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XFree86 Frequently Asked Questions


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Archive-name: x-faq/xfree86
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URL: http://www.XFree86.org/FAQ

See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
                      XFREE86 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
                      ----------------------------------

   This document is intended to provide answers to the questions most often
   received by the XFree86[tm] Project's support team (which can be reached
   at XFree86@XFree86.org). It is also a source of information more recent
   than the documentation included with the latest release.

   Generally, if the information is already available elsewhere, this
   document will supply a pointer to the information rather than duplicate
   it. If you don't have access to the World Wide Web, see the section
   below entitled "Access via Email".

   The XFree86 Project is making the information in this document available
   free of charge in the hope that it will be of use. However, the authors
   specifically disclaim any liability for any direct, indirect, or
   consequential damages arising out of its use.

   This document is intended to be a source of up-to-date info regarding
   XFree86, and as such, may change frequently. Make sure you consult a
   recent copy, before relying on any information contained herein.

   Additionally, this FAQ generally assumes that you are using the latest
   release and, unless otherwise specified, the information contained
   herein is likely to not be applicable to other releases. If you are
   having problems and are not running the latest release, then upgrading
   is often the answer to your problems. Really. If you have a fairly new
   card, it is especially important to make sure you are using the latest
   server release.

   The latest version of this document is always available from the XFree86
   Web site (http://www.XFree86.org/) or one of its mirrors:
     * http://www.au.xfree86.org/
     * http://www.uni-paderborn.de/mirrors/xfree86/
     * http://sunsite.mff.cuni.cz/XFree86/
     * http://xfree86.gw.com/
     * http://xfree86.mirror.aarnet.edu.au/
     * http://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/XFree86/
     * http://www.noguska.net/linux/xfree86/
     * http://www.kr.xfree86.org/

   Last modified: Mon Nov 22 13:47:27 PST 1999
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

INDEX OF QUESTIONS:

SECTION A - GENERAL INFORMATION
     * Q.A1- What is XFree86?
     * Q.A2- What is the current release of XFree86?
     * Q.A3- What is the current release of SuperProbe?
     * Q.A4- How do I find out what version I have?
     * Q.A5- Where do I get the latest releases?
     * Q.A6- What files do I need to upgrade to the latest release?
     * Q.A7- Where do I find the latest documentation?
     * Q.A8- Where can I get RPMs for the latest release?
     * Q.A9- When is the next release?
     * Q.A10- Which card do you recommend that I buy?
     * Q.A11- Which card is the fastest?
     * Q.A12- Has XFree86 been ported to OS/2?
     * Q.A13- How about a MS-DOS or MS-Windows port?
     * Q.A14- But I heard X supports Windows NT.
     * Q.A15- Can I use more than one video card in the same machine with
              XFree86?
     * Q.A16- Are Overlay Visuals available?
     * Q.A17- How do I report a bug in XFree86?
     * Q.A18- About this FAQ
     * Q.A19- Access via Email
     * Q.A20- Related Information

SECTION B - CONFIGURATION QUESTIONS
     * Q.B1- Do you have the config file for ...?
     * Q.B2- I got an XF86Config file from ..., but things still don't
             work.
     * Q.B3- How do I configure the server?
     * Q.B4- How do I know which X server to use for my video card?
     * Q.B5- My PC is PC98 compliant. Should I use the XF98 servers?
     * Q.B6- My monitor isn't listed in the [ XF86Config | xf86setup ]
             monitor database.
     * Q.B7- What about "vgaset"?
     * Q.B8- My card isn't on the list shown in XF86Setup. Is there a more
             up-to-date list?
     * Q.B9- Why does the server reject my mode lines?
     * Q.B10- The preinst.sh script fails to run succesfully

SECTION C - KEYBOARD & MOUSE PROBLEMS
     * Q.C1- The mouse cursor doesn't display in the right position
     * Q.C2- Why don't menus work properly?
     * Q.C3- How come, in Tk-based applications, the buttons highlight, but
             can't be depressed?
     * Q.C4- I've installed the latest release and now some of my keys no
             longer work. Why?
     * Q.C5- The mouse is moving erratically. What's wrong?
     * Q.C6- New Microsoft serial mouse protocol 2.1A mice don't work.
     * Q.C7- How can I swap mouse buttons? How do I get an XFree86 for
             Left-Handers?

SECTION D - DISPLAY PROBLEMS
     * Q.D1- Part of the Displayed Image is Wrapping-around or is
             Duplicated on the Other Side of the Screen
     * Q.D2- My screen is too large. How can I disable the virtual desktop?
     * Q.D3- wrong colors or black and white images in 24bpp modes for
             Netscape, xanim, WABI and others
     * Q.D4- Why do I get a mostly black screen with my Diamond Speedstar
             A50 (SiS 6326)?

SECTION E - MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS/QUESTIONS
     * Q.E1- How do I get the server to scale vector fonts, but not bitmap
             fonts?
     * Q.E2- What can I do to keep the server from hanging while scaling
             fonts?
     * Q.E3- The system locks up when I start the S3 server. What can I do?
     * Q.E4- I've got a Cirrus Logic GD546x based card and am experiencing
             system lockups. What can I do?
     * Q.E5- I get a "broken pipe" error while unpacking the ".tar.gz"
             files. Is something wrong with them?
     * Q.E6- Why does the server quit with the error "xf86OpenConsole:
             cannot open /dev/console" on Linux?
     * Q.E7- How do I get the server to display more than 256 colors?
     * Q.E8- Why do I get display problems with my ATI PC2TV card?
     * Q.E9- I've just installed XFree86 3.3.5 for Linux, but I get "No
             such file or directory" whenever I try to run something.
     * Q.E10- XFree86 crashes on Linux systems with GCC 2.8.x
     * Q.E11- Why does the X server exit with an error message about a
              SecurityPolicy file?
     * Q.E12- Is XFree86 Year2000 compliant?
     * Q.E13- I get an error "_X11TransSocketUNIXConnect: Can't connect:
              errno = 111". What does it mean?
     * Q.E14- What is Xwrapper and why can't startx or xinit find it?
     * Q.E15- Running XFree86 on portable computers, laptops and LCD
              screens
     * Q.E16- Can TrueType fonts be used with XFree86?
     * Q.E17- I'm using NetBSD-currnet and the `wscons' console code and my
              X screen sometimes jumps.
     * Q.E18- Slow or sluggish performance of XFree86 servers, jerky mouse
              movement.

