Bug#163622: xfree86-common: Error starting X, using Matrox G200

[Hans Christian Kjølberg <hansk@linpro.no>]

[ Ian Bicking ]

> Package: xfree86-common
> Version: 4.2.1-1
> Severity: normal
>
> After just upgrading XF86, X no longer starts.  It complains about
> "bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan" and accepts no resolution.
> There were no changes to the config file at the time of the update.
> This is with a Matrox G200.  XFree86.log is appended.

I experienced the same problem with my G400, and, as described in this
thread, the problem went away when using XFree86-debug.

I started comparing the logs from XFree86 and XFree86-debug
respectively, and found that XFree86 loaded the mga_hal-module, but
XFree86-debug did not. I moved this module out of the way so XFree86
wouldn't load it, and X started up nicely.

Ian Bicking's log says:

> (II) Loading sub module "mga_hal"
> (II) LoadModule: "mga_hal"
> (II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/mga_hal_drv.o
> (II) Module mga_hal: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
> 	compiled for 4.0.3, module version = 1.0.0
> 	ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.3
> (II) MGA(0): Matrox HAL module used

Removing this module fixed the problem for me. Matrox has also made
available at their website a version of this module for XFree86 4.2.0,
and it worked without any problems.


Regards,

-- 
Hans Christian Kjølberg