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Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - Printable Version

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Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - m654321 - 08-21-2019

Got given an old laptop today for free, i.e. a Packard-Bell Easynote MX-37 (dual-core CPU @1.47GHz, 2GB RAM)
First thing I did was remove HDD (Vista installed), replaced with an SSD.

LL3.8 (32-bit) wouldn't install onto the SSD, using conventional methods: tried both USB pendrive & DVD installation methods, selecting boot order from PC Settings. Both failed (even though found later that USB & DVD drives do work)

So, I installed LL3.8 onto the SSD using another machine, but without doing the updates on that machine. Then took SSD out of this machine & installed back into the Packard-Bell, rebooted and voila! It worked, BUT ...  the screen resolution is stuck on 640 x 480 resolution with no other choices available from the Display Settings - as you can see from the screenshots this resolution is too large:

https://imgur.com/a/s5HFlJb

I then ran 'Install Updates', but this did not resolve the issue  :-[

Any ideas folks, on how to resolve this ?

Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - m654321 - 08-22-2019

A few hours later: just worked out why I couldn't boot from the LL installation DVD on the Packard-Bell laptop: it wasn't enough to just select CD/DVD from the Boot settings, but I had to 'physically' move it to the top of the boot-order list, using the '+' character key. So I reinstalled LL 3.8 (this time 64-bit) and everything went very well.

But: I still have a display resolution problem. During the LL installation process, the screen resolution appeared normal, but on reboot following installation, the resolution is stuck (once more) at 640 x 480 with no other choices apparent in the Display settings, as shown in the screenshot in post #1 above, and in terminal output here:
 
Code:
mike@EasyNote-MX37:~$ sudo xrandr
[sudo] password for mike:
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 640 x 480, current 640 x 480, maximum 640 x 480
default connected 640x480+0+0 0mm x 0mm
   640x480 73.00* 

This problem has been reported elsewhere: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=228989
However, the following two solutions proposed in this link didn't work, i.e:
changing this line:

Code:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
to either
Code:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash ACPI=off"

or
Code:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash "xforcevesa""


To provide further information, inxi output from terminal is as follows:
Code:
mike@EasyNote-MX37:~$ inxi -Fzx
System:    Host: EasyNote-MX37 Kernel: 4.4.0-160-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 (Gtk 2.24.28) Distro: Ubuntu 16.04 xenial
Machine:   System: Packard Bell BV product: EasyNote_MX37 v: PC10E00401
           Mobo: PACKARD BELL BV model: T12C v: 1.0
           Bios: American Megatrends v: 207 date: 10/11/2007
CPU:       Dual core Intel Pentium Dual T2310 (-MCP-) cache: 1024 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3) bmips: 5864
           clock speeds: max: 1467 MHz 1: 1067 MHz 2: 1467 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 771/671 PCIE VGA Display Adapter
           bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: fbdev (unloaded: vesa)
Resolution: [email protected]
           GLX Renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 6.0, 128 bits)
           GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 18.0.5 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] Azalia Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:0f.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4.0-160-generic
Network:   Card-1: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 191 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
           driver: sis190 v: 1.4 port: cc00 bus-ID: 00:04.0
           IF: enp0s4 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Qualcomm Atheros AR242x / AR542x Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express)
           driver: ath5k bus-ID: 02:00.0
           IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 250.1GB (2.2% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: Samsung_SSD_850 size: 250.1GB temp: 0C
Partition: ID-1: / size: 23G used: 5.2G (24%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 58.0C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info: Processes: 171 Uptime: 4 min Memory: 576.6/1873.4MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.481) inxi: 2.2.35


Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - TheDead - 08-22-2019

I think there was another thred in the forum about this graphics chipset (SiS) and that support stopped quite a few kernels ago.
I thing I also mentionned the same in that older thread but when I see SiS, I usually run away, like in Monty Python... "Run away...." Wink

But, maybe a usefull tip, you could maybe use ndiswrapper (command line version, no GUI) and install a Windows driver for it... and pray.
I would also Rub Buddha's Belly for luck, throw coins in a fountain, get a horse shoe necklace and try to find a four leaf clover....
Don't expect miracles though, maybe forcing VESA to 1024x768 or something in some way would be better.
Edit : Typos


Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - m654321 - 08-22-2019

(08-22-2019, 01:07 PM)TheDead link Wrote: maybe forcing VESA to 1024x768 or something in some way would be better.
Already done - see code in reply #1 above.
I'm not sure I'd go along with some of your suggestions, but you made me laugh out loud ;D !
You've got a good sense of humour, something that's always needed in good measure ...

Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - trinidad - 08-22-2019

Hit c at your grub screen to get a CLI. Type videoinfo at the prompt and check that your preferred mode is the correct resolution. If not then boot and uncomment GFX mode in your default grub and type in the correct resolution and update grub. This will not work unless the resolution is listed in the videoinfo list you just looked at but will if it is there.

TC

Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - m654321 - 08-22-2019

(08-22-2019, 03:13 PM)trinidad link Wrote: Hit c at your grub screen to get a CLI.
yep, done

Quote:Type videoinfo at the prompt and check that your preferred mode is the correct resolution.
Yep, the preferred res. of 1024x768 is listed (but doesn't appear in Display Settings GUI, yet)

Quote:If not then boot and uncomment GFX mode in your default grub and type in the correct resolution and update grub.
It did list my preferred resolution, but I still opened the grubfile following boot-up and uncommented GFX mode & replaced 640x480 with 1024x768 & then updated grub (sudo update-grub).

Result=Success 8)
On booting, 1024x768 resolution working, and is listed in Display Settings GUI - rather surprised to see the refresh rate is given as 76Hz (used to seeing it usually around 60) - oh well, even better !
Home & Dry!


Many thanks TC, much appreciated
Mike

Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - TheDead - 08-23-2019

[member=458]m654321[/member]
Grats on the solve!
I see that you have a D630... can I ask how much memory you have in that machine? I was never to put more than 2GB :-(, think it's hardware locked I read somewhere, so just checking.

Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - m654321 - 08-23-2019

(08-23-2019, 12:02 PM)TheDead link Wrote: [member=458]m654321[/member]
Grats on the solve!
I see that you have a D630... can I ask how much memory you have in that machine? I was never to put more than 2GB :-(, think it's hardware locked I read somewhere, so just checking.
Yes, TC is a mine of info; so good to have people like this around; also if noone else gives me an answer TC usually does  Wink
The 640x480 issue was on a fresh install on a laptop someone gave me for free (Packard-Bell MX37) earlier this week. LL3.8 64-bit runs on it brilliantly.

Turning to the Dell: when I bought it 2nd-hand in 2016 (from Amazon) it came with 4GB pre-installed, which is overkill for my needs; 2GB would have been ample. Just now I contacted Crucial.com re. RAM: they told me that with this Dell model the max you can install is 8GB.

Hardware locked? I don't know anything about hardware-locked PCs, but if RAM's expandable, can't you unlock it (though I don't know anything about this)?

Mike

Re: Display stuck @640 x 480 following LL installation: how do I fix it? - TheDead - 08-28-2019

Thanks!
I'll check but what I meant by "locked" is more about the chipset's architecture itselft only supporting 2GB and not physically having the pipelines for more.
I know my old Atom netbook was stuck at 2GB (confirmed by research).

Sorry for zhe confusion. Wink