SECTION F - CHIPSET SUPPORT
     * Q.F1- My card is currently not supported - what can I do?
     * Q.F2- How do I find out the current status of a driver?
     * Q.F3- Unsupported Clock Chips
     * Q.F4- Do you have an alpha or beta server for my ... card?
     * Q.F5- Matrox chips
     * Q.F6- Alliance ProMotion chips
     * Q.F7- Cirrus CL-GD754x chips
     * Q.F8- Sierra Falcon chip
     * Q.F9- ISA-bus Mach64 cards
     * Q.F10- S3 911 and 924 Cards with 512KB RAM
     * Q.F11- Is there a server for 3Dlabs GLINT or Permedia based cards?
     * Q.F12- Is a server for Riva 128, 128zx or Riva TNT based cards
              available?
     * Q.F13- Is a server for Rendition chipsets available?
     * Q.F14- What about AGP?
     * Q.F15- Why don't you just make a VESA 2.0 driver so that all
              compliant cards will work?
     * Q.F16- Is a server for the Intel i740 chipset available?
     * Q.F17- Is a server for the Mpact 2 chipset available?
     * Q.F18- Is a server for the S3 Trio3D, Trio3D/2X or the S3 Savage3D
              or the Savage4 available?
     * Q.F19- S3 Trio3D/2X (86C362, 86C368) doesn't work or is awfully slow
     * Q.F20- Is a server for SiS 530 or SiS 620 based motherboards with
              integrated graphics available?
     * Q.F21- Is a server for the Trident Blade3D chipset available?
     * Q.F22- Is a server for the Voodoo Banshee or other 3Dfx chips
              available?
     * Q.F23- How do I get XFree86 to work with my new ATI card?
     * Q.F24- Is there any other way I can get an unsupported card to work?
     * Q.F25- Does XFree86 support the ATI Rage128?
     * Q.F26- Does XFree86 support the SiS 540/630 or the SiS 300?

SECTION G - KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH XFREE86 3.3.5
     * Q.G1- The tar files for Linux-ix86-glibc2 are too big / contain
             additional stuff.
     * Q.G2- I get an undefined symbol __deregister_frame_info with the
             Linux-ix86-glibc2 binaries.
     * Q.G3- My Trident TGUI9680 card has problems with fonts
     * Q.G4- The "cyber_shadow" Option doesn't work on my Cyber 9382.
     * Q.G5- Problems displaying resolutions above 640x480 on some Matrox
             G100 cards.
     * Q.G6- My Trident laptop goes glowing-white when I start the server.
     * Q.G7- Display problems (streaking, shifted lines, tearing) at high
             color depth on Matrox G100 cards.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL INFORMATION


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A1- What is XFree86?

   XFree86 is a trademark of The XFree86 Project, Inc., a non-profit
   organization that provides X Window System servers (as well as some
   supporting materials) for several operating systems on PCs and other
   microcomputers. The X servers, client programs, documentation, etc.
   supplied by the XFree86 Project, Inc., are collectively, also known as
   XFree86. All programs are provided with source code, free of charge.

   The XFree86 Project, Inc. is currently funded entirely by donations. If
   you're interested in making a monetary or equipment donation, see
   http://www.XFree86.org/donations.html or send Email to BOD@XFree86.org.

   A list of current sponsors is available at
   http://www.XFree86.org/sponsors.html

   For more information regarding The XFree86 Project, Inc., see
   http://www.XFree86.org/corp_profile.html


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A2- What is the current release of XFree86?

   The latest full release is XFree86 version 3.3.5. It is based on
   X11R6.3pl2 and was released in August 1999. See the Release Notes for
   more info.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A3- What is the current release of SuperProbe?

   The newest available version of SuperProbe is 2.20. It is included with
   the latest XFree86 release.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A4- How do I find out what version I have?

   Both SuperProbe and the servers print the version when they start.
   However, depending on how the server is started, its output may not
   normally be visible.

   The server will display its version number, if you simply type "X
   -showconfig" at a shell prompt (even if you haven't configured it for
   your card and monitor yet).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A5- Where do I get the latest releases?

   The primary site for both SuperProbe and the XFree86 servers and clients
   is ftp.XFree86.org.

   A list of mirror sites is available at:
   http://www.XFree86.org/3.3.5/ftp.html


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A6- What files do I need to upgrade to the latest release?

   Please read the README (or RELNOTES) file, in the directory
   corresponding to your OS, on the XFree86 ftp site or one of its mirrors
   (see the previous question). It contains a list of the filenames along
   with their contents. It also lists which files are required and which
   are optional.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A7- Where do I find the latest documentation?

   The latest documentation can be found on http://www.XFree86.org/3.3.5/.
   Many of the XFree86 specific man pages are also available at
   http://www.XFree86.org/man/. The documentation is also available, in
   ASCII form, from ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/3.3.5/doc/.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A8- Where can I get RPMs for the latest release?

   If you need XFree86 binaries in RPM format (or any other vendor-specific
   package format) you will need to contact your OS vendor. The XFree86
   Project only supplies binaries in the vendor-independent ".tgz" (gzipped
   tar) format (and ".zip" for OS/2).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A9- When is the next release?

   The 4.0 release, with significant changes, is being worked on. It is not
   known at this point when it will be released. Work-in-progress snapshots
   of this release are being made available from
   http://www.XFree86.org/snapshots/

   XFree86-3.3.6 is planned for the fourth quarter 1999.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A10- Which card do you recommend that I buy?

   We don't recommend any particular board or manufacturer (although it
   would be good to support our sponsors, see
   http://www.XFree86.org/sponsors.html). In general, the S3 based boards
   have been the best supported, followed by the ATI based cards, however
   that is no guarantee that any specific board will work. It is probably
   best to look through the various "README" files at
   http://www.XFree86.org/3.3.5/ to see which boards are currently
   supported and pick one of them.

   It is also a good idea to buy from some place that has a liberal return
   policy or will let you try before you buy. Especially since some
   manufacturers will sometimes change what RAMDAC or other chips are used
   on a board _without changing the name of the board_.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A11- Which card is the fastest?

   We don't know. Benchmarks are just that. Useless numbers trying to
   capture something that is far too complex to be captured in a number. We
   may occasionally comment on the relative speed of different cards, but
   that is usually the personal opinion of the one who writes the note. In
   general, The XFree86 Project is not publishing benchmark comparisons,
   because even if you think that a number like 'xstones' can capture the
   performance of a card, it is incredibly hard to create fair and
   comparable numbers.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A12- Has XFree86 been ported to OS/2?

   Yes, the latest release is available for OS/2. This port runs in
   parallel to the Presentation Manager desktop, similarly to a WinOS/2
   fullscreen session (there is no equivalent to a seamless WinOS/2
   configuration). See http://borneo.gmd.de/~veit/os2/xf86os2.html for more
   information.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A13- How about a MS-DOS or MS-Windows port?

   There is some work being done to create a free port of XFree86 to
   Microsoft Windows. However, in the mean time, if you need to run X on
   such a platform you'll need to use one of the available commercial
   servers.

   One of the commercial products, X Appeal, is from an XFree86 sponsor and
   is a port of the XFree86 servers to MS-DOS. They also have a freely
   available demo version.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A14- But I heard X supports Windows NT.

