Old Computer video only 640×480 AMD 3D Rage Pro

[Member ronnie_g]

Trying to bring back to life a old (Pentiun II) Compaq as a desktop.
Did a Windoz 2000 fresh install, then a antiX-21_386-full install, few reboots & install other software.
Finally apt-get update then upgrade……

Having 2 problems, would guess they are related.

#1 on boot, Grub flashes on the monitor, then msg on the monitor “mode unsupported” and no way to see grub choices.

#2 after boot & login video is all but unusable at 640 x 480.
(Same system booted in Windoz allows me to go to 1280 x 1024 High Color, but 1152 x 864 Tru Color appears better.)

Went into settings (X-menu) and highest video option is 640 x 480…..
Quick search for my Video card and I did not find a solution.

What do I need to do to get better than 640×480

• This topic was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by ronnie_g.
• This topic was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by ronnie_g.

Attachments:

1. antiX_ATI.txt

[Member Robin]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Wouldn’t have thought recent antiX would run on a Pentium II at all… Great to read.

Point 2.) »What do I need to do to get better than 640×480«

Try to add one of the lines

GFXPAYLOAD=1280x1024

GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD=1280x1024

or even

GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=1280x1024

to your grub configuration. (only one of them!) This line forces the linux kernel to pass the given resolution in grapics mode to Xorg.

Since it is some time ago I had to use these lines to allow setting the correct resolution in xorg, I’m not quite sure which syntax will work in recent grub version.

You may also try to add the colour depth (16 is highcolor, 24 or 32 is truecolor)

GFXPAYLOAD=1280x1024x16
GFXPAYLOAD=1152x864x24

Make sure not to set any values your devices (graphics card or monitor) can’t handle.

Point 1.) This is also something you can fix in grub config, but no idea which screws to turn for this…

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Member ronnie_g]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Robin: Thanks for the suggestion…..
I am new to antiX but not to Linux, although I do not consider myself a techie…
I did start off with Slack on 1.4M disks over a dial up……

Could I ask for some MORE guidance with antiX…..
In you reply you said you were not sure 21 would run on a PII?
What version would be better suited?
I am downloading 17 now, as 21 was really slow at times, and even crashed / locked up a few times.

Thanks again 🙂

[Member ronnie_g]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Update, think this is headed to the dumpster….
I forgot to mention, I cheated to install 21…
I put the HD into a newer machine, did the install then moved it back to the PII.
Had tried to do install on the PII but hung and video problems.
Now trying to install antiX on the PII it is a no-go.
Video doesn’t work even in safe video mode.

Guessing RAM is the killer.
This Compaq has System Memory & Extended Memory.
System Memory = 640 K
Extended Memory = 129 M
Even now as I type it, I am saying to myself that can’t be?
Has to be 1.29 G, but not
Did another search for the unit Compaq ?Presario? (series CM0202)
Nothing good to be said about it, so going to put it out of it’s & My misery.
Thanks for the assistance, Have a great day…

[Member Robin]

Helpful

Up

0

::

ronnie_g wrote:

In you reply you said you were not sure 21 would run on a PII?
What version would be better suited?

When saying “recent” I meant any recent antiX version, 17,19 or 21.
But as you have proven: 21 boots into gui, it is obviously able to run on even a PII (always thought a PIII was minimum for antiX…)

ronnie_g wrote:

21 was really slow at times, and even crashed / locked up

I believe this is rather due to lack of RAM:
RAM: total: 145.4 MiB used: 95.8 MiB (65.9%)

There is literally no program you could start without running into swapping.
Your system will constantly page memory to the swap (disk), so you will need lots of patience on your system.

And with not more than
bogomips: 601
you shouldn’t expect high speed, even when antiX is extremely optimised for resource saving functionality. This PII @ 300MHz hardware is slow, and you can’t get more out of it as what is inside. As a rule of thumb from my experience: an everyday usable system starts with 2GB RAM, and something about 2000 bogomips, with a dedicated graphics card (no shared memory). And it doesn’t make any difference whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit, but 32 bit will give you a hard time in future probably, since for more and more programs are no security updated versions available for 32 bit any longer (which has no real technical reason, but they simply don’t support and provide it)

In case you have to rely on this slow PII@300MHz hardware, no access to a faster and more recent system, you can try to optimise the configs and settings to prise the best out of your box under antiX. In this very special case best is to wait for answers from people here around having more experience with this class of machines.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Member Robin]

Helpful

Up

0

::

ronnie_g wrote:

I forgot to mention, I cheated to install 21…
I put the HD into a newer machine, did the install then moved it back to the PII.

OK, this renders things clear 🙂 good to know there is a way to make antiX run even under PII, just in case…

ronnie_g wrote:

This Compaq has System Memory & Extended Memory.

You are right, the lack of RAM is the main problem, as I said above already.
But separating conventional and extended memory is a DOS specific concept from the old days, not applicable on linux (or windows) running the cpu in protected mode, which addresses the memory completely.
If I should venture a guess, in case there is actually more RAM installed, not visable to your OS: The tricky way you made antiX run on this PII could be a reason for your memory not being addressed correctly, e.g. due to a wrong memory/chipset driver installed, resulting in the memory not being available to the OS.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Member marcelocripe]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Hello ronnie_g.

Welcome to antiX Linux and the forum.

I don’t know how to write in English and I send my texts translated by the internet translator. I hope you can understand everything, if your native language is not English, please translate my original Brazilian Portuguese text directly into your language with the help of internet translators.

I’m coming to this topic much more to learn than to help you, as I would like. Regardless of your level of knowledge about GNU/Linux, I recommend you read these excellent tutorials created by @PPC:

What is antiX and how to try it out or install it.
Short essential how-to list for the complete Linux newbie.
How-to install applications – 2020 version.

