Issues with fglrx and ATI X850.

When trying to use the fglrx drivers with my card X fails to start. Here are some logs and my xorg.conf. If you can see a problem please let me know.

xorg.conf

# File: xorg.conf
# File generated by fglrxconfig (C) ATI Technologies, a substitute for xf86config.

# Note by ATI: the below copyright notice is there for servicing possibly
# pending third party rights on the file format and the instance of this file.
#
# Copyright (c) 1999 by The XFree86 Project, Inc.
#
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
# copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
# to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
# the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
# and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
# Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
# 
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
# 
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.  IN NO EVENT SHALL
# THE XFREE86 PROJECT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF
# OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
# SOFTWARE.
# 
# Except as contained in this notice, the name of the XFree86 Project shall
# not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other
# dealings in this Software without prior written authorization from the
# XFree86 Project.
#

# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the XF86Config(4/5) man page for details about the format of 
# this file.
# **********************************************************************

# **********************************************************************
# DRI Section
# **********************************************************************
Section "dri"
# Access to OpenGL ICD is allowed for all users:
    Mode 0666
# Access to OpenGL ICD is restricted to a specific user group:
#    Group 100    # users
#    Mode 0660
EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Module section -- this  section  is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# **********************************************************************
#
Section "Module"

# This loads the DBE extension module.

    Load        "dbe"  	# Double buffer extension

# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
    SubSection  "extmod"
      Option    "omit xfree86-dga"   # don't initialise the DGA extension
    EndSubSection

# This loads the Type1 and FreeType font modules
    Load        "type1"
    Load        "freetype"

# This loads the GLX module
    Load        "glx"   # libglx.a
    Load        "dri"   # libdri.a

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Files section.  This allows default font and rgb paths to be set
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"

# The location of the RGB database.  Note, this is the name of the
# file minus the extension (like ".txt" or ".db").  There is normally
# no need to change the default.

    RgbPath	"/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"

# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)
# 
# If you don't have a floating point coprocessor and emacs, Mosaic or other
# programs take long to start up, try moving the Type1 and Speedo directory
# to the end of this list (or comment them out).
# 

#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/local/"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
#    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"

# The module search path.  The default path is shown here.

#    ModulePath "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Server flags section.
# **********************************************************************

Section "ServerFlags"

# Uncomment this to cause a core dump at the spot where a signal is 
# received.  This may leave the console in an unusable state, but may
# provide a better stack trace in the core dump to aid in debugging

#    Option "NoTrapSignals"

# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><BS> server abort sequence
# This allows clients to receive this key event.

#    Option "DontZap"

# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> mode switching
# sequences.  This allows clients to receive these key events.

#    Option "Dont Zoom"

# Uncomment this to disable tuning with the xvidtune client. With
# it the client can still run and fetch card and monitor attributes,
# but it will not be allowed to change them. If it tries it will
# receive a protocol error.

#    Option "DisableVidModeExtension"

# Uncomment this to enable the use of a non-local xvidtune client. 

#    Option "AllowNonLocalXvidtune"

# Uncomment this to disable dynamically modifying the input device
# (mouse and keyboard) settings. 

#    Option "DisableModInDev"

# Uncomment this to enable the use of a non-local client to
# change the keyboard or mouse settings (currently only xset).

#    Option "AllowNonLocalModInDev"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Input devices
# **********************************************************************

# **********************************************************************
# Core keyboard's InputDevice section
# **********************************************************************

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier	"Keyboard1"
    Driver	"kbd"
# For most OSs the protocol can be omitted (it defaults to "Standard").
# When using XQUEUE (only for SVR3 and SVR4, but not Solaris),
# uncomment the following line.

