Graphics problem with on-board Intel (11.4)

I have just upgraded from 11.3 to 11.4 and a graphics problem seems to suggest that I am not loading the drivers correctly.

Although I previously experienced graphics problems with 11.3, I managed to fix the problem by editing the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file by specifying the Device Driver as being ‘intel’.

Unfortunately, doing the same, with same hardware, in 11.4, has failed to correct a very similar graphics problem.

As per this forums recommendations, the next stage would be to remove the xorg.conf file and edit the /etc/X11/xorf.conf.d/50-device.conf file and again specify the Device Driver as being ‘intel’. However, this has also failed to correct the problem.

Anyone got any ideas, please?

I’m way out of my depth here, but if nothing else my post will give this a nudge.

Let’s look at the drivers and the card, please post the output of this command:

/usr/sbin/hwinfo --gfxcard

Grateful for any assistance…

Herewith output:

10: PCI 02.0: 0300 VGA compatible controller (VGA)
[Created at pci.318]
Unique ID: _Znp.bRyfCtAokXB
SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0
SysFS BusID: 0000:00:02.0
Hardware Class: graphics card
Model: “Intel 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller”
Vendor: pci 0x8086 “Intel Corporation”
Device: pci 0x2e32 “4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller”
SubVendor: pci 0x1462 “Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.”
SubDevice: pci 0x7592
Revision: 0x03
Driver: “i915”
Driver Modules: “drm”
Memory Range: 0xfe400000-0xfe7fffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
Memory Range: 0xd0000000-0xdfffffff (ro,non-prefetchable)
I/O Ports: 0xdc00-0xdc07 (rw)
IRQ: 40 (8601 events)
I/O Ports: 0x3c0-0x3df (rw)
Module Alias: “pci:v00008086d00002E32sv00001462sd00007592bc03sc00i00”
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: i915 is active
Driver Activation Cmd: “modprobe i915”
Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

11: PCI 02.1: 0380 Display controller
[Created at pci.318]
Unique ID: ruGf.6uJI6jTS091
SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1
SysFS BusID: 0000:00:02.1
Hardware Class: graphics card
Model: “Intel 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller”
Vendor: pci 0x8086 “Intel Corporation”
Device: pci 0x2e33 “4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller”
SubVendor: pci 0x1462 “Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.”
SubDevice: pci 0x7592
Revision: 0x03
Memory Range: 0xfe800000-0xfe8fffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
Module Alias: “pci:v00008086d00002E33sv00001462sd00007592bc03sc80i00”
Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

Primary display adapter: #10

Without any other suggestions/answers here, I wonder if a temporary solution may be to try the intellegacy driver

openSUSE Graphics Guide:Intel Graphic Hardware

The above reference mentions having the xorg-x11-driver-video-intel-legacy package installed first, and adjusting 50-device.conf to load the intellegacy driver. I’m not using 11.4, and my Intel graphics chipset is older, so I can’t really advise further here. You may need to search for/submit a bug report on this.

Is that an Eaglelake graphics controller ?

If the intellegacy does not work well, you could try using the iegd graphic driver. To quote from the openSUSE practical graphic theory guide:

  -  **iegd**
  • this is a proprietary Intel Linux driver for selected Intel graphic hardware. The iegd driver supports the Mobile Intel(R) GM45/GL40/GS45, GLE960, GME965, 945GME, 945GSE, 915GME, 910GMLE chpsets and also the Intel(R) Atom™, Q45/G45/G41, Q35, Q964, Q945G, 915GV chipsets. More detail to follow in a future update to this post … For now some information is recorded in [in post#10 and post#11 of the unreviewed version of this same guide/thread](http://forums.opensuse.org/2135829-post10.html) . One needs to download and install separately this proprietary Intel graphic driver.

The “iegd” is a proprietary Intel driver (yes - Intel DO offer proprietary drivers for some hardware).

