No connected display devices on GeForce 310M with a Sony Vaio

[jimcanoa]

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a Sony Vaio S Series (model VPCS12C5E) with an nVidia GeForce 310M graphics card and I'm unable to make it work with Xorg.

I always get the same error which is:

[   619.410] (--) NVIDIA(0): Connected display device(s) on GeForce 310M at PCI:1:0:0:
[   619.410] (--) NVIDIA(0):     none

Things I have tried:

• Installing the arch linux nvidia package in an up-to-date Arch Linux x86_64 (driver version 256.35-1) with Xorg 1.8.1
• Downloading the nVidia drivers from nVidia (version 256.35) and compiling them by hand with Xorg 1.8.1
• Installing another Arch Linux x86_64 frozen to the 1st of June 2010, which has Xorg 1.7. And tried drivers: 185.18 and 256.44.
• With the same frozen Arch Linux with Xorg 1.7 installing the arch linux nvidia package (190.53)
• Ubuntu 10.04 x86_64. But it didn't work out of the box (blank screen). I didn't try to make that work since I'm not interested in using Ubuntu, but just wanted to check.

Questions:

• Could this problem be related to the EDID file? Apparently it helped on another systems for other nVidia users. Trouble is I've read it's recommended to extract the EDID file with MS Windows, but I erased it from my computer, although I wouldn't mind reinstalling. Also, if solved by using a correct EDID file, will I be able to use dual monitors?
• Should I try to make it work with Xorg 1.8 or Xorg 1.7? I've read it has support for Xorg 1.8, but in beta.
• Is it possible that my graphics card is not fully supported?
• Would it help to move to 32-bit OS?

Notes:

• It does work with open source nv drivers, both in Xorg 1.8 and Xorg 1.7
• I added the kernel option 'nomodeset' because otherwise the display goes off during boot up time (while loading udev).
• nvidia-settings generates a xorg.conf file. Since that is not recommended anymore for Xorg 1.8 I ran the script but moved the relevant sections (monitor, device and screen) as generated by the script to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf. This applies only to Xorg 1.8.
• The bug report I'm attaching corresponds to an up-to-date Arch Linux with Xorg 1.8 and downloaded drivers 256.35 installed with the nVidia installer (not with the Arch Linux package). I'm happy to submit the bug report with any other configuration.
• I'm happy to try out anything! just tell me so and I will install/reinstall/uninstall whatever you suggest!

Thanks!

[danix]

Hi jimcanoa,

Please try the 256.44 driver. This contains a fix for an issue which was preventing the EDID from being read on certain laptops (including many Sony VAIO models).

[jimcanoa]

Hi danix,
thanks for your answer. I have tried it but I still have the same issue. I have attached the new bug report and the xorg.conf.d files I'm using, since I tried it under Xorg 1.8.

thanks

[jimcanoa]

In the end I finally got it to work by installing the 256.44 driver, as danix suggested, and obtaining the EDID file in MS Windows as suggested by this post: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/show...3&postcount=22

I have attached the EDID file in case someone with the same hardware as me stumbles with the same problem.

Now I have one last challenge: external monitors. If I connect an external monitor and fire up the X server with the following options in the device section:

   Option             "ConnectedMonitor"   "DFP-0"
   Option             "CustomEDID"          "DFP-0:/etc/X11/youredid.bin"

the external monitor remains undetected. But if I remove those lines the X server detects only my external monitor. I'm ok with that.

I figured a clever thing to do is to execute a script immediately before the X server starts which prepares the xorg.conf depending on the detection of the monitor: i.e. if it detects an external monitor, comment out the ConnectedMonitor option, otherwise leave those options on.

But I don't know how to detect if I have an external monitor connected before starting the X server! Does anyone know how to do that? Maybe an nVidia driver utility? X server utility? xrandr says "Can't open display"...

thanks!

[danix]

Hi jimcanoa,

Thanks for the update.

The CustomEDID option is the same workaround that was needed for laptops where we couldn't detect the EDID, which is what was causing this failure. If you're still having this problem in 256.44, then there must be something else that's preventing EDID reads on your system.

Can you attach the output of `acpidump -b -t DSDT -o acpidump.out`?

[jimcanoa]

Hi danix,

thanks for the support! I have attached the requested output.

I've disassembled the table, after reading in this forum what the DSDT is. But I don't know exactly what I should be looking for! Looks like I have to read more posts

Thanks again!

[alexcriss]

I have the same problem on a Vaio VPCS11C5E (Series S). I tried the 256.44 and the 256.53 drivers, both show a blank display and Xorg (1.8.1) logs no display found.

It will be awesome to be able to have a working X server without the CustmEDID and Connected monitor Options (specially the last one, which prevents from autodetecting my external monitor).

If you need some debbing info let me know, I hope I can help you

Cheers,
Alessandro

Edit: Typos