Posted: Wed 06 Jul 2011, 04:28
G'day again,
Thank you for any continued interest in my black-screen problem/saga with this ATI HD5450 radeon card.
I haven't yet tried your very latest suggestions but will when I have a go with luci-260 and drakepup.
What I have done over the last day is see what happens when I run the ATI_fglrx-10.10-Lucid.pet (ATI-Catalyst pet) in my various Full and Frugal Pups already on this computer.
Here's my list of results.
Rexbang Full = successful ATI-lucid pet install - can drop to command prompt and see text and get back to graphics, ATI Catalyst menu works
Snowpup020, Icepup014, Icepup015, Midnightsun002, Fulls = before adding ATI pet, had dead/black screen on trying command prompt but could recover by typing 'xwin' to black screen, driver reported as 'radeon'; installing ATI pet & rebooting then allowed command prompt and shut-down to show text but ATI Catalyst menu did not run, driver now reported as something like 'ATI-firegl (II)...'.
SPup100, Spup122 Fulls = did not accept the ATI-lucid driver pet, so were restored easily by running xorgwizard on a reboot
KLP006, Wary512 Fulls: before = could only get 1280x1024 distended graphics - 1600x900 failed to display (xorgwizard using vesa default?) but normal command prompt and shut down text displayed; installed ATI-lucid pet and re-booted = now display is 1600x900 and shut-down still has text! ATI Catalyst listed on menu but did not run.
Puppy 421 Full: before=1280x1024 graphics but shut-down text displayed; ran the ATI-lucid pet and rebooted - now getting 1600x900 display and shut-down text present! ATI Catalyst menu listed did not run.
Frugals - the actual problem for me - where the lack of text during shut-down prevented this computer set-up creating a Save file using the Universal Installer in the normal manner (that is, after it installed the three files to a new sub-directory). I had fixed this by manually creating an empty Save file or copying an old one into the new sub-directory and going through the set-up process again.
So the following Frugal tests were all with Save-File-fixed working Frugals from my Frugals partition.
MidnightsunPups 002 & 003: before=using radeon driver, 1600x900, dead/black screen for shut-down or command prompt; after installing ATI-lucid pet = new driver reported "ATI-Firegl (II).." but ATI Catalyst menu does not run, typing 'amdcccle' at terminal reported a segmentation fault. But display is fine at 1600x900 and text is shown at shut-down and command prompt. So I'm calling this a 'retro'-fix
Fluppy 013 - didn't try the ATI-luci pet as Fluppy reported using a mesa driver - Fluppy gave good 1600x900 graphics and good Save file creation during its Frugal install (as far as I can recall)
Rexbangs 2 & 3: ATI-lucid pet fixed black-screen problem, ATI Catalyst menu runs, good 1600x900 graphics
Slickpup-525, Lucid-525: ATI-lucid pet fixed black-screen problem, ATI Catalyst menu runs, good 1600x900 graphics
Puppy 421: before only 1280x1024 graphics but could make Save file; after ATI-pet = 1600x900 graphics and text still good at shut-down
Quirky-130: good improvement like Puppy 421, but took two install&reboot tries to get 1600x900 display - I had to increase existing Save file size at same time as first try with the ATI pet, so doing two-things-at-once may have upset the ATI-pet; ATI Catalyst does not run.
Dpup485: graphics 1280x1024 with text displayed during shut-down; two tries installing ATI-pet but resulted in display failure; deleted affected Save file and on re-boot OK with a fresh Save file but still only 1280x1024 possible from xorgwizard.
Wary512: like the Wary Full install, better graphics after installing ATI-lucid pet with shut-down text visible, ATI Catalyst menu fails to run.
Wary511Q: tried installing ATI-lucid pet three times before getting 1600x900 graphics from default 1280x1024; text shows on shutting down, ATI Catalyst menu doesn't run.