#    Option "Protocol"   "Xqueue"

    Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"

# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
#    Option "Xleds"      "1 2 3"

#    Option "LeftAlt"    "Meta"
#    Option "RightAlt"   "ModeShift"

# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults).  For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
#    Option "XkbModel"   "pc102"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
#    Option "XkbModel"   "microsoft"
#
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
#    Option "XkbLayout"  "de"
# or:
#    Option "XkbLayout"  "de"
#    Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
#
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
#    Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"

# These are the default XKB settings for XFree86
#    Option "XkbRules"   "xfree86"
#    Option "XkbModel"   "pc101"
#    Option "XkbLayout"  "us"
#    Option "XkbVariant" ""
#    Option "XkbOptions" ""

#    Option "XkbDisable"

    Option "XkbRules"	"xfree86"
    Option "XkbModel"	"pc101"
    Option "XkbLayout"	"us"

EndSection


# **********************************************************************
# Core Pointer's InputDevice section
# **********************************************************************

Section "InputDevice"

# Identifier and driver

    Identifier	"Mouse1"
    Driver "mouse"
    Option "Protocol"   "ExplorerPS/2"
    Option "Device"     "/dev/input/mice"

# When using XQUEUE, comment out the above two lines, and uncomment
# the following line.

#    Option "Protocol"   "Xqueue"

# Baudrate and SampleRate are only for some Logitech mice. In
# almost every case these lines should be omitted.

#    Option "BaudRate"   "9600"
#    Option "SampleRate" "150"

# Emulate3Buttons is an option for 2-button Microsoft mice
# Emulate3Timeout is the timeout in milliseconds (default is 50ms)

    Option "Emulate3Buttons"
#    Option "Emulate3Timeout"    "50"

# ChordMiddle is an option for some 3-button Logitech mice

#    Option "ChordMiddle"

EndSection


# **********************************************************************
# Other input device sections 
# this is optional and is required only if you
# are using extended input devices.  This is for example only.  Refer
# to the XF86Config man page for a description of the options.
# **********************************************************************
#
# Section "InputDevice" 
#    Identifier  "Mouse2"
#    Driver      "mouse"
#    Option      "Protocol"      "MouseMan"
#    Option      "Device"        "/dev/mouse2"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
#    Identifier "spaceball"
#    Driver     "magellan"
#    Option     "Device"         "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
#    Identifier "spaceball2"
#    Driver     "spaceorb"
#    Option     "Device"         "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
#    Identifier "touchscreen0"
#    Driver     "microtouch"
#    Option     "Device"         "/dev/ttyS0"
#    Option     "MinX"           "1412"
#    Option     "MaxX"           "15184"
#    Option     "MinY"           "15372"
#    Option     "MaxY"           "1230"
#    Option     "ScreenNumber"   "0"
#    Option     "ReportingMode"  "Scaled"
#    Option     "ButtonNumber"   "1"
#    Option     "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection
#
# Section "InputDevice"
#    Identifier "touchscreen1"
#    Driver     "elo2300"
#    Option     "Device"         "/dev/ttyS0"
#    Option     "MinX"           "231"
#    Option     "MaxX"           "3868"
#    Option     "MinY"           "3858"
#    Option     "MaxY"           "272"
#    Option     "ScreenNumber"   "0"
#    Option     "ReportingMode"  "Scaled"
#    Option     "ButtonThreshold"    "17"
#    Option     "ButtonNumber"   "1"
#    Option     "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Monitor section
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of monitor sections may be present

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "Monitor0"
    HorizSync   30-110
    VertRefresh 50-160
    Option "DPMS"