   X11R6.3 does include some support for MicroSoft Windows NT. However, it
   is only for building the libraries and some client programs. If you want
   an X server, for now, you'll have to buy one. See the previous question.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A15- Can I use more than one video card in the same machine with
                XFree86?

   Although it is technically possible to use multiple PCI-based SVGA cards
   in the same machine, none of the servers currently support this.

   The VGA16 and Mono servers are both capable of running both a VGA
   compatible card and a non-VGA compatible monochrome card in the same
   machine.

   For XFree86-4.0 we are working on true multi head support.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A16- Are Overlay Visuals available?

   Some X servers offer multiple visuals as overlays (e.g., 8bpp
   PseudoColor and 24bpp TrueColor). At this point XFree86 doesn't support
   Overlays, but we are working on this feature for XFree86-4.0.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A17- How do I report a bug in XFree86?

   Use the bug report form on our WWW server (http://www.XFree86.org/), or
   send email to XFree86@XFree86.org. Before sending a bug report, make
   sure you are using the current release of XFree86. *In the bug report,
   include the full server output, details of the XFree86 version, server,
   description of the problem, and some way of repeating it and most
   importantly, the _full_ server startup output.* Oh, and you'll greatly
   increase your chances of getting a useful response from us, if you
   include the full output of the server.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A18- About this FAQ

   In addition to being available from the XFree86 web site (as
   http://www.XFree86.org/FAQ/), this FAQ will be posted at least monthly
   to comp.windows.x.i386unix, comp.os.linux.x, comp.answers, and
   news.answers.

   It is also available from the XFree86 FTP site (and mirrors) as
   ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/WWW/htdocs/FAQ/ - HTML
   version and ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/WWW/htdocs/FAQ/ -
   ASCII text version.

   This document is maintained by Joe Moss (joe@XFree86.Org) with
   contributions from other members of the XFree86 support and development
   teams. Particular thanks go to David Dawes, Dirk Hohndel, and Koen
   Gadeyne for their contributions.

   If you have questions or comments regarding XFree86 do _not_ send them
   directly to me. They should be Emailed to XFree86@XFree86.org (which
   will cause a copy to be sent to me, as well as the rest of the XFree86
   volunteer support team). If you have comments regarding this document
   itself, then you may send them to me. In particular, if you find
   incorrect or non-functional URLs or any typos herein, please let me
   know.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A19- Access via Email

   If you only have Email access to the net, you should get a copy of the
   "Accessing the Internet by E-Mail FAQ".

   If you're in North or South America, send a message to
   mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu containing only the line:

    send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email
 
   in the body of the message.
   Elsewhere in the world, send mail to mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk with only
   this line in the message body:

    send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt
 
   This document explains how to retrieve stuff from the WWW, Usenet News,
   etc. via Email. It also explains how to use ftpmail, which you can use
   to get the latest version of XFree86.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.A20- Related Information

   Many of our sponsors supply hardware, software, and services which may
   be of interest to users of XFree86 servers. The list of our sponsors
   (http:/www.XFree86.org/sponsors.html), points to the web sites of many
   of them.

   Here are some pointers to other documentation, regarding subjects
   related to XFree86, that might be useful to readers of this document.
   These are not published by the XFree86 Project, Inc. and are included
   here only for reference. Questions or comments regarding any of these
   items should be directed to their respective authors.
     * X.Org Home Page (http://www.x.org/)
     * X11 Applications FAQ
       (http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/xapps/faq.html)
     * Other X Window System FAQs
       (http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/by_category.x-faq.html)
     * X Window System and OSF/Motif WWW Sites
       (http://www.rahul.net/kenton/xsites.framed.html)
     * [Linux] XFree86 HOWTO
       (http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/XFree86-HOWTO.html)
     * Connecting X-Terminals to Linux Systems
       (http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/mini/Xterminal)
     * The 3 Button Mouse Page [getting third button to work]
       (http://kipper.york.ac.uk/mouse.html)
     * Mini-HOWTO About Running XFree86 on Notebooks [mostly WD specific]
       (http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/mini/X-Notebook)
     * How to Setup/Use Low-Bandwidth X
       (ftp://ftp.wellfleet.com/netman/psmith/faqs/LBX-HOWTO)
     * Setting up X Authentication [Tk specific, but the concepts are
       generally applicable] (http://cr-toolkit.crd.ge.com/tkxauth/)
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONFIGURATION QUESTIONS


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B1- Do you have the config file for ...?

   There is a no such thing as *THE* config file for a particular card or
   monitor. The "XF86Config" file you should use is dependent on your card,
   monitor, operating system, mouse, keyboard, individual preferences,
   network setup, available fonts, etc.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B2- I got an XF86Config file from ..., but things still don't
               work.

   It is *not* a good idea to exchange XF86Config files. While it may be
   safe to use certain parts of another's config file, in general, you are
   better off generating your own.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B3- How do I configure the server?

   All of the configuration information we have, is included with the
   release. You should use one of the included configuration programs,
   _XF86Setup_ or _xf86config_. This is explained in the QuickStart Guide.

   For further information, you could also read the XFree86 configuration
   guide (available from http://www.XFree86.org/3.3.5/Config.html), and the
   manual pages XF86Config(4/5) and xvidtune(1).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B4- How do I know which X server to use for my video card?

   A list of video cards and the X servers they require can be found at
   http://www.xfree86.org/cardlist.html. If you don't find an entry for
   your card or chipset in that list, check the Chipset Support section
   below to see if it is mentioned there.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B5- My PC is PC98 compliant. Should I use the XF98 servers? No.
               The "XF98" servers and related utilities will _only_ work
               with the Japanese PC98 architecture computers. This is a
               Japanese computer standard that predates the Intel/Microsoft
               PC98 specification, and the two are completely unrelated.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B6- My monitor isn't listed in the [ XF86Config | xf86setup ]
               monitor database.

   Try looking for information on your monitor's capabilities on one of the
   following Internet sites:
     * http://hawks.ha.md.us/hardware/monitor.html
     * http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Misc/monitors/o-z.html
     * http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Misc/monitors/a-n.html
     * http://www.monitorservice.com/
     * http://www.mela-itg.com/
     * http://www.restorstone.com/MonitorManu/SearchManINT.html
     * http://www.nashville.net/~griffin/mondata.html


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B7- What about "vgaset"?

   Simple. Don't use it!

   The "xvidtune" program, that is part of the 3.3.5 release, has more
   capabilities and works properly with the server extension
   ("XFree86-VidModeExtension") included in the 3.3.5 servers.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B8- My card isn't on the list shown in XF86Setup. Is there a
               more up-to-date list?

   Each release includes the most up-to-date list at the time of release.
   If there are any updates after a release, they will be made available
   as: ftp://ftp.XFree86.org/pub/XFree86/current/doc/ (if the file is
   non-existent, i.e. this URL does not work, then there have not been any
   updates to the Cards database since the last release). It should be
   installed in "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/Cards".

