Problems with Xorg after portupgrade

[Warren Block]

On Mon, 20 Apr 2009, Polytropon wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:16:45 -0700, Charles Oppermann <chuckop at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I'm having similar problems after upgrading an older machine to Xorg
>> 7.4.  The monitor blinks it's power light indicating no signal.
>
>> While CTRL+ALT+Backspace does not kill the X server, I can press
>> CTRL+ALT+F1 or ALT+F1 to return to the text mode console.  I then kill
>> the X server via CTRL+C.
>
> There's a new setting that needs to be put into xorg.conf:
>
> 	Section "ServerFlags"
> 		Option "DontZap" "false"
> 	EndSection
>
> Then you should be able to Ctrl+Alt+BkSpace to kill X.

Really, it's an old option with a new default.

>> Interestingly, if I restart the server (via Xorg, X, startx, etc), the
>> screen will switch to graphics mode and briefly show the contents of the
>> previous session, and then go blank.  I believe I'm seeing the contents
>> of the video memory after the mode switch and before the video memory is
>> overwritten or erased.
>
> I've seen such a behaviour before, because X seemed to be unable
> to update the screen contents.
>
>> I believe that Xorg is working fine, but somehow the video card is told
>> to blank the screen (maybe via DPMS?) or is otherwise incorrectly
>> programmed.

Could be that the monitor is not seeing output it likes from the video 
card and auto-blanking.

General notes:

First try without an xorg.conf at all.  xorg will autoconfig.  If it 
gets it right, or almost right, you can pull the values for xorg.conf 
out of /var/log/Xorg.0.log.

If autoconfig doesn't get things right, still try with a minimal 
xorg.conf.  For instance, all you need in a monitor section is

Section "Monitor"
         Identifier   "Monitor0"
EndSection

Note in Xorg.0.log all the modules that load by default, and realize 
that you can pretty much leave out the Modules section.

Repeating again that you don't need a ServerFlags section, those 
settings can go in ServerLayout.

>> I'll also remove all the .xinitrc, .xsession, left over crud as well.
>
> You could be fine with a minimal .xinitrc and .xsession, both
> chmodded +x. with this content:
>
> ~/.xinitrc
> 	#!/bin/sh
> 	xset -dpms
> 	xterm &
> 	exec twm
>
> ~/.xsession
> 	#!/bin/csh
> 	source ~/.cshrc
> 	exec ~/.xinitrc

Unnecessary, since /usr/local/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc will be used if 
there is no user default.

>
>> This is a machine using the VESA driver with an older Voodoo Banshee 
>> AGP card.
>
> VESA? Isn't there a driver for this card that gets automatically
> detected (hahaha) by X .-configure?

There's a voodoo driver in ports; no idea if it works with that card.
Recent copy of xorg.conf here:

http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-x11/2009-April/008206.html

-Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota USA