I’ve seen Windows pretty recently so I strongly believe there isn’t such a way (actually the main reason for starting this thread). While new to this forum, I have to assume that beside the expected hard-core Linux aficionados who wouldn’t touch Windows with a ten-foot pole, one might encounter many disaffected Windows users and, with any luck, even recent, disgusted Windows defectors for whom the notion of not being able to fix the refresh rate of the Windows video driver was too much to bear and the last straw. Any comments pro/con are warmly invited and details dismissing my above claim will be happily appreciated and followed.
And here he fires up vmware...
In 2000, you need to open the display properties, select the right-most tab ("Settings"), click on "advanced", select "monitor" and select a different monitor than "generic" or "pnp", such as "legacy" or "standard". (I only have a swedish version of Windows 2000 running under vmware here, so the actual wording of the buttons/tabs may not be exact.)
In the area below, you can choose a fixed vertical refresh rate.
By a really strange coincidence, ever since I converted to 4.4 I’ve been fascinated by what I perceived to be the impossibility of fixing the video driver parameters in _Linux_. (that was before I discovered the subject problem with Windows). Thomas, I sent you an E-mail to this effect at the time, probably lost in the cyber fog. I never expected to be so fortunate to meet you here in this forum, so I’m now taking the liberty of reproducing in full, unedited, the letter (and the questions included therein, at the end) below, so you can comment. The E-mail is dated Aug 25, 2004.
My appologies, but please understand that I am a developer, no call center. My impression was that you had either config problems or theoretical questions, both not specifically related to my driver. In such cases I take the liberty of not responding to each and every mail I get. That is exactly what the mailing lists are for.
Subject: XF86Config Mode Questions Dear Dr. Winischhofer,
First and foremost, many thanks for your excellent Linux SiS drivers.
I have an ASUS machine (P4S533-MX) with SiS651 as North Bridge. I worked with your 4.2 driver (on 2.6.7) and now I'm happily stable on 4.4 and 2.6.8.1.
Also, your Linux/SiS/vga page is absolutely impressive! Good to know there are still professionals around!
Everything is AOK; however, I'm a little confused about how XFree86 and your SiS driver handle the "modes" feature.
I'd very much appreciate if you can clear me up on a few questions below (at your leisure, of course - as I said, everything is just fine, SiS driver-wise).
------------------------------------------------------------------
In my '/etc/X11/XF86Config' file there are only two "modes" lines,
one a comment:
# Default "1024x768": 94.5 MHz (Dot Clock), 68.7 kHz (Horiz.), 85 Hz (refresh)
and the other one the "main" line:
ModeLine "1024x768" 94.50 1024 1072 1168 1376 768 769 772 808 +hsync +vsync
Then, in the Section "Screen", this I got this Subsection: Subsection "Display" Depth 24 Modes "1024x768" ViewPort 0 0 EndSubsection
The '/var/log/XFree86.0.log' file has these related lines (excerpt):
XFree86 Version 4.4.0
Release Date: 29 February 2004
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 6.6
...
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
...
(II) SIS(0): SiS driver (2004/08/20-1)
(II) SIS(0): Copyright (C) 2001-2004 Thomas Winischhofer> and others
(II) SIS(0): Compiled for XFree86 version 4.4.0.0
...
(II) SIS(0): Not using default mode "1024x768" (vrefresh out of range)
(II) SIS(0): Not using default mode "1024x768" (hsync out of range)
...
(--) SIS(0): Virtual size is 1024x768 (pitch 1024)
(**) SIS(0): *Mode "1024x768": 94.5 MHz, 68.7 kHz, 85.0 Hz
(II) SIS(0): Modeline "1024x768" 94.50 1024 1072 1168 1376 768 769 772 808 +hsync +vsync
(**) SIS(0): Default mode "1024x768": 94.5 MHz, 68.7 kHz, 85.0 Hz
(II) SIS(0): Modeline "1024x768" 94.50 1024 1072 1168 1376 768 769 772 808 +hsync +vsync
(**) SIS(0): Default mode "1024x768": 78.7 MHz, 60.0 kHz, 75.0 Hz
(II) SIS(0): Modeline "1024x768" 78.75 1024 1040 1136 1312 768 769 772 800 +hsync +vsync
(**) SIS(0): Default mode "1024x768": 75.2 MHz, 56.6 kHz, 70.2 Hz
(II) SIS(0): Modeline "1024x768" 75.17 1024 1048 1184 1328 768 771 777 806 -
hsync -vsync
...