   If you still can't find your card listed, you should check if there is a
   generic entry for cards using the same chipset as yours. If not, see the
   Chipset Support section of this document to check on the current status
   of drivers being written and what you can do if your card is
   unsupported.

   If after all of the above, you still are not sure what to do about
   configuring your card, you can contact us about it.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B9- Why does the server reject my mode lines?

   This usually is due to incorrect parameters in the Monitor section of
   the XF86Config file.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.B10- The preinst.sh script fails to run succesfully

   If you install XFree86 using the description in the RELNOTES file, you
   may see an error message from preinst.sh like this:

   : command not found

   or

   var/tnp/preinst.sh systax error near unexpected token 'in

   or a number of other strange errors.

   In all cases, these could be traced back to downloading this file using
   a MSWindows-based download program (MS Internet Explorer or any other
   Windows FTP client).

   These programs try to convert this script file to MSDOS text, which
   breaks it completely. In most FTP clients you can force the program to
   download in "image" or "binary" mode, which would solve this. Some
   internet browsers don't allow this, so they can't be used for this.

   The best solution is to use a UNIX Internet browser or FTP client: they
   do the right thing.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

KEYBOARD & MOUSE PROBLEMS


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C1- The mouse cursor doesn't display in the right position

   If the cursor appears to be horizontally offset by several pixels, it is
   probably due to the same problems that cause the display to be wrapped
   around. See item D1 below.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C2- Why don't menus work properly?

   If you are experiencing problems with menus not allowing you to select
   items, try turning NumLock off.

   In X11R6 (and newer), the NumLock key is a modifier. Many clients (X
   programs) haven't yet been updated to the R6 way of doing things. They
   need to ignore modifiers when looking for button click/release events.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C3- How come, in Tk-based applications, the buttons highlight,
               but can't be depressed?

   See the answer to the previous question. You can also upgrade to Tk 4.x
   which ignores modifiers by default.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C4- I've installed the latest release and now some of my keys no
               longer work. Why?

   The 3.3.5 release is based on X11R6.3 which includes the XKB extension
   and has it enabled by default. This may cause the mappings of some keys
   on some keyboards to be different than they were in previous releases.

   See the XF86Config man page and the sample XF86Config file for some
   information on setting the key mappings to your liking.

   Alternatively, you can disable the XKB extensions by starting the server
   with the "-kb" option or by adding the keyword "XkbDisable" to your
   XF86Config file.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C5- The mouse is moving erratically. What's wrong?

   Most likely, you've specified the wrong protocol for the mouse. Note
   that newer Logitech mice do not use the "Logitech" protocol, but instead
   use "Microsoft" (or "MouseMan") protocol.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C6- New Microsoft serial mouse protocol 2.1A mice don't work.

   This should not be a problem with XFree86 3.3.2 and later.

   For earlier versions running under Linux, the solution is to get
   gpm-1.13 (or later), run it as "gpm -t pnp -R", and configure XFree86
   for "MouseSystems" Protocol with "/dev/gpmdata" as the device.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.C7- How can I swap mouse buttons? How do I get an XFree86 for
               Left-Handers?

   Run "xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1"" in an xterm or put such a command
   into your ".xinitrc" file.
   See also the xmodmap(1) man page.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISPLAY PROBLEMS


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.D1- Part of the Displayed Image is Wrapping-around or is
               Duplicated on the Other Side of the Screen

   For Diamond Stealth Video VRAM: if the server is not recognizing your
   card as a Diamond card, add this line to your "XF86Config":

    Option "Diamond"
 
   If the above does not work or you don't have a Diamond card, try running
   the xvidtune program and adjusting various settings. In particular, if
   you have a recent S3 based card, adjust the extra S3-specific settings
   at the bottom.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.D2- My screen is too large. How can I disable the virtual
               desktop?

   Two things influence the virtual desktop size:
     * In the Screen Section of your XF86Config file (normally near the end
       of that file), you may see a "Virtual" keyword for every screen
       depth in that section. Comment that line (prepend a "#") or remove
       it. In the example below, the virtual size was 1280x1024, while the
       largest mode is 1024x768, so even in that largest mode, you would
       need to scroll around the display.

   Section "Screen"

   ...

   Subsection "Display"

   Depth 8

   Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

   # Virtual 1280 1024

   ViewPort 0 0

   EndSubsection

   ...
     * If not given in a "Virtual" line in the XF86Config file, XFree86
       will automatically select the largest-resolution mode as your
       virtual screen size. E.g.:

   Section "Screen"

   ...

   Subsection "Display"

   Depth 8

   Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

   ViewPort 0 0

   EndSubsection

   ...

   This will set the virtual screen to 1024x768 in 8bpp mode. If you only
   want 800x600, remove the "1024x768" Mode from the list above.

   In some installations, the first mode in the "Modes" line is the
   smallest one, as shown below:

   ...

   Modes "640x480" "800x600" "1024x768"

   ...

   In this case, the server will _still_ select 1024x768 as virtual size
   (the largest mode in the list), but start up with 640x480 (the first
   mode in the list). This will put you in a "scrolling" mode again. If you
   want 640x480 without scrolling, remove all the larger modes. If you want
   the bigger display without the scrolling, use "CTRL ALT +" or "CTRL ALT
   -" to switch to the larger modes, or re-order the "Modes" line so that
   the server starts up in the mode you want.

   Note that there is such a "Display" Subsection for every color depth, so
   you may have to repeat the same editing steps several times.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.D3- wrong colors or black and white images in 24bpp modes for
               Netscape, xanim, WABI and others

   This is a long-standing problem with all those client programs. It is
   NOT a problem in XFree86.

   Technical details: it is caused by a relatively new feature of XFree86
   (24bpp modes with 24bpp pixmaps) that is very poorly understood by many
   client authors: they assume 32bpp pixmaps instead of asking the XFree86
   server for those details. Others (like Netscape) do ask for the pixmap
   size, but since they don't support 24bpp pixmaps, they fall back to
   using 1bpp (monochrome) pixmaps...

   The current public versions of XFree86 can only support a 1:1 mapping
   between the framebuffer depth and the pixmap depth. Some commercial
   Xservers support 32bpp pixmaps in 24bpp modes, and hence they present an
   interface to client programs that happens to match their assumptions.
   XFree86 4.0 will also support this feature.

   There are two possible solutions to this right now:
     * do not use 24bpp modes, but rather 16bpp or 32 bpp modes. 32bpp is
       best, but it requires more video memory than 24bpp.
     * don't use broken X clients. There are patches for Netscape and even
       compiled binaries on the net that fix this bug.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.D4- Why do I get a mostly black screen with my Diamond Speedstar
               A50 (SiS 6326)?