# === mode lines based on GTF ===
# VGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "640x480@100" 43.163 640 680 744 848 480 481 484 509 +hsync +vsync
# SVGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "800x600@100" 68.179 800 848 936 1072 600 601 604 636 +hsync +vsync
# XVGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1024x768@100" 113.309 1024 1096 1208 1392 768 769 772 814 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@60" 81.642 1152 1216 1336 1520 864 865 868 895 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@85" 119.651 1152 1224 1352 1552 864 865 868 907 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@100" 143.472 1152 1232 1360 1568 864 865 868 915 +hsync +vsync
# 1280x960 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1280x960@75" 129.859 1280 1368 1504 1728 960 961 964 1002 +hsync +vsync
# 1280x960 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1280x960@100" 178.992 1280 1376 1520 1760 960 961 964 1017  +hsync +vsync
# SXGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1280x1024@100" 190.960 1280 1376 1520 1760 1024 1025 1028 1085 +hsync +vsync
# SPEA GDM-1950 (60Hz,64kHz,110MHz,-,-): 1280x1024 @ V-freq: 60.00 Hz, H-freq: 63.73 KHz
# Modeline "GDM-1950"  109.62  1280 1336 1472 1720  1024 1024 1026 1062 -hsync -vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 133.142 1600 1704 1872 2144 1000 1001 1004 1035 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 169.128 1600 1704 1880 2160 1000 1001 1004 1044 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 194.202 1600 1712 1888 2176 1000 1001 1004 1050 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 232.133 1600 1720 1896 2192 1000 1001 1004 1059 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 136.385 1600 1704 1872 2144 1024 1027 1030 1060 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 174.416 1600 1712 1888 2176 1024 1025 1028 1069 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 76Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 170.450 1600 1632 1792 2096 1024 1027 1030 1070 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 198.832 1600 1712 1888 2176 1024 1027 1030 1075 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1920x1080" 172.798 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -hsync -vsync
# 1920x1080 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1920x1080" 211.436 1920 2056 2264 2608 1080 1081 1084 1126 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1920x1200" 193.156 1920 2048 2256 2592 1200 1201 1203 1242 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1200 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1920x1200" 246.590 1920 2064 2272 2624 1200 1201 1203 1253 +hsync +vsync
# 2048x1536 @ 60
# Modeline "2048x1536" 266.952 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 +hsync +vsync
# 2048x1536 @ 60
# Modeline "2048x1536" 266.952 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 +hsync +vsync
# 1400x1050 @ 60Hz M9 Laptop mode 
# ModeLine "1400x1050" 122.000 1400 1488 1640 1880 1050 1052 1064 1082 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x2400 @ 25Hz for IBM T221, VS VP2290 and compatible display devices
# Modeline "1920x2400@25" 124.620 1920 1928 1980 2048 2400 2401 2403 2434 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x2400 @ 30Hz for IBM T221, VS VP2290 and compatible display devices
# Modeline "1920x2400@30" 149.250 1920 1928 1982 2044 2400 2402 2404 2434 +hsync +vsync

EndSection


# **********************************************************************
# Graphics device section
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of graphics device sections may be present

# Standard VGA Device:

Section "Device"
    Identifier  "Standard VGA"
    VendorName  "Unknown"
    BoardName   "Unknown"

# The chipset line is optional in most cases.  It can be used to override
# the driver's chipset detection, and should not normally be specified.

#    Chipset     "generic"

# The Driver line must be present.  When using run-time loadable driver
# modules, this line instructs the server to load the specified driver
# module.  Even when not using loadable driver modules, this line
# indicates which driver should interpret the information in this section.

    Driver      "vga"
# The BusID line is used to specify which of possibly multiple devices
# this section is intended for.  When this line isn't present, a device
# section can only match up with the primary video device.  For PCI
# devices a line like the following could be used.  This line should not
# normally be included unless there is more than one video device
# installed.