Icepups 015, 014: initial = radeon driver, 1600x900, but no text display on shut-down; ATI-lucid pet installed & rebooted = same radeon driver listed but did get text on shut-down, ATI Catalyst menu did not run
Macpup525: before=radeon driver listed, no text during log-off ('xwin' recovers display) or shut-down; ATI-lucid pet install froze macpup so deleted affected Save file.
Snowpups 019, 017, 012: all good initial 1600x900 display with radeon driver, but no text on log-off (all OK again if 'xwin' typed to black/dead screen), no text during shut-down; installing ATI-lucid pet = now have a new "ATI-Firegl (II)..." driver listed (but not with snowpup012), still good 1600x900, and now have normal text on log-off or shut-down.
NB: Found I could get the desired log-off or shut-down text screen change by just using 'restart-X' after installing the ATI pet - here the driver was still listed as the starting 'radeon'; a full 're-boot' was still good with the text/display failure on shut-down still fixed.
KindaLucidPup006: like the klp006 Full, I could get the correct 1600x900 graphics after installing the ATI-lucid pet from the initial 1280x1024 default set-up.
Lucid-525 Retro: before = had 1600x900 but no text on shut-down; after two ATI-lucid pet installs = get text on shut-down but listed driver not the long "Firegl... " and the ATI-Catalyst menu doesn't run.
Summarising, in many existing Full and Frugal installs, by replacing the default radeon driver, the ATI-lucid pet has generally fixed the no-text at log-off/command prompt and at shut down, and given the correct 1600x900 display on this LED monitor.
I really quite happy that most already installed Pups now are displaying as well as I could expect on this desktop computer, even that old faithful 4.2.1.
But I still have to work out if I can somehow use the ATI-lucid pet with a new Pup Live-CD to get the monitor text display to keep working so I can create a "normal" Save file during that first shut-down/re-boot of a Frugal install.
Maybe installing the pet and just doing a "re-start X" or "startx" will do the trick. I don't know why some installs took several tries before it worked.
I see lupu-260's finished downloading. And now there's Drake-pup too to play with.
David S.
Thank you for any continued interest in my black-screen problem/saga with this ATI HD5450 radeon card.
I haven't yet tried your very latest suggestions but will when I have a go with luci-260 and drakepup.
What I have done over the last day is see what happens when I run the ATI_fglrx-10.10-Lucid.pet (ATI-Catalyst pet) in my various Full and Frugal Pups already on this computer.
Here's my list of results.
Rexbang Full = successful ATI-lucid pet install - can drop to command prompt and see text and get back to graphics, ATI Catalyst menu works
Snowpup020, Icepup014, Icepup015, Midnightsun002, Fulls = before adding ATI pet, had dead/black screen on trying command prompt but could recover by typing 'xwin' to black screen, driver reported as 'radeon'; installing ATI pet & rebooting then allowed command prompt and shut-down to show text but ATI Catalyst menu did not run, driver now reported as something like 'ATI-firegl (II)...'.
SPup100, Spup122 Fulls = did not accept the ATI-lucid driver pet, so were restored easily by running xorgwizard on a reboot
KLP006, Wary512 Fulls: before = could only get 1280x1024 distended graphics - 1600x900 failed to display (xorgwizard using vesa default?) but normal command prompt and shut down text displayed; installed ATI-lucid pet and re-booted = now display is 1600x900 and shut-down still has text! ATI Catalyst listed on menu but did not run.
Puppy 421 Full: before=1280x1024 graphics but shut-down text displayed; ran the ATI-lucid pet and rebooted - now getting 1600x900 display and shut-down text present! ATI Catalyst menu listed did not run.
Frugals - the actual problem for me - where the lack of text during shut-down prevented this computer set-up creating a Save file using the Universal Installer in the normal manner (that is, after it installed the three files to a new sub-directory). I had fixed this by manually creating an empty Save file or copying an old one into the new sub-directory and going through the set-up process again.
So the following Frugal tests were all with Save-File-fixed working Frugals from my Frugals partition.
