Intel 845M issue: screen display upper left only

[markman]

I've got a Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop with an old 2.4Ghz Celeron processor (intel graphics 845GM). I've just installed the LXDE 32-bit version released 08/16/11 and have received updates. I'm using brtfs and I'm getting the 'Error: sparse files not allowed' error at bootup. I press a key to proceed and then the screen goes blank for about 5 minutes. What finally comes up in a graphical display, but it only occupies the upper left quadrant (roughly) of the screen. The quadrant below displays a pseudo-smearing effect of the bottom edge of the display in the upper left and the right half of the screen is black!! (Installing lrandr to fix the resolution has no effect but then again I wouldn't think it should anyways.)

I'm really anxious/excited to use this LXDE version but obviously having only the upper left of your screen working really spoils it. I understand the Intel 845M graphics has issues with ubuntu derivatives but is there any hope to get this to work? Is there something I can do with intel-gpu-tools, perhaps?

[wyrdoak]

See if installing intel-microcode will help. It's in the package manager. I have the same problem when connected to an external monitor but everything comes out OK at logon.

The microcode data file for Linux contains the latest microcode
definitions for all Intel processors. Intel releases microcode
updates to correct processor behavior as documented in the
respective processor specification updates. While the regular
approach to getting this microcode update is via a BIOS upgrade,
Intel realizes that this is an administrative hassle; the Linux
Operating System has a mechanism to update the microcode after
booting the OS.

This package contains only the microcode, so it needs the loader
provided in the package microcode.ctl

[tjwells]

I have a Dell 1100 with 512 ram. I am using Linux Mint 11.0. When I installed it I had a 640 x 480 display in the upper left of the screen and a ghostlike image of the same 640 x 480 screen below it. So it was similar to your problem. I ran startup-manager and selected 1024 x 768 on the first screen, and also on the advanced screen. I rebooted and the display has been great at 1024 x 768. I dual boot with Windows XP, so before doing the above I, typed e at the boot menu, and added vga=792 at the end of the line that boots the kernel. Then I pushed F10 key and booted up fine. Running startup-manager as stated above puts vga=792 in permanently, so you don't have to edit the file on each reboot.

[Daikini]

I have an Inspiron 1100 that I installed LM12 on (over Ubuntu 10).

The resolution was a perfect native 1024x768 in Ububtu. Now, I have the same problem listed in this thread.

The display shows up now in the middle of the screen (previously it was in the top left with a "ghost" below it, and black to the right of both.

Now I get blue vertical lines through the whole screen, and still only 640x480 or so. The display section of System Settings is locked at 640x480 and sometimes it's "laptop" other times, "unidentified" or "unknown."

I've modded this several times now according to posts in this forum. Here's what I had to do to get it to work:

• Install startup-manager (not included in Mint 12) using Software Manager. Applications>Other>Software Manager
  
  Once installed, it shows up in the same menu: Applications>Other>Startup-Manager
  
  Select 1024x768 on both tabs of Startup-Manager, close it.
  
  Open etc/default/grub, as administrator (right-click on grub to select Open As Administrator) and change the line where vga=791 to vga=792, per tjwells in this thread.
  
  Then open Software Manager again and download and install Intel-Microcode as well as microcode.ctl (search for both and install).
  
  After completing all of this, reboot your computer.

That's it. It should work. The microcode steps may or may not be necessary. I did it and it works, but I did a lot of things before it worked.

All of this is just a combination of three threads on this subject. In sum, it worked for me.

Best of luck to anyone else out there with an old DELL.

*Daikini*

[cudayne]

its not limited too dell my hp laptop has teh same problem i plan on trying this fix same display adapter as noted above with the display in upper left corner of moniter.

[jp734]

I had a problem with my intel graphics where I was getting a "black screen" and was able to fix by editing /boot/grub/grub.cfg and adding "i915.modeset=1". PLEASE NOTE that my graphics card is 915GM and yours is 845M.