If you succeed, could you write up a guide for us? Other than some information recorded in post#10 and post#11 of the unreviewed version of this same guide/thread we don’t have a good guide for doing this.

Unfortunately other than provide the above, I can’t offer much more advise here.

I should add I note someone created a guide here - but its not exactly a point and click solution and it would be helpful if someone could create an openSUSE version of that (for example we don’t use ‘apt-get’ in openSUSE) : nanoANT » Blog Archive » Compiling kernel IEGD 10.x module for any Linux distribution

What are your problems? I have problems with the intel driver too (though perusing the X log indicates it is definitely using ‘intel’). See here and let me know if your problems match:

Multiple problems with ‘Intel’ graphics driver in 11.4

If you try the proprietary Intel IEGD driver and succeed to get it to work, could you write a guide so that others can follow the instructions? The Intel web site clearly states the Mobile Intel® GME965 and GLE960 Express chipsets are supported by the IEGD.

solanum…

Not quite the same as your own problem, but seems mine, perhaps like yours, is related to the graphics drivers.

Have tried creating a new ‘xorg.conf’ file as well as editing the ‘50-device.conf’, but no joy. I’ve tried ‘fbdev’, ‘intel’ and ‘intellegacy’.

Same problem occurs, even if there is NO ‘xorg.conf’ file and the ‘50-device.conf’ is set to default, ie. no driver selected.

I also find that whatever I try, I am only booting to init 3, where I have to log in as root and then force to init 5.

Incidentally, it was suggested I try the older ‘intellegacy’. That option fails to load GUI.

Perhaps, logically, the next move would be to try the newer IEGD driver, but I don’t really have the confidence to necessarily go this route. Also, I see the latest available is dated 16th Feb 2011, but it refers to Kernel 2.6.27 and the current 11.4 Kernel is 2.6.37. Surely there’s a potential problem there?

Finally found a solution to my Intel on-board graphics problem!

Rather than choosing ‘update’, I finally resorted (in desperation) to a completely new installation of 11.4 and my graphics are now working properly.

Maybe the answer is to resist upgrading when a new version of openSuSE is launched (maybe for at least 3 months, until some of the critical issues are fixed), unless you are an experienced, knowledgeable user?

On 04/04/2011 08:06 PM, YeboElectronics wrote:
>
> Maybe the answer is to resist upgrading when a new version of openSuSE
> is launched (maybe for at least 3 months, until some of the critical
> issues are fixed), unless you are an experienced, knowledgeable user?

well, i’ve been using SUSE and openSUSE since 9.2 (2004) and i’m using
openSUSE 11.3, which i installed in January (or February) and, i did
not ‘upgrade’…instead i made absolutely sure i had a good backup of
all my data, and then i pulled out that hard drive and then formatted
and installed to an empty (new) drive…

when it was running ok which was later the same day, i connected the
removed drive via USB and copied data to my new system…

smooth…it was pure accident that i got sucked into ‘upgrading’ to
KDE4.5.5, otherwise i’d still be on whatever 11.3 was born with…and,
as of this minute i have no plans to move to 11.4, none.

why? because what i have works…and that is what i want…

ymmv…

only problem is that i don’t get to directly support testing, but i
sure do get to encourage lots of folks to submit their 11.4 bugs!!


CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [NNTP via openSUSE 11.3 + KDE4.5.5 +
Thunderbird3.1.8] Can you believe it? This guy Ralph wins $181 million
in the lottery last Wednesday, and then finds the love of his life
just 2 days later. Talk about LUCK!

All OK since the beginning of the month, graphics behaving nicely. Then came today’s latest Kernel offering, ‘Linux 2.6.37.6-0.5-desktop x86_64’, and my dreaded graphics problems have returned!

I have four other PC’s at work, all using 11.4 and Nvidia graphics cards, with minor or no graphics problems and I’ll reluctantly have to invest in an Nvidia solution for the home PC if I’m to overcome the ongoing on-board Intel graphics issues.