Linux Mint Forums

Well three glorious days with Mint and I get to do my first re-install due to me messing up the system. I was trying to get compiz to work with my intel integrated 945gc card. When I looked at my xconfig file it showed gerneric controllers. So to google I went trying to figure out how to update my drivers. I tried using the restricted driver option, it said I didn't need one. I tried editing my xorg.conf file manually with suggestions I found in other forums. That just sent me to safe graphics mode. I was able to modify it back a few times. Then I tried under one of the menus options to tell it what grahics card I had. That just made it worse. Finally I tried editing xorg.conf one more time and screwed it up so bad that I could barely see anything. Then in all my infinite wisdom I deleted a few xorg.conf entries that had the number 1 and the number 2 after them thinking that was copies of xorg.conf that I had made when I was editing xorgconf, found out that was not such a good idea, I restarted the computer and really couldn't see anything. Now its so bad I can't even really log in. So I'm going to get to test my reinstall skills in the morning when I wake up, see if those partitions I made were good to go (kinda wanted to do that to see how easy it will be for upgrades in the future without losing my files). I had some fun poking around though, I found an OLD linux book that I bought years ago to help me with the command line stuff. I am still nothing but happy with Mint and I look forward to screwing up again in the future.
Now that I have my story about what I did about screwing up my system, is there any advice for when I do my reinstall or after for getting compiz to work. Like I said I have an integrated intel graphics card 945, but when I manually told Mint that was what I had in the GUI it didn't like that very much. I wish I would have copied my xorg.conf and I cant remember the other command line entry that I made that gave me my system specs. I guess I can get that stuff after I reinstall tommorow, but any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks

I was test driving Mandriva 2008 Powerpack this morning and I made a mess of the xorg.conf and it was booting in 640x480 ...
I had done the install at home on a 1024x768 monitor and when I brought it to work, it would not give me the option to go 1280x1024 on the monitor at work. Anyways, this was my 1st time doing this and I messed up. However, I noticed vertical and horizontal refresh rates in the xorg.conf file so I got the specs of the monitor, entered them as root and saved. Rebooted and it worked.

I did not make a backup before either

Also I just remembered I also tried to use Envy to update the driver, but that didn't work either.

Okay well number one, Envy only works with Nvidia or ATI cards. As for your integrated Intel 945, you should ensure that you have 915resolution installed (go to Synaptic.) Finally, I happen to know that the 945gc chipset supports Compiz. Please post your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. I'll have a look and see if I can't help you trouble-shoot it.

Awesome, thanks for the offer cmost. Ill have it up and running tommorow and get that info on here. Ill check on the 915resolution installation before I post.

That card use either "intel" or "i810" driver, I would try with the "intel" driver. Look at ThinkWiki for a xorg.conf setup. Also, editing configuration files always induces a risk of bricking your system, even changes screen settings in Windows may brick your system, and that could be harder to fix, Windows seriously lack debugging technology.... If you break xorg.conf, just use a liveCD to replace the broken xorg.conf with the working one from the liveCD (or restore a previous backup). No need to do a fresh install just for that..

I wish I had a dime for every time I shot myself in the foot and got so tangled up that I threw up my hands and did a reinstall. I could afford to hire someone to type this for me while I watched my live dancing girls! lol

Isn't life grand!

Fred

Wish I would have read that before I did a clean install, Oh well 20 mins of my time spent isn't that big of deal. Not like the hour that windows take. One thing that I did notice when I was doing my reinstall was that I had to use safe graphics mode to install because my monitor would just go off when I tried using the normal installer. That also happened during my original install but I didn't give too much thought to it at the time.
My xorg.conf file reads this-

Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Driver "vesa"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "17S"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Generic Video Card"
Monitor "17S"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

I have tried to enter in different drivers into the file based on what I have read in different forums, and google, but nothing I tried worked. I checked my install and I do have 915resolution installed. I'll take a look at thinkwiki.

Fred-
I actually had fun toying around and messing everything up. I didn't even get mad when I realized I had screwed up and probably was going to have to do a reinstall (I didn't know you could fix things off live cd). I have a feeling I'm going to have many more days of doing fresh installs ahead, but thats the learning part right?

Ohh, and you are using a generic video driver (vesa), safe option, but the intel or i810 driver would probably yield better results (intel is the best, I think, even though it is under development).
EDIT:
And configuration files can be edited "offline", meaning they are loaded into the systems RAM each time the corresponding application is started. In the case of xorg.conf, it is loaded when X start. So if you use a liveCD to edit or recover a xorg.conf file it will be loaded (and using a working configuration) next time X is started from that install. Heck, you can even use recovery mode and vim, though vim can be a bit confusing at times. They are not that different from ini files in Windows.

MagnusB wrote:Ohh, and you are using a generic video driver (vesa), safe option, but the intel or i810 driver would probably yield better results (intel is the best, I think, even though it is under development).

Is it just a matter of writing in "intel" instead of vesa ?

Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Driver "vesa"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Yes, if your card is supported by the intel or i810 driver it is just to change "vesa" to "intel" or "i810". You need to restart X after you have change it though.

Will the Identifier change by itself ?

The identifier is nothing more than what X names your card. If it is called Generic cards, it calls to generic card when needed. The identifier is not important at all, the other options are

Well you guys are GOOOOD. After all the random crap I tried entering into xorg.conf, all it took was "i810". It didn't like "intel" so much, just went to a blank screen, but recovery mode is my new best friend. I didn't realize that you could just leave it as generic card, all the other times i tried it I was writing all kind of different formulations for Intel Graphics Card blah blah blah. It's funny how easy thing can actually be to fix. Again I am nothing but impressed with Mint, and its forums and members. Thanks again.

Nice that you solved it, but by errors we learn. Identifiers are just a name given to the card, for communication purposes. If you change it, you need to change it other places as well (X needs to know who to talk to, at what times to talk to them etc etc).

Hmmm..............sounds like the birth of a hackaholic. I recommend virtual box, you can run a distro in it and go in there with a flame thrower with a stuck trigger and you won't hose your system, great for hacking practice.

As I get more comfortable with Linux I'll definately look into that, I have heard the term virtual box before, but never really researched exactly what it is. I assume from the name it is a OS running in a application, but I always assumed that kind of stuff would be over my head to install and figure out. Now I actually want to figure that stuff out, I have read in a few forums the evolution of some linux users. They switch to get away from windows, they just tinker with linux for a little while, then they get bored with just using linux and want to know more about how it works and what you can do with it. I can see where the appeal comes from. Just from this little experiment I learned how much knowlage is available via google and forums for those who want to learn. I learned that screwing something up while tinkering isn't the end of the world. I have wanted to learn more about linux for years, but I admit I was afraid of the learning curve, now versions of linux are coming out the significantly speed up the learning curve, and the wealth of easy to access information makes it not such a daunting task as much as a new hobby. Plus I'm not dependent on one companies products anymore, it feels new, it feels good.

You can do it, it's eeezzzeee. Go to mint software portal, daryna, system tools and install virtual box. Immediately following the install go to administration, users and groups, manage groups, scroll down to vboxusers and highlight, click properties and put a tick in the box next to your user and root close all and I recommend a restart. Now you can download an iso to your desktop and either install it in a virtual hd or run it like a live cd right in your mint desktop. Very cool for testing other distros and hacking practice.

That sounds like it could be pretty cool, I'll have to give it a try. It would be interesting to check out some other distros, to see what they are about, but I can't imagine me likeing one any better than Mint. HEHEHE damn you now I will be spending even more time at my comptuer.