#    BusID       "PCI:0:10:0"

#    VideoRam    256

#    Clocks      25.2 28.3

EndSection

# === ATI device section ===

Section "Device"
    Identifier                          "ATI Graphics Adapter"
    Driver                              "fglrx"
# ### generic DRI settings ###
# === disable PnP Monitor  ===
    #Option                              "NoDDC"
# === disable/enable XAA/DRI ===
    Option "no_accel"                   "no"
    Option "no_dri"                     "no"
# === misc DRI settings ===
    Option "mtrr"                       "off" # disable DRI mtrr mapper, driver has its own code for mtrr
# ### FireGL DDX driver module specific settings ###
# === Screen Management ===
    Option "DesktopSetup"               "(null)" 
    Option "HSync2"                     "unspecified" 
    Option "VRefresh2"                  "unspecified" 
    Option "ScreenOverlap"              "0" 
    Option "GammaCorrectionI"           "0x00000000"
    Option "GammaCorrectionII"          "0x00000000"
# === OpenGL specific profiles/settings ===
    Option "Capabilities"               "0x00000000"
    Option "CapabilitiesEx"             "0x00000000"
# === Video Overlay for the Xv extension ===
    Option "VideoOverlay"               "on"
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
#       will be disabled automatically
    Option "OpenGLOverlay"              "off"
# === Center Mode (Laptops only) ===
    Option "CenterMode"                 "off"
# === Pseudo Color Visuals (8-bit visuals) ===
    Option "PseudoColorVisuals"         "off"
# === QBS Management ===
    Option "Stereo"                     "off"
    Option "StereoSyncEnable"           "1"
# === FSAA Management ===
    Option "FSAAEnable"                 "no"
    Option "FSAAScale"                  "1"
    Option "FSAADisableGamma"           "no"
    Option "FSAACustomizeMSPos"         "no"
    Option "FSAAMSPosX0"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosY0"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosX1"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosY1"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosX2"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosY2"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosX3"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosY3"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosX4"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosY4"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosX5"                "0.000000"
    Option "FSAAMSPosY5"                "0.000000"
# === Misc Options ===
    Option "UseFastTLS"                 "0"
    Option "BlockSignalsOnLock"         "on"
    Option "UseInternalAGPGART"         "yes"
    Option "ForceGenericCPU"            "no"
#    BusID "PCI:1:0:0"    # no device found at config time
    Screen 0
EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Screen sections
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of screen sections may be present.  Each describes
# the configuration of a single screen.  A single specific screen section
# may be specified from the X server command line with the "-screen"
# option.
Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "Screen0"
    Device      "ATI Graphics Adapter"
    Monitor     "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth 24
    #Option "backingstore"

    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes       "800x600" "1024x768" "1280x1024" "1600x1200"
        ViewPort    0 0  # initial origin if mode is smaller than desktop
#        Virtual     1280 1024
    EndSubsection
EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# ServerLayout sections.
# **********************************************************************

# Any number of ServerLayout sections may be present.  Each describes
# the way multiple screens are organised.  A specific ServerLayout
# section may be specified from the X server command line with the
# "-layout" option.  In the absence of this, the first section is used.
# When now ServerLayout section is present, the first Screen section
# is used alone.

Section "ServerLayout"

# The Identifier line must be present
    Identifier  "Server Layout"

# Each Screen line specifies a Screen section name, and optionally
# the relative position of other screens.  The four names after
# primary screen name are the screens to the top, bottom, left and right
# of the primary screen.

    Screen "Screen0"

# Each InputDevice line specifies an InputDevice section name and
# optionally some options to specify the way the device is to be
# used.  Those options include "CorePointer", "CoreKeyboard" and
# "SendCoreEvents".

    InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"

EndSection

### EOF ###

kern.log, and Xorg.0.log

I see a couple interesting things in the xorg.conf. One is that it shows an on-board VGA controller. Do you have one and are you 100% sure it is disabled in the BIOS?

The second thing is that your cards are being listed as unknown and the fglrxconfig doesn't recognize a card at all.

Try the following command to update the pciids and then post the output of the second command:

sudo update-pciids
lspci | grep VGA

The update is only a cosmetic thing but I'm curious why the driver cannot see that the card is installed. This is from your kern.log:

[fglrx:firegl_init] *ERROR* Device not found!

"lspci | grep VGA" output

0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc R480 [Radeon X850XT]

EDIT: Another strange thing is when I launch "ATi Control" i get: "Fire GL Control" "Driver does not provide the FireGL X11 extensions! Panel components will operate only partially." Could this mean it is misreading my X850 for a FireGL?

try changing

Option "UseInternalAGPGART"         "yes"

to

Option "UseInternalAGPGART"         "no"

@haykel, Nothing...

After running

fglrxconfig

again I was still unable to detect my card.

I am assuming that because it cant detect it then it isn't able to configure itself. Any ideas?

BTW I can discuss this over IRC, or IM. I can then post the logs and what not to assist other people who may encounter this problem.