   If you have a card with 8MB of video memory, first try telling the X
   server that there is only 4MB present by adding the following line to
   the Device section of your config file:

	Videoram 4096
 
   If you have a 4MB card, or if the above line doesn't help, try adding
   the following line to the Device section:

	Option "nolinear"
 
   A drawback with this option is that colour depths higher than 8bpp can't
   be used, but that is better than nothing.
   If you see problems when moving windows with KDE, try the following:

	Option "no_pixmap_cache"
 
   These problems should be fixed in the next release.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS/QUESTIONS


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E1- How do I get the server to scale vector fonts, but not
               bitmap fonts?

   In standard X11R6 (and later), in addition to the fonts in "scalable"
   formats (i.e. Type1, Speedo), bitmap fonts are scaled. This can have the
   undesirable effect of scaling a bitmap font, even though a Type1 font is
   available (if the bitmap font is listed first in the path).

   With the 3.2 and later releases of XFree86, you can add the text
   ":unscaled" to the end of any directory in the font path to turn off
   scaling of the bitmap fonts in that directory. This works in both the
   XF86Config file and the font server's config file.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E2- What can I do to keep the server from hanging while scaling
               fonts?

   While scaling fonts, the server can hang temporarily. If you are
   requesting a particularly large font, the period during which the server
   is unresponsive, can be quite noticeable. Font scaling uses floating
   point math and the effect is particularly obvious, if you do not have a
   floating point coprocessor (getting one would help immensely).

   This problem can be avoided by running the font server (xfs) and
   indicating in your XF86Config file that the X server should request
   fonts from the font server. This workaround prevents the X server from
   temporarily freezing, but doesn't really speed up the time necessary to
   scale the fonts (so the application requesting the font will still have
   to wait).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E3- The system locks up when I start the S3 server. What can I
               do?

   This is most often caused by problems with directly accessing the linear
   frame-buffer (this often happens with IBM ValuePoint systems, in
   particular). Try adding "Option "nolinear"" to the Device section of
   your XF86Config. If it still occurs, try "Option "nomemaccess"".

   Lockups can also happen, with any server, if the system bus is
   overclocked. Try some more conservative BIOS settings.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E4- I've got a Cirrus Logic GD546x based card and am
               experiencing system lockups. What can I do?

   Try adding

	Option "xaa_no_color_exp"
 
   to your XF86Config file (in the Device section).

------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E5- I get a "broken pipe" error while unpacking the ".tar.gz"
               files. Is something wrong with them?

   No, this message is only a warning and can safely be ignored - assuming
   it is the only error message.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E6- Why does the server quit with the error "xf86OpenConsole:
               cannot open /dev/console" on Linux?

   There is a problem with the /dev/console device file. As root, you can
   run these commands to fix it:

    cd /dev; ./MAKEDEV console
 

------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E7- How do I get the server to display more than 256 colors?

   As explained in the XFree86(1) man page, the "-bpp" option can be
   specified on the command line when starting the server. You can specify
   15 bpp, for 32768 colors, 16 bpp, for 65536 colors, or either 24 or 32
   bpp, for 16.7 million colors.

   However, the server is rarely started directly. The two most common ways
   to start the server are with "startx" and "xdm". For example, to start
   the server in 16 bpp mode from the command line:

    startx -- -bpp 16
 
   or to start the server from xdm in 32bpp mode, you would put a line like
   the following in the _Xservers_ file (in the xdm library directory,
   typically /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xdm):

    :0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X -bpp 32
 
   All of the above is dependent on the server having support for your card
   at higher than 8 bpp.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E8- Why do I get display problems with my ATI PC2TV card?

   Make sure you don't have a TV cable connected to your card. The Mach64
   server doesn't work properly when that cable is connected.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E9- I've just installed XFree86 3.3.5 for Linux, but I get "No
               such file or directory" whenever I try to run something.

   The most common reason for this is that you have installed the
   Linux-ix86-glibc binaries when you don't have GNU libc 2 (aka libc 6).
   The solution is to install the Linux-ix86 binaries, which are the
   correct ones for most situations.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E10- XFree86 crashes on Linux systems with GCC 2.8.x If your
                Linux kernel version is below than 2.1.79 (this includes
                ALL 2.0.xx kernels), and is compiled with the new GCC
                2.8.x, XFree86 will always crash and dump a core file. This
                is NOT a problem with XFree86, but rather with the Linux
                kernel. The problem is in the Linux kernel file
                /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/kernel/ioport.c. This file is not
                compiled correctly with GCC 2.8.0. There are a number
                possible solutions:
     * compile the entire Linux kernel with an older GCC.
     * compile it with 2.8.0, but use an ioport.o file compiled with an
       older GCC.
     * replace ioport.c with the ioport.c file from linux kernel 2.1.79 or
       later (this works for the 2.0.xx series kernels as well) and rebuild
       your kernel. There have been reports that the same problem occurs
       with some versions of egcs as well.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E11- Why does the X server exit with an error message about a
                SecurityPolicy file?

   If your installation of XFree86 3.3/3.3.3 is not complete you may see
   the following error message when starting an X server:

    error opening security policy file /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xserver/SecurityPolicy
 
   This is a only a warning message, and is mostly harmless. If your server
   is failing to startup, this is not the reason. Check the other messages.
   The file being referred to is included in the Xlib.tgz part of the
   XFree86 binary distributions produced by The XFree86 Project.

------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E12- Is XFree86 Year2000 compliant?

   The X window system is not subject to year2000 problems. Neither is
   XFree86. See the y2k statement from The Open Group for reference.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E13- I get an error "_X11TransSocketUNIXConnect: Can't connect:
                errno = 111". What does it mean?

   Whenever the XFree86 Xserver crashes, dies, ceases to exist or is
   inaccessible for any reason, you will see this error message. It is a
   message from an X-client (=any program running on your XFree86 Xserver,
   for example the window manager) telling you that it tried to connect to
   your Xserver, but failed to do something for "some" reason.

   Quoting only this message in a bug report is therefore utterly useless.
   Look in the server output for the real reason why the server died.
   Normally you should see the real error message (=why the server stopped
   working) a few lines before the "error 111" message.

   If you still can't make head or tails of all those messages, make sure
   to quote the *FULL* server output in your bug report. It is impossible
   to provide you with any help, if you just mention the "error 111", as so
   many people do.

   Obtaining the full server output is normally accomplished by redirecting
   both standard output and standard error to a file while starting the
   server (eg, startx <& logfile.txt). On some systems this is done by
   default.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E14- What is Xwrapper and why can't startx or xinit find it?