(**) SIS(0): Default mode "320x200": 12.5 MHz, 31.3 kHz, 70.9 Hz (D)
(II) SIS(0): Modeline "320x200" 12.53 320 328 376 400 200 206 207 221 doublescan -hsync +vsync
(--) SIS(0): Display dimensions: (370, 280) mm
...
(II) SIS(0): Restoring by setting old mode 0x03
--------------------------------------------------------------
Questions:
1. My monitor (Hitachi CM715) display is perfect at 1024x768 @ 85 Hz, i.e. as "suggested" by my (only) Modeline. 'XF86Config' does not contain the other "Default mode" lines, contrary to what the log seems to indicate (by the ** marker)
2. I noticed in your 'XF86Config' examples that you no longer seem to favor the usage of Modelines. If the many "Not using default mode ... " log entries represent some sort of "probing" - with its expected delay of X's startup - shouldn't a Modeline like mine still be useful to force a direct, immediate setting of the driver parameters and thus avoid all this extra work of checking out all the other (unnecessary) configurations?
3. What does the single star in front of the “*Mode 1024x768”: ...” mean?
Generally speaking: X has a built-in list of so-called default modes. You may consider these modes as "built-in". These are mostly modes with VESA-compliant timing. They exist to save the user from having to enter Modelines under common configurations.
For 1024x768, X knows a bunch of modes with different refresh rates. These are eg 43Hz interlaced, 60, 72, 75, 85.
For reasons not relevant here, the SiS driver has such a built-in list of its own. So it happens to know a 100, 120 and 160Hz version of 1024x768 additionally.
As for the naming in the log:
"Mode" = user-given mode, ie from a Modeline in the config file "Default mode" = built-in (default) mode "Built-in mode" = driver specific built-in (default) mode.
Don't get fooled now; you really don't have to make a difference between "Default" and "Built-in" modes. I just mention this to explain the naming in the log. Both types are in fact "built-in".
As for your log:
"Not using default mode..." means that the driver filters out some built-in modes with too high refresh rates. The 100, 120 and 160Hz versions for 1024x768 are obviously beyond your monitor's specs.
The fact that "*Mode" is the first one in the list (not preceeded by the word "default") means that your Modeline-mode (hence a "user mode") is being used as the first one, ie the one the server starts up with.
Modes marked with "*" are the ones named in the Modes-statement of the Screen section's Display subsection. This "*" thingy didn't exist until XFree86 4.3.
As of 4.3, *all* default/built-in modes will remain available for usage during server runtime if matching the monitor specs, regardless whether or not they are listed in the Modes-list (in the Display subsection). Only difference being, modes without the "*" (ie the ones surviving the monitor check, but not listed in the Modes-list) will not be used when cycling through modes (CTRL-ALT-+/-). However, they are selectable by the vidmod extension (and hence SiSCtrl if you happen to know what that is).
Prior to 4.3, the server deleted all modes that were not listed in the Modes-list (Display subsection in Screen section). Only modes listed in the Modes-statement were available for the server session (provided that they pass the monitor compliance tests, of course).
The very last line of your log indicates that you either switched back to another VT or logged out of X, so that the original display mode = text mode was restored.
Sidenote:
> (**) SIS(0): *Mode "1024x768": 94.5 MHz, 68.7 kHz, 85.0 Hz
> (II) SIS(0): Modeline "1024x768" 94.50 1024 1072 1168 1376 768 769 772 808
> +hsync +vsync
> (**) SIS(0): Default mode "1024x768": 94.5 MHz, 68.7 kHz, 85.0 Hz
> (II) SIS(0): Modeline "1024x768" 94.50 1024 1072 1168 1376 768 769 772 808
> +hsync +vsync
As you can see from the bottom two lines of this excerpt, a mode matching your Modeline is already built-in, so, in essence, your Modeline is not required. The mode that will be used instead matches your desired mode exactly. Leave the Modeline out and you'll see no difference.
What remains unclear to me is what you meant by "impossibility of fixing the video driver parameters". I don't see a problem here at all.
Thomas
-- Thomas Winischhofer Vienna/Austria thomas AT winischhofer DOT net http://www.winischhofer.net/ twini AT xfree86 DOT org _______________________________________________ XFree86 mailing list XFree86@xxxxxxxxxxx http://XFree86.Org/mailman/listinfo/xfree86