Hmm... I'm actually thinking of getting this card soon... I hope you guys can figure out what's wrong :P.

The way I got my 3d accelleration working with my 9800pro was to recompile a new kernel following some settings I found here: http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/gentoo-radeon-faq.html#kernel To build the kernel, I used the instructions found here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelHowto

After doing that, I installed the fglrx drivers using these instructions: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=423584 Note that I compiled my kernel with agp built in, so I made sure to note what was said here: http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/gentoo-radeon-faq.html#3_howinst about whether to use the internal agp drivers or not. In my case, since they were built into the kernel, I did not use the internal modules of the fglrx drivers, therefore I answered yes to "Do you want to use the external AGP GART module (y/n)?", which set the option "UseInternalAGPGART" in my xorg.conf file to "no". The wording of that question needs to be fixed.. negative logic is confusing at times :P. For the x850 I'm not sure if it will like using kernel modules, or the internal driver ones better... so I guess it's just trial and error.

EDIT: I just found a promising tutorial on getting the drivers to work with an x850xt! It's not specifically for Ubuntu or Debian.. but it may help: http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_X850XT_ATI_Drivers

I am extreamly new to Linux, and after reading that I am still scratching my head. If someone could lend a hand in helping me with the hexediting part, and then doing that stuff with the kernel...

evan@ubuntu:~$ lspci -v | grep ATI
0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc R480 [Radeon X850XT] (prog-if 00 [VGA])
        Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc: Unknown device 0312
0000:01:00.1 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc R480 [Radeon X850XT secondary]
        Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc: Unknown device 0313

So 1:0:0 is primary, and 1:0:1 is secondary?

evan@ubuntu:~$ lspci -n | grep 01:00.0
0000:01:00.0 0300: 1002:4b49

chip-id= 4b49

So 1:0:0 is primary, and 1:0:1 is secondary?

Yes. Now that I've looked on the Rage3D forum, I can see that it is a known bug.

You'll have to either hex edit the driver (not sure what tool to use for that but I'd recommend posting on the Rage3D thread for help) or wait for the next release of the driver.

Regarding the other posts on this thread...I wish people would stop worrying about the gart. Trying to disable the gart on a Ubuntu kernel doesn't do anything because it's built in and cannot be shut off. I've also built my own kernel and didn't see any performance improvement by using ATI's gart.

... You'll have to either hex edit the driver ([COLOR="Red"]not sure what tool to use for that[/COLOR] but I'd recommend posting on the Rage3D thread for help) or wait for the next release of the driver. ...

Look at Question 4.41 on the Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ

Look at Question 4.41 on the Gentoo ATI Radeon FAQ

That's cool...someone wrote an editor to do that.

Ok I went and grabbed ghex, and I know I have to replace something with 0x4b49. What file? I searched for flgrx.ko and came up with nothing.

What file? I searched for flgrx.ko and came up with nothing.

Then you must not have gotten the driver properly installed. Here's where it is on my machine:

/lib/modules/2.6.12-10-k7/misc/fglrx.ko

Then you must not have gotten the driver properly installed. Here's where it is on my machine:

/lib/modules/2.6.12-10-k7/misc/fglrx.ko

Yea I found it there... Now I was trying to use GHex, and I can't seem to find the strings that I need... :confused:

Can you think of another app?

hmm... if you have a file called "libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3", that's the one it says to edit in the tutorial. Find your listed chipid either in the 'supported' list in the tutorial, or probably a better idea (just in case the drivers have changed since that tutorial was made) is to actually search for the list in your own Xorg.0.log file. To do this, execute:

grep -n "(II) ATI Radeon/FireGL: The following chipsets are supported:" /var/log/Xorg.0.log

You should get back something like:

308:(II) ATI Radeon/FireGL: The following chipsets are supported:

Note that line number Before the acutal match. In my case it was line 308 in the Xorg.0.log file. Now just open up the Xorg.0.log file in a text editor/viewer and goto that line number. There should be a whole list of supported cards there. Just find your card in the list, whether it's an x850 pro, xt, or Platinum Edition. Note down the second number in the parentheses, ie: RADEON X850 XT (R480 5D52). So if you were using the tutorial's list, you would use 5D52 as your search in the hexedit program. Search for it in your hexedit program, and then replace with your real chipid that you found out earlier. (also note, if you don't find 5D52 in the file, it may have been compiled in the opposite endian mode than normal... whatever is considered the normal one :p. So instead, switch the 'D' and '2' and search for 525D.)