   The XFree86 X servers require root privileges to access the video
   hardware. In releases prior to 3.3.2 the X servers were installed
   set-uid root so that normal users could run them with the required
   privileges. This is a potential security problem, especially given how
   large and complex the X servers are. One class of such security problems
   is exploiting the set-uid program with carefully crafted user-supplied
   data (either on the command line or in the environment). Starting with
   the 3.3.2 release the XFree86 X servers are installed without the
   set-uid bit set, and a small wrapper program ``Xwrapper'' which is
   installed set-uid root is used to start the X server after checking the
   command line and environment. This does not provide a 100% guarantee
   that the X servers are not vulnerable to such exploits, but it does
   reduce the chances of such exploits succeeding. Also, if vulnerabilities
   are found in the future that the current Xwrapper doesn't catch, we can
   easily supply an updated version. It is much easier to do that than to
   provide updated versions of all the X server binaries.

   The xinit command (which startx runs) provided with XFree86 3.3.2 and
   later has been modified to look for an X server called ``Xwrapper''
   instead of ``X''. If you don't have Xwrapper installed, you will get an
   error message from xinit/startx when it tries to start the non-set-uid X
   server without using the wrapper. The same thing will happen if you do
   have Xwrapper installed but you have an xserverrc file (usually
   $HOME/.xserverrc, but it can be any file pointed to by your XSERVERRC
   environment variable) that references ``X'' instead of ``Xwrapper''. To
   fix that, edit your xserverrc file and replace ``X'' with ``Xwrapper''.
   If instead of X you have some other X server name (eg, XF86_SVGA) in
   your xserverrc file, you will need to create a symbolic link from it to
   /usr/X11R6/bin/X and replace it with ``Xwrapper'' in your xserverrc
   file.

   We strongly recommend against making the X servers set-uid root because
   of the potential security implications of doing so. We also recommend
   running xdm at boot time to handle starting the X server on a multi user
   system.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E15- Running XFree86 on portable computers, laptops and LCD
                screens

   Computers using LC displays are more tricky to set up in XFree86 than
   the ones with a normal (CRT) monitor. This is mainly due to the displays
   themselves: LCDs basically have a fixed resolution, although some have
   extra hardware built in that can cope with several different
   resolutions.

   Especially the modelines can be extremely tricky, and each new LCD seems
   to need its own modeline. Refer to the Linux-laptop homepage for more
   information and specific help for most common LCD-based computers:

   http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/kharker/linux-laptop

   or one of the mirror sites, e.g.

   http://physics.open.ac.uk/~rpblake/linux_laptop

   Although this page is Linux-oriented, the information on using XFree86
   (especially the XF86Config files) is mostly OS-independent.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E16- Can TrueType fonts be used with XFree86?

   While XFree86 does not, at the time of writing, natively support
   TrueType fonts, there is a number of third party solutions. Some
   information about these options is included below. The XFree86 project
   is not responsible for any of these; please send any inquiries about
   them to relevant newsgroups or, eventually, to their authors.

   XFree86 is planning to include native support for TrueType fonts in its
   next major release.

  CONVERSION TO BITMAPS

   The FreeType library includes in it's `contrib' directory the `ttf2bdf'
   utility, by Mark Leisher, which can be used to generate bitmap versions
   of TrueType fonts at any size, resolution, and with any encoding. The
   generated bitmaps can be used by any X server that supports the BDF
   format (including XFree86), or converted to PCF.

   The FreeType library is available from http://www.freetype.org.

  XFSFT

   Xfsft, by Mark Leisher and Juliusz Chroboczek, is a font backend based
   on the FreeType library (see above). Xfsft can be used as a standalone
   font server, or linked into the X server. Xfsft will automatically
   reencode fonts to a number of encodings, and new encodings can be
   provided by the user.

   At the time of writing, Xfsft does not delay rasterisation; this makes
   it unsuitable for fonts with a very large number of glyphs (such as
   fonts for ideographic scripts).

   More information of Xfsft can be found on
   http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jec/programs/xfsft/.

   Xfsft (sources, binaries for Linux/Intel/libc5 and Solaris 2.6/Sparc)
   can be found on Sunsite at UNC
   ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/X11/fonts/.

   Additionally, you may want to check the additional Linux/Intel/libc6
   binaries (including binaries of X servers) provided by Joerg Pomnitz, as
   well as his supporting utilities (which includes a tool that creates
   fonts.dir files for directories containing TrueType fonts):

   http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/~pommnitz/

   and

   http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/~pommnitz/XF86-xfsft/index.html,

   and the FreeBSD/Intel binaries provided by Stephen Montgomery-Smith:

   http://math.missouri.edu/~stephen/software/.

   When downloading, please note that you will need the source tarball,
   which contains installation and usage instructions.

  X-TRUETYPE

   X-TrueType, by T. Shiozaki _et al_., is another backend based on
   FreeType. It can be run as a standalone font server or linked into the X
   server. It is, at the time of writing, the only backend that provides
   delayed rasterisation of glyphs; this makes it particularly suitable for
   use with ideographic scripts. It will reencode fonts to a fixed, albeit
   large, set of encodings (new encodings cannot easily be added by the
   user).

   More information on X-TrueType may be found on:
   http://hawk.ise.chuo-u.ac.jp/student/person/tshiozak/X-TT/index-eng.html
   .

   FreeBSD users will be interested to know that X-TrueType is part of the
   `ports' collection.

  XFSTT

   Xfstt, by Herbert Duerr, is a standalone font server with support for
   TrueType fonts that is not based either on the FreeType library nor on
   the X11 Sample Implementation code. It is written in C++, but
   notwithstanding this is more lightweight and easier to compile than the
   alternatives. It is also very easy to use.

   Xfstt reencodes fonts to a fixed set of encodings. It does not delay
   rasterisation.

   Please note that Xfstt only supports one connection at a time, and needs
   to be recompiled in order to serve a machine with a different byte
   order.

   Some versions of Xfstt under some platforms are rumored to have memory
   leaks. It is not known whether these rumours are rooted in reality.

   Xfstt can be found all over the world, including packages for various
   common operating systems. This includes Sunsite at UNC:
   ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/X11/fonts/.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E17- I'm using NetBSD-currnet and the `wscons' console code and
                my X screen sometimes jumps.

   The NetBSD `wscons' code had a bug where text would still be output to a
   virtual terminal even if the VT was in graphics/X mode. Try leaving a VT
   free (that is, not running a getty) for your X server, which should help
   by allowing the X server to use a VT that nothing else is using.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.E18- Slow or sluggish performance of XFree86 servers, jerky
                mouse movement.

   The X server tends to be a critical process for the smooth operation of
   a workstation, and as such has a good reason to operate at elevated
   priority (negative nice value).

   Running with the X server at a priority around -10 (on Linux) improves
   overall system responsiveness vastly. This can be accomplished using the
   "nice" command.

   notes:
     * this can only be done by the root user
     * other processes may be affected, especially when the server gets a
       lot of work from client programs (animation and benchmarks are good
       examples)
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHIPSET SUPPORT

   The chipsets supported by XFree86 3.3.5 are listed in the README file.
   The list is available via the WWW at:
   http://www.XFree86.org/3.3.5/README3.html

   This section contains some notes regarding various chips for which
   support is not included in the current servers and other chipset/card
   specific notes.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F1- My card is currently not supported - what can I do?

