VESA and GeForce 4

[HackZero]

Hi!

How can I get the VESA Framebuffer driver working on my MSI GeForce 4 Ti4400? All I get is a blank screen, even with the pre-compiled kernel of the Red Hat 7.3 installation, with my previous card (Kyro II) it worked fine. The system doesn't freeze, I can run XFree by "blind typing" startx - and the vesa XFree86 driver runs perfectly, too - only the framebuffer one doesn't.

Thank you for any help ;)

PS: Please excuse my English, it isn't my native language ...

[bwkaz]

Your English is actually quite good. ;)

Do you know which driver your kernel is using for the VESA framebuffer? It should be using the vesa driver for it (vesa works on my GF4), but there's also an "nVidia Riva chipset support" that most likely will not work properly.

Did you try it with a custom kernel? It sounds like you did... if so, what did you configure it for on the Console Drivers, Framebuffer Support screen? "Support for framebuffer devices (EXPERIMENTAL)" and "VESA VGA" should both selected (Y), and nothing else needs to be.

Also, on the "Code maturity level options" screen, you have to say yes to "Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers", otherwise you won't see the "Support for framebuffer devices" setting.

[phlashback]

I have a VisionTek Gforce 4 TI4600.
All has been well since I got it about a 8 months ago (i think)... Untill I upgraded my memory from 512MB to 1024MB. Now I cannot get the vesafb to work (have trid multiple kernels, and have himem enabled)

I can startx and run x (blindly), but I spend alot of time in consoles, and I dont think I can live w/o my high res console.

I have a tyan 2462 Motherboard, w/ 2x Athlon MP 1900+. Original memory config was 2x256MB Registerd DDR, I added 1x512MB Registerd DDR.

I ran memtest 86 for about 24hrs before even trying to load linux after installing the ram... no problems reported.

If I remove 1 256MB module (768MB total) framebuffer works, doesnt matter which module. Also a friends ati raedon 7500 works fine.

when I run dmesg the is the error:
vesafb: abort, cannot ioremap video memory 0x8000000 @ 0xf0000000

Kernel command line: root=/dev/hda3 vga=794 video=vesa:1280x1024@70

kernels tried: 2.4.20, 2.5.66, 2.5.66-mm3

Thanks

[bwkaz]

That really sounds like a highmem issue...

Which highmem do you have enabled (4GB or 64GB)? Maybe try the other one?

Alternatively, there's something in the README about ioremap -- did you use IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH when you compiled the drivers? That can cause ioremap() to fail.

[TheOuch]

Subject says it all. Geforce 2 GTS pro worked fine, but Geforce 4 Ti gives framebuffer errors, and does not work.

Guess I'll start experimenting with custom kernels . . .

[TheOuch]

Seems like VESA problem is a memory one. If I use mem=850M on the kernel line (or pull out a 512mb simm), the vesa modes come back.

But, my nvidia driver still doesn't work. It gives the following error:

(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to map framebuffer

[Andy Mecham]

Do you have himem support built in?

--andy

[TheOuch]

HIGHMEM I/O support is set to Y

High Memory Support is set to 4Gb
User address space size is set to 3Gb

It's the default kernel shipped with SUSE 8.2

[phlashback]

my problem turned out to be the vesa framebuffer kernel driver. 2.4.21 has the patch that I posted on gentoos bugzilla implimented.

it was due to the way the memory was initalized..... If you need the patch, I can email them too you or you can it here (http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=19061)

should apply on 2.4 kernels, and even a patch for development kernels...

btw currently running 2.6-test1 and lov'n it

good luck

[TheOuch]

I'll apply the patch and go back to 1Gb. That will fix my VESA Woes . . .

I'll start a new thread about the driver problem.

[phlashback]

fyi....

There are 2 patches, applying the just the first will allow the framebuffer to work, apllying the both, and setting the multiplier will allow the silent mode bootsplash to work...


basicly download and apply the links labled updated 2.4 patch, and this patches the patch ;)

sorry for not pointing that out last night, but it was late

good luck