Thing is GHex won't let me search for the 16-bit hedadecimal value...

Hmm... I just tested this out myself by finding the libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 file and making a copy to open up in ghex (mine was in /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod). I was able to find the hex value 525D in mine.. which cooresponds to the string "R]". Are you able to search for hex values with ctrl+f ?

Hmm... I just tested this out myself by finding the libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 file and making a copy to open up in ghex (mine was in /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod). I was able to find the hex value 525D in mine.. which cooresponds to the string "R]". Are you able to search for hex values with ctrl+f ?

Ok I found that string. So I am to replace that with 4b49?

Ok I found that string. So I am to replace that with 4b49? If you were able to find the 525D ("R]") instead of 5D52 ("]R"), then you also need to switch the order of your chipid. So instead of 4B49 ("KI"), it would be 494B ("IK").

Well I replaced that stuff and rebooted, then I tried the config for fglrx, and it still says the same thing... Maybe the wrong package?

(WW) fglrx: ChipID 0x4B49 in Device section "ATI Technologies, Inc. Radeon X850 XT (R481)" isn't valid for this driver
(EE) No devices detected.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

This is what I am now getting upon trying to startx.

BTW the hexed file was in "/lib/linux-restricted-modules/2.6.12-9-386/fglrx"

Ah... this could be your problem. You seem to be using the pre-installed fglrx drivers included with the ubuntu linux-restricted-modules package. You should get the new driver installer from ATI's site. You should find it under Customer Care->Drivers & Software->Linux Display Drivers and Software. Just choose the correct package for your cpu architecture (x86 or x86-64 bit), and click on the RADEON 8500 series or better link under the sub list for your processor. You can follow the guide to installing these drivers here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=423584

Hope this helps

Ah... this could be your problem. You seem to be using the pre-installed fglrx drivers included with the ubuntu linux-restricted-modules package. You should get the new driver installer from ATI's site. You should find it under Customer Care->Drivers & Software->Linux Display Drivers and Software. Just choose the correct package for your cpu architecture (x86 or x86-64 bit), and click on the RADEON 8500 series or better link under the sub list for your processor. You can follow the guide to installing these drivers here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=423584

Hope this helps

I believe I installed those 3 days ago...

hmm... maybe you edited the wrong file then? It seems strange for the file to be in the '' folder if it was the ATI driver. Try following these commands and see if the file exists in this location:

   cd /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/                #cd to fglrx build-dir
   ls                                                        #list the files and look for libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 here
   cp libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3_org    #make a backup (just in case it messes up)
   ghex2 libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3                     #open up the file with ghex and make your modifications

If this doesn't work, and your computer won't start x for some reason... then you can start up in recovery mode, and do the following:

cd /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/            #go back to the directory
rm libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3                          #remove the hex edited file (in recovery mode you should already be root, so no need for sudo)
mv libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3_org libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3     #rename the backup file back to the original name

If the file is not found i nthe /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/ directory, then I'm not sure where else to look... I'm just following the walkthrough here, so I'm not sure where the ATI installer actually installs to besides this folder. Try searching again for it using:

locate libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3

Note that you want to get the actual module file, and not the source. So the path should probably have the word 'module' in it somewhere.

These are the only three it can find. /lib/linux-restricted-modules/2.6.12-9-386/fglrx/libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 /lib/linux-restricted-modules/2.6.12-9-386/fglrx/libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3_backup /usr/src/modules/fglrx/libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3

I made the _backup...