   If you have a card which is not currently supported, you have these
   options:
     * Wait until it is supported. See the chipset specific items below to
       get some indication, if support is forthcoming.
     * Buy a commercial X server. The X on Intel-based Unix Frequently
       Asked Questions document, which is posted regularly to
       comp.windows.x.i386unix, contains a list of vendors of X servers.
     * Try using the Mono or VGA16 servers. They should work with any VGA
       compatible card (within limits - if you have a programmable clock
       chip on the card, your available modes may be severely limited).
       They just won't take full advantage of the card's capabilities.
       Picking the "Unsupported Card" entry in XF86Setup will configure it
       to work with the VGA16 server.
     * Trade your card in for one that is supported.
     * Write a driver yourself or find someone you know who is willing and
       able to do it. If you choose this option, you should probably
       contact us about joining the development team (and thus get access
       to the latest source code) and about getting any code you write
       integrated into the next release.
     * If you are running a recent 2.1.x version of Linux, you can also use
       the vesafb driver and the XF68_FBDev server. These are not supported
       by XFree86, so don't ask us about any problems you may have using
       them.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F2- How do I find out the current status of a driver?

   Check this FAQ periodically. When there is a change in the status of a
   driver that is under development, this FAQ will be updated to reflect
   the change.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F3- Unsupported Clock Chips

   If you are using a card that uses a programmable clock chip which is not
   supported by the server, you may be able to get a separate program to
   program the chip for useful clock frequencies.

   Sometimes, others make clock programming programs available on the net
   that can be called by the server. Also, you may be able to use a video
   card's driver made for MS-Windows or OS/2 to program the clocks and then
   warm boot the machine and run XFree86.

   You should probably use a monitor that is smart enough to reject
   frequencies that are beyond its specs, if you plan to try something like
   this.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F4- Do you have an alpha or beta server for my ... card?

   The XFree86 Project does *NOT* make any pre-release source code
   available to anyone except members of the development team. Nor are
   binaries generally available.

   If you have access to some currently unsupported hardware, are willing
   to actively participate in testing and perhaps debugging a server, and
   would like to join the development team, then send an email message to
   XFree86@XFree86.org listing your available hardware and software, as
   well as any relevant skills you may have.

   Often, when there is code being developed for a previously unsupported
   chipset, a "Call for Beta Testers" will be issued (via a posting to
   relevant Usenet groups).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F5- Matrox chips

   The 3.3.5 release includes a driver for the Matrox Millennium,
   Millennium II, Mystique, Millennium G200, Mystique G200, Millennium
   G400, and Productiva G100 cards. This driver is part of the XF86_SVGA
   server. Do not attempt to use the XF98_MGA server unless you really do
   have one of the Japanese PC98 architecture computers. If you want to
   know why, see the PC98 question.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F6- Alliance ProMotion chips

   The latest release includes some support for the ProMotion 6422, AT24,
   AT25 and AT3D.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F7- Cirrus CL-GD754x chips

   There is a driver for these chips in the current SVGA server, however it
   has been reported not to work correctly on all systems. A possible
   work-around is to treat it as another chip (such as "clgd5428", for a
   CL-GD7543, or "clgd5436", for a CL-GD7548), using a Chipset line, in
   which case should probably also disable acceleration (Option "noaccel").
   Also, some people have reported success after modifying the 800x600
   modeline to use a lower dot clock, or by decreasing some of the
   horizontal timing parameters.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F8- Sierra Falcon chip

   Boards based on this chip (such as the STB Horizon 64) are not
   supported.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F9- ISA-bus Mach64 cards

   The current version of the server needs to map the video memory aperture
   into the system's address space. Since this requires 4MB of address
   space and since ISA bus systems can only address a maximum of 16MB, the
   Mach64 server can not be used on systems with more that 12MB of RAM. See
   the Mach64 README files for more information regarding the current
   capabilities of the server.

   Until full support for ISA Mach64 cards is added to the Mach64 server
   (if it ever is), the SVGA server can be used instead.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F10- S3 911 and 924 Cards with 512KB RAM

   The S3 server does not work with 911 and 924 cards that only have .5MB
   of RAM on the video card. Upgrade the card to 1MB.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F11- Is there a server for 3Dlabs GLINT or Permedia based cards?

   An accelerated server supporting these chips is available as part of
   XFree86-3.3.5. The bug in XFree86-3.3.3 that made your clock run slower
   after using this server has been fixed. *Note:* it is necessary to
   reboot between running the buggy version and the fixed version so that
   the OS can reinitialise the timers.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F12- Is a server for Riva 128, 128zx or Riva TNT based cards
                available? Support for all these NVIDIA chipsets is
                included in XFree86-3.3.5. This server was partly
                implemented by NVIDIA and now follows the Open Source
                guidelines.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F13- Is a server for Rendition chipsets available?

   An initial server supporting the V1000 and V2x00 chipsets is available
   as part of XFree86-3.3.3. Work on acceleration is slowly making
   progress, but not finished, yet.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F14- What about AGP?

   At this point most AGP cards with supported chipsets are known to work.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F15- Why don't you just make a VESA 2.0 driver so that all
                compliant cards will work?

   All of the essential functions that would be needed to support an X
   server can only be used while in the processor's real-mode. In other
   words, VESA compliance is of no use when using a protected-mode
   operating system.

   Of course, the operating system itself can use the VESA BIOS while
   booting before it switches into protected mode. This is what is done
   with vesafb in recent Linux kernels. See below for details.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F16- Is a server for the Intel i740 chipset available?

   Boards based on Intel i740 chips are now supported in XFree86 release
   3.3.5.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F17- Is a server for the Mpact 2 chipset available?

   No. XFree86 has no chipset documentation for this chipset. No one has
   stepped up to try and develop such a driver, to begin with. There is no
   projected timeframe for such a driver, but since development hasn't
   started yet, it will be a long time before this changes.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F18- Is a server for the S3 Trio3D, Trio3D/2X or the S3 Savage3D
                or the Savage4 available?