When you start any topic or participate with any post, remember to check the option “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”, by checking this option you will receive a message in your email inbox whenever there are replies to the topic in question.

Robin, is the grub file you recommended to enter the parameters the file found in the /usr/share/grub/default folder or is it from the /etc/default folder?

Ronnie_g, maybe the ISO Remaster of antiX 21 Full 32 and 64 bits with Kernel 4.4.0-296 can help you with your Pentium 3. In the tests I did with this ISO, for now I managed to get the resolution of 1024×768 on the video cards mentioned in the topic of this ISO. As you only have 145.4 MiB of RAM, you will have to use Mini-Fluxbox or Mini-JWM desktop, you can change desktop by going to Menu, Desktop, Other Desktop. Test which desktop consumes less RAM.

marcelocripe
(Original text in Brazilian Portuguese language)

– – – – –

Olá ronnie_g.

Seja bem-vindo(a) ao antiX Linux e ao fórum.

Eu não sei escrever em idioma Inglês e envio os meus textos traduzidos pelo tradutor da internet. Eu espero que você consiga compreender tudo, caso o seu idioma nativo não seja o Inglês, por favor, traduza o meu texto original em idioma Português do Brasil diretamente para o seu idioma com a ajuda dos tradutores da internet.

Estou chegando neste tópico muito mais para aprender do que para te ajudar, como eu gostaria. Independentemente do seu nível de conhecimento sobre GNU/Linux, eu recomendo você ler estes excelentes tutoriais criados pelo @PPC:

What is antiX and how to try it out or install it.
Short essential how-to list for the complete Linux newbie.
How-to install applications – 2020 version.

Quando você iniciar algum tópico ou participar com alguma postagem, lembre-se de marcar a opção “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”, marcando esta opção, você receberá uma mensagem na sua caixa de e-mail sempre que houver respostas do tópico em questão.

Robin, o arquivo grub que você recomendou inserir os parâmetros é o arquivo encontrado na pasta /usr/share/grub/default ou é da pasta /etc/default?

Ronnie_g, pode ser que a ISO Remasterização do antiX 21 Full de 32 e 64 bits com o Kernel 4.4.0-296 possa te ajudar com o seu Pentium 3. Nos testes que eu fiz esta ISO, por enquanto eu eu consegui obter a resolução de 1024×768 na placas de vídeo citadas no tópico desta ISO. Como você possui apenas 145.4 MiB de memória RAM, você terá que utilizar a área de trabalho Mini-Fluxbox ou Mini-JWM, você pode mudar de área de trabalho acessado o Menu, Desktop, Other Desktop. Teste qual área de trabalho consome menos memória RAM.

marcelocripe
(Texto original em idioma Português do Brasil)

[Member ronnie_g]

Helpful

Up

0

::

THANKS to everyone for your thoughts and passing on info.
I have realized that this PII will never cut it with only 640K of ram.
Giving up, going to salvage hardware and send the rest off to the computer retirement home….
Thanks again..

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

Helpful

Up

0

::

It will work without a graphical environment, for example as a music server. (I assume you mean 640MB not 640K of ram).

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member ronnie_g]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I am TOTALLY embarrasses to ADMIT I really don’t know.
At boot up, says 640 KB RAM, 129,171 KB Extended

BIOS SETUP: says 640 KB System Memory & 162,816 KB Extended….. (Video & BIOS are shadowed)
Has 2 types of memory chips, one (System?) looks like what I have always seen in a laptop.
2nd type is what I consider normal desktop memory. Tag on one (of 2) says SD 128M, PC-133
I assume it has 128M (2 -128M chips) used in a shadow mode?
While system / boot is only 640 K

I didn’t spend much / any effort searching for data on the memory…
antiX ‘free’ shows 148,852

Chip that looks like it should be in a laptop has Compaq #’s 314024-001 and 48025.
eBay search says they are 2M chips. Other than that, not much good info.

Desktop is a Compaq Presario 4660, case tag says SERIES CM0202

[Member Robin]

Helpful

Up

0

::

ronnie_g wrote:

one (of 2) says SD 128M, PC-133

So if the two bars are identical, you have 256 MB Ram installed.
Obviouisly your graphics card and the BIOS and Video shadow take some amount of it already (the former in case it uses so called shared memory, the latter in order to speed up the access to function calls),so you have 145,4 MB RAM available to your OS (which is antiX here.).

Don’t let you confuse from what BIOS says about system memory and extended memory. This is only applicable when running your CPU in so called “real mode”, which is relict from memory structure used in old DOS days still. AntiX (as any modern linux or even Windows) will switch your CPU to so called “protected mode” and happily access and address the available memory completely, without pomp and circumstances.

But nevertheless, 256MB of which are 145MB available to the OS, this is not too much.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Member ModdIt]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Checking in the only data sheet I was able to find shows 256 MB is the maximum possible.

The device might be interesting for vintage computing fans.

[Forum Admin rokytnji]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Net or core iso install with Mindight commander,Dillo or Links2,alsa, and mocp and jwm installed with xorg.

Grab a bunch of .pls files for radio stations. Put em in music folder. Get mocp to open the .pls.

Stereo and speakers are up to the user . My speaker jack is inputed to the in jack for turntable on my FM reciever amp.
https://www.cdw.com/product/startech.com-6-ft-stereo-audio-cable-3.5mm-male-to-2x-rca-male/550478

My panasonic cf-48 still makes a good jukebox.

Not really sure if above will work on a P2 with 256MB of ram. I don’t have the gear to test and I don’t virtual machine.

Sometimes I drive a crooked road to get my mind straight.
Not all who Wander are Lost.
I'm not outa place. I'm from outer space.

Linux Registered User # 475019
How to Search for AntiX solutions to your problems

[Author]

Posts