Ok I seemed to install the drive correctly this time. I have attached my libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 file from /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/

I attempted to make them but I was getting no change what so ever.

And thanks you guys for the help. I am glad there is a community for help!

Ok now I seem to be having some other issues, I hexed out 4a48, and replaced it with 4b49. In my *Xorg.conf* I added the line:

ChipID				0x4a48

Now I am able to use the config with:

Driver                              "fglrx"

and not have it crash on me. It still isn't using the right driver though...

*fglrxinfo* still produces:

evan@ubuntu:~$ fglrxinfo
display: :0.0  screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: www.mesa3d.org
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect
OpenGL version string: 1.2 (1.5 Mesa 6.2.1)

Hmm... it looks to be defaulting back to the original mesa drivers using that chipid. Since you hexed the file, replacing 4a48 with 4b49, I wonder if using the chipid 0x4b49 would work?

From my understanding, the reason for hex editing the driver module file is to trick it into working on your chipid. So... whatever it finds as your chipid, it tries to find this in the list of supported chips for the driver. Since the driver does not officially support the x850 at the moment, you have to manually change the file so yours is detected as a supported one :p.

Hmm... it looks to be defaulting back to the original mesa drivers using that chipid. Since you hexed the file, replacing 4a48 with 4b49, I wonder if using the chipid 0x4b49 would work?

From my understanding, the reason for hex editing the driver module file is to trick it into working on your chipid. So... whatever it finds as your chipid, it tries to find this in the list of supported chips for the driver. Since the driver does not officially support the x850 at the moment, you have to manually change the file so yours is detected as a supported one :p. If I try to use that id (4b49) X just fails to start with the no screens error.

Ok... I've been looking at this for a while now, trying to figure out why it's not recognizing your card's chipid, and I think I may have some idea now.

If I understand now, you found the /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/libfglrx_ip.a.GCC3 file, and changed a 4a48 into a 4b49. So... this means you may have actually replaced the wrong hex value in the first place :p. From earlier, you found out some info about your card with the following commands:

evan@ubuntu:~$ lspci -v | grep ATI
0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc R480 [Radeon X850XT] (prog-if 00 [VGA])
        Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc: Unknown device 0312
0000:01:00.1 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc R480 [Radeon X850XT secondary]
        Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc: Unknown device 0313
evan@ubuntu:~$ lspci -n | grep 01:00.0
0000:01:00.0 0300: 1002:4b49

So your card is the Radeon X850XT with the R480 chip, which has a chipid of 4b49. So... looking through the supported cards/chipid list that the ATI drivers put into the Xorg.0.log file, the chipid of 4a48 which you replaced actually cooresponds to the "RADEON X800 (R420 4A48)" card. So... instead of replacing that chipid, you should be using the entry "RADEON X850 XT (R480 5D52)".

So... you should revert to your old backup file you made before hex editing, and try again, this time, searching for the 5D52 (or 525D), and replacing with your chipid of 4b49 (or 494b).

Also.. there may be one other problem here involving the new ati drivers, and having to edit another file. I read through the whole tutorial a couple of times, and noticed this: "Warning: For newer versions of ati driver you have to repeat the replace step in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/fglrx_drv.o, because "ChipID" is not a option anymore and so the driver didn't recognize your card"

You may actually need to do this step too to get your card recognized by the drivers. Just repeat the replacement, making sure to make a backup of the file beforehand.

After doing the hexediting, you need to do a bit of trickery to get them to re-install the new versions as kernel modules... so do the following:

   cd /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/
   rm ../fglrx.ko
   ./make.sh
   cd ..
   ./make_install.sh

This should remove the old fglrx.ko kernel module, and make/install a new one with your hex edited files. After this is done, I'm assuming your shouldn't have to use the ChipID setting in your Xorg.conf file... since apparently it is not recognized as an option for the newer ATI drivers.

After recompiling the module, you need to load it into the kernel. So... do the following (You may need to reboot and stop x by going into a lower runlevel, and then loading the module, and starting x again.):

sudo depmod
sudo modprobe fglrx

Hopefully everything will work at this point :p.