MidnightsunPups 002 & 003: before=using radeon driver, 1600x900, dead/black screen for shut-down or command prompt; after installing ATI-lucid pet = new driver reported "ATI-Firegl (II).." but ATI Catalyst menu does not run, typing 'amdcccle' at terminal reported a segmentation fault. But display is fine at 1600x900 and text is shown at shut-down and command prompt. So I'm calling this a 'retro'-fix
Fluppy 013 - didn't try the ATI-luci pet as Fluppy reported using a mesa driver - Fluppy gave good 1600x900 graphics and good Save file creation during its Frugal install (as far as I can recall)
Rexbangs 2 & 3: ATI-lucid pet fixed black-screen problem, ATI Catalyst menu runs, good 1600x900 graphics
Slickpup-525, Lucid-525: ATI-lucid pet fixed black-screen problem, ATI Catalyst menu runs, good 1600x900 graphics
Puppy 421: before only 1280x1024 graphics but could make Save file; after ATI-pet = 1600x900 graphics and text still good at shut-down
Quirky-130: good improvement like Puppy 421, but took two install&reboot tries to get 1600x900 display - I had to increase existing Save file size at same time as first try with the ATI pet, so doing two-things-at-once may have upset the ATI-pet; ATI Catalyst does not run.
Dpup485: graphics 1280x1024 with text displayed during shut-down; two tries installing ATI-pet but resulted in display failure; deleted affected Save file and on re-boot OK with a fresh Save file but still only 1280x1024 possible from xorgwizard.
Wary512: like the Wary Full install, better graphics after installing ATI-lucid pet with shut-down text visible, ATI Catalyst menu fails to run.
Wary511Q: tried installing ATI-lucid pet three times before getting 1600x900 graphics from default 1280x1024; text shows on shutting down, ATI Catalyst menu doesn't run.
Icepups 015, 014: initial = radeon driver, 1600x900, but no text display on shut-down; ATI-lucid pet installed & rebooted = same radeon driver listed but did get text on shut-down, ATI Catalyst menu did not run
Macpup525: before=radeon driver listed, no text during log-off ('xwin' recovers display) or shut-down; ATI-lucid pet install froze macpup so deleted affected Save file.
Snowpups 019, 017, 012: all good initial 1600x900 display with radeon driver, but no text on log-off (all OK again if 'xwin' typed to black/dead screen), no text during shut-down; installing ATI-lucid pet = now have a new "ATI-Firegl (II)..." driver listed (but not with snowpup012), still good 1600x900, and now have normal text on log-off or shut-down.
NB: Found I could get the desired log-off or shut-down text screen change by just using 'restart-X' after installing the ATI pet - here the driver was still listed as the starting 'radeon'; a full 're-boot' was still good with the text/display failure on shut-down still fixed.
KindaLucidPup006: like the klp006 Full, I could get the correct 1600x900 graphics after installing the ATI-lucid pet from the initial 1280x1024 default set-up.
Lucid-525 Retro: before = had 1600x900 but no text on shut-down; after two ATI-lucid pet installs = get text on shut-down but listed driver not the long "Firegl... " and the ATI-Catalyst menu doesn't run.
Summarising, in many existing Full and Frugal installs, by replacing the default radeon driver, the ATI-lucid pet has generally fixed the no-text at log-off/command prompt and at shut down, and given the correct 1600x900 display on this LED monitor.
I really quite happy that most already installed Pups now are displaying as well as I could expect on this desktop computer, even that old faithful 4.2.1.
But I still have to work out if I can somehow use the ATI-lucid pet with a new Pup Live-CD to get the monitor text display to keep working so I can create a "normal" Save file during that first shut-down/re-boot of a Frugal install.
Maybe installing the pet and just doing a "re-start X" or "startx" will do the trick. I don't know why some installs took several tries before it worked.
I see lupu-260's finished downloading. And now there's Drake-pup too to play with.
David S.