   XFree86-3.3.5 supports all these chipsets as part of the SVGA server.
   Please note that S3 Savage3D support was not tested and Savage4 support
   is currently restricted to Linux and the Intel Platform.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F19- S3 Trio3D/2X (86C362, 86C368) doesn't work or is awfully
                slow

   as a quick workaround for XFree86 3.3.3.1 to 3.3.5 you can specify

        ChipID  0x8a10
        VideoRam 4096

   in the device section or compile your own server from XFree86 3.3.5
   sources using the following patch:

  --- xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/vga256/drivers/s3v/regs3v.h~ Mon Sep  6 10:47:18 1999
  +++ xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/vga256/drivers/s3v/regs3v.h  Fri Sep 24 14:39:18 1999
  @@ -421,7 +421,7 @@
  
   /* Wait until Command FIFO is empty */
   #define WaitCommandEmpty()       do { int loop=0; mem_barrier();                       \
  -       if (s3vPriv.chip == S3_ViRGE_GX2 || s3vPriv.chip == S3_ViRGE_MX || s3vPriv.chip == S3_ViRGE_MXP)                \
  +       if (S3_ViRGE_GX2_SERIES(s3vPriv.chip) || S3_ViRGE_MX_SERIES(s3vPriv.chip))      \
               while ((!(((((mmtr)s3vMmioMem)->subsys_regs.regs.adv_func_cntl)) & 0x400)) && (loop++<MAXLOOP));   \
          else if (S3_TRIO_3D_SERIES(s3vPriv.chip)) \
             while (((IN_SUBSYS_STAT() & 0x5f00) != 0x5f00) && (loop++<MAXLOOP)); \


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F20- Is a server for SiS 530 or SiS 620 based motherboards with
                integrated graphics available?

   Boards based on those two chipsets are now supported in the current
   XFree86 release 3.3.5.

   For an improved server for those see below the question regarding newer
   SiS chipsets.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F21- Is a server for the Trident Blade3D chipset available?

   Support has been added in this release for the blade3d and cyberblade
   chipset.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F22- Is a server for the Voodoo Banshee or other 3Dfx chips
                available?

   Support for some of the Voodoo boards has been added to the 3.3.5
   release. The work of Daryll Strauss has been integrated in this release
   but you might want to directly check his server at
   http://glide.xxedgexx.com/3DfxRPMS_vb_glibc.html.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F23- How do I get XFree86 to work with my new ATI card?

   First, you need to get the XFree86 3.3.5 Mach64 server if you don't
   already have it. It should automatically detect the ATI chips available
   up to the time of its release (July 1999), except for all Rage128 cards
   (like the Fury). See below for Rage128 support. One exception from this
   is the Rage Pro LT chipset, as the server doesn't support the LCD with
   that chipset. A fix for this problem is known and will be included in
   XFree86-3.3.5.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F24- Is there any other way I can get an unsupported card to
                work?

   Well, there is. If you are running Linux and the card is VBE-2.0
   compliant in *hardware*. Unfortunately even today many new cards are
   not. But if yours is, then you can setup a late version of the Linux
   kernel (anything newer than 2.1.119 should do) with vesafb and use the
   XF86_FBDev server with it. Anthony D'Amico has a nice introduction how
   to do this at http://www.uno.edu/~adamico/banshee/, where he describes
   how to get the Banshee to work. Note that the section there about
   installing the XF68_FBDev X server can be omitted. Instead use the
   XF86_FBDev that is provided as part of XFree86 3.3.5. This works in a
   very similar way for other VBE-2.0 compliant cards as well.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F25- Does XFree86 support the ATI Rage128?

   SuSE has made available a Linux binary of a Rage128 server called
   *XFCom_Rage128*. You can get this server at the XSuSE website. As with
   all previous XFCom servers, sources for this server will be included in
   the next XFree86 release.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.F26- Does XFree86 support the SiS 540/630 or the SiS 300?

   SuSE has made available a Linux binary of a SiSserver called
   *XFCom_SiS*. You can get this server at the XSuSE website. As with all
   previous XFCom servers, sources for this server will be included in the
   next XFree86 release.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH XFREE86 3.3.5

   This section includes a list of problems found since the release of
   XFree86 3.3.5.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G1- The tar files for Linux-ix86-glibc2 are too big / contain
               additional stuff.

   Due to a small oops in the build process of the Linux-ix86-glibc2
   binaries there were incorrect tar files available for download for about
   the first 48 hours after the release of XFree86-3.3.5. The problem has
   been rectified, now.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G2- I get an undefined symbol __deregister_frame_info with the
               Linux-ix86-glibc2 binaries.

   there is a slight incompatibility between SuSE and some other
   distributions. This has been fixed with glibc-2.1 based distributions,
   but is still visible in glibc-2.0 binaries built on SuSE-6.1 (as are the
   Linux-ix86-glibc2 binaries). As a workaround, please install the
   following library on your system:

   ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/6.1/a1/

   A copy of this is available as

   "ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/XFree86/3.3.5/binaries/Linux-ix86-glibc/.
   rpm

   Now edit (as root) the file /etc/ld.so.preload (or create it in case it
   does not exist). The first line contains a (space separated) list of
   libraries to pre-load before program execution. Add /lib/libregframe.so
   to that list (or write /lib/libregframe.so in the first line in case you
   are creating this file).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G3- My Trident TGUI9680 card has problems with fonts

   These problems can usually be fixed by adding the Option
   "xaa_no_color_exp" to the Device Section in the XF86Config file.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G4- The "cyber_shadow" Option doesn't work on my Cyber 9382.

   This is a known problem, but there's a workaround. If you explicitly set
   the chipset to "cyber9382", the "cyber_shadow" option works again.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G5- Problems displaying resolutions above 640x480 on some Matrox
               G100 cards.

   Check that you have a current BIOS version on your G100 card. Version
   1.3 is said to have the problem, version 1.5 is said to fix the problem.


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G6- My Trident laptop goes glowing-white when I start the
               server.

   Disable the "panel stretch" or "enlarge panel" or "panel extend" feature
   in the Laptop BIOS. Do not use the vesafb Linux kernel module. With
   these two changes the server should work ok (you might need Option
   "cyber_shadow", too).


------------------

From: XFree86 FAQ
Subject: Q.G7- Display problems (streaking, shifted lines, tearing) at high
               color depth on Matrox G100 cards.

   This problem is not fatal: the flickering or streaking is only
   transitional, i.e. while something changes on the display (moving
   windows around for example).

   The driver fails to prohibit video modes that are beyond the card's
   capabilities. This happens at high color depths (24 and 32bpp) in
   combination with high pixel clocks.

   Your options:

     * reduce the pixel clock for the modes that cause this flickering
     * reduce the vertical refresh for these modes (basically the same as
       the previous suggestion)
     * reduce color depth (32 - 24 - 16 bpp)
     * turn off acceleration (unacceptable to most people)

   All of these options require changes to the XF86Config file. You can
   also restart the configuration tool (XF86Setup or xf86config) and reduce
   the vertical refresh limit of your monitor until XFree86 selects a mode
   that is still OK, but that has some side-effects. It's better to just
   throw out the modelines from the XF86Config file that cause problems.

   Note that this is a hardware limitation of your video card that XFree86
   just happens to ignore. A similar mode in any other operating system
   would not work either (but is mostly not allowed by the drivers).
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   End of FAQ
---
Joe Moss, UNIX Systems Programmer|"If you are not checking the Frequently Asked
Intel Microprocessor Division 6  |Questions documents before you ask questions
   http://www.psg.com/~joem      |you are taking longer to resolve problems, and
 Not an official Intel statement |annoying more folk, than necessary" - L Virden

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Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM