Re: Why is setting up X so arcane?
> Well, I think I am finally getting somewhere using xf86config. I am now
> using the S3 drivers. If I don't tell X what the RamDac is, I get the
> hang. I tried telling it the RamDac was a bt485 (which is what Windows
> thinks it is), and it didn't start X because it said the RamDac wasn't
> a bt485. I wonder how I'm going to guess what RamDac I've got?
http://www.xfree86.org/3.3.6/S3.html gives some useful info about S3 chipsets with Xfree86 3.3.6.
For example, it looks like, from that link, that you should probably specifty a ClockChip of "icd2061a".
It would also seem to suggest that you don't need to specify a RamDac.
When in doubt as to the exact hardware you have, there really is no substitute for opening the case, and actually looking at the card. Print out the list of supported RamDacs and ClockChips from the link above, and look on your video card for chips that match.
If you want to upgrade to Xfree86 4.0.3, it has a VESA driver, that works with nearly every video card on the planet, by using a more generic access method to the card, at the expense of speed. It isn't blazingly fast, but it works.
HTH,
-- Kevin
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