*BSD News Article 91994


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From: joelman@world.std.com (Joel Gwynn)
Subject: XFree86 on AST Powerexec Notebook
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Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 11:50:06 GMT
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Has ANYONE had ANY luck running XFree86 on an AST Powerexec Color Plus
notebook computer?  It has a (unsupported) WD90c26 chipset, with 512k
video RAM, 25.18 clock, and supposedly 31.5kHz horizontal by 70.0Hz
vertical refresh.  I've tried all of the WD90xxx settings, as well as
generic VGA and SVGA.

When I run XF86Setup, it runs fine.  If I choose the VG16 server, it
exits, starts the server, looks fine, and saves the XF86Config file.
But if I then run startx, the machine just hangs.  If I choose the
SVGA server, it starts the server in 320x200 mode.  This mode actually
works, but it's a little chunky for the 90's.

It's odd that XFree86 could start the server in VGA mode during
configuration, but then somehow "forgets" that it knew how to do it
when I try to run startx.  Can I get there from here?  Am I missing a
trick as usual?

I've really spent a lot of time on this, and I don't want to pack up
my toys and go back to Bill Gates with my tail between my legs, but
right now I have a perfectly good 486 that I can't have any fun with.

Joel Gwynn
joelman@world.std.com