

I'm guessing that means that the digital connection wants a very specific timing. If I were you, I'd try to figure out what that was and set it up that way. It's bound to be standard across multiple vendors, as you don't have to do anything special under Windows depending on what type of monitor you have. Then again, I suppose the monitor might be able to tell the computer what timing it's looking for.

I'm curerntly downloading a newer version of Red Hat - hopefully that'll have the correct drivers.

And I must invest in an ADSL router - BT keep asking for their frog back.

FWIW, it's not so much drivers as configuration (I'm postulating). But that's not to say that a newer version of RedHat might not have better configuration as far as that goes.

you want to install the nvidia drivers, which are not included with redhat.. they will make the DVI stuff work much better.. You should also grab redhat 9, it's much more functional than 7.3 when it comes to a more modern machine with DVI and such.

URL for your entertainment.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_ia32_1.0-4363.html

Don't expect anybody to look at your kernel bug reports though if you're using the nVidia driver. It's a binary only module and therefore taints the kernel. The reasoning behind this is that since it's binary only and the kernel developers don't have access to the source code, they can't tell if the driver is affecting anything else.
There are open source ATI drivers which implement most of the features except some 3D bits. Not much use to you though as you've got a nVidia card

Yeah, but it's easy enough to remove the module and recreate the bug, if it's recreatable.