S3 Savage4 with no 3d acceleration
Posts: 5
Very interested in installing Mepis 6.0 live on Epox KM133L MB with S3 Savage4 integrated video. Apparently this card has caused much grief. Xandros also unable to deal with it. Mepis boot process is fine until login screen where there are 5 login boxes lined up horizontally and fonts are unreadeable. I can login, but I have 5 desktops all crunched together horizontally.
Finally loaded PCLOS and install went fine, except there is no 3d acceleration listed in the hdw center. Linux man calls for savage module to be 3d compatible with this card.
Dragging windows and playing certain games is very jerky which indicates a 3d hdwr acceleration prblm, but this chip is suppose to support 3d.
I have loaded savage module and tried to pass UseBIOS option, but no luck. I have used MEPIS before and would really like to try this out.
Any help appreciated. 
Thanks
Savage4
Posts: 5
I believe there are options in the boot list for vga=normal and xdrvr=vesa. I have tried these but no dice. If I can't get anything on the screen I will be unable to login via GUI or text. i get to about 20% boot and error message appears about interrupt problem and screen goes black.
In PCLOS I downloaded the Savage4 drivers from S3, but upon installation there is error message that they require XFree86.
Doesn't Mepis use xorg and if so is there any way around this problem other than a different PCI card?
Thanks
Ubuntu howto
Posts: 1027
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-75393.html
HOWTO: Enable DRI (3D support) on SAVAGE cards
Make sure you have headers for your kernel
http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Install_kernel_headers
and jump straight to "COMMON FOR ALL CHIPSETS"
in the link above
If your install gives does not give you a graphical login press Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get a text login.
Mike
http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Mepis_doesn't_boot_to_graphical_login
Need vesa driver
Posts: 1027
If you are using the live CD
reboot, add the option
xdrvr=vesa
at the end of the boot line (cursor will be there -- line probably ends in vga=791)
=====
If you install and still have this problem
edit xorg.conf and change the driver to vesa :
Do this in root konsole or after pressing
to get a text login (log in as user, then
)
su
nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
then scroll down the file and get to the Section "Device"
and set the driver to "vesa" like in the following example:
Code:
Driver "vesa"
Press:
CTRL+O to save the file (yes, overwrite it)
CTRL+X to exit
Mike
Use the wiki http://www.mepis.org/docs
Great forum http://www.mepislovers.com