xf86config for Toshiba satellite pro laptop

[Kevin D. Kinsey, DaleCo, S.P.]

Vaughan Moore wrote:

>I'm a complete newbie and I'm trying to set up X server on a Toshiba
>Satellite pro 4620dvd laptop.  Everytime I run through xf86cfg or
>xf86cfg -textmode I get the error message "The XFree86 configuration process
>seems to have failed.  Would you like to try again?"  Obviously, this is a
>bit frustrating.
>
>  
>

Sounds like it.  Wonder why?  Are you running the program with root
privileges?  (You should be...)

>Here are what I think are the valid parts of the XF86Config file, but I may
>be missing something - please let me know.
>
>InputDevice
>	Driver = "mouse"
>	Option = "Protocol" "Auto"
>	Option = "Device" "/dev/sysmous"
>InputDevice
>	Driver "Keyboard"
>	Option "Skbmode1" "pc101" (note: my laptop only has 85 keys"
>	Option "XkbLayout "us"
>Monitor
>	HorizSync 31.5-31.5
>	VertRefresh 50.0-70.0
>Card
>	Driver "s3"
>	VendorName "S3 Inc."
>	BoardName "86C270-294 Savage/IX-MV"
>	ChipSet "SuperSavage/IX64"
>	BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
>Screen
>	Default Depth 8
>	Display Depth 1
>	Display Depth 4
>	Display Depth 8
>	Modes "640x480"
>	Display Depth 15
>	Display Depth 16
>	Display Depth 24
>
>My main questions are:
>
>1) The Toshiba documentation and Web site do not tell me what my internal
>monitor's horizontal sync or vertical refresh rate is. (although it does
>give me refresh rates for an external monitor - 60/75/85 @16M colors).  Is
>there a place I can go to find this information?
>
>  
>

Well, this is pretty common.  Many desktop monitors don't give such
information, either, and you either Google for it or guess, usually.  What
happens if you call "startx", or have you?

>2) Are there other obvious reasons the configuration would fail other than
>the monitor?
>  
>

The most obvious one I can think of is that, IIRC, the driver for the
Savage chipsets is "savage", not "s3".  But I could be wrong; can't
remember ever trying X with the "savage" driver.  Have you tried the
"vesa" driver?  Might do something for ya...

Secondly, your Horizontal sync range isn't a range.  Perhaps opening
that up a bit would allow you to try it out.

Certainly there could be other issues as well.  I mentioned permissions
above, for one.  If you have the above in /etc/X11R6/XF86Config, if you
run "startx" you should get either a server running or some error output
in /var/log that might help...OTOH, I've never set up X on any laptop; I
don't know if it's unsafe to try with a relatively untested config 
file.  But
the values look sane enough for a CRT display ...


>3) Are there any sites I can visit for more info?
>
>  
>

XFree's site at xfree86.org; the FreeBSD handbook at 
www.freebsd.org/handbook
come to mind.

>Thanks so much!
>
>  
>

You are welcome.

>Vaughan Moore
>
>Also, did I post this to the right list?  If not, please let me know where
>it should go.
>  
>

Works for me.

Kevin Kinsey