Sounds like you're dealing with a common LCD issue, Fedora is selecting a video mode based on your video card, but with an LCD you MUST use the single resolution supported by the screen.
LCD monitors don't do well with pixel scaling, so any resolution other than the monitor's physical resolution tends to look blurred at best, and completely garbled at worst.
>From the Matrox site, it looks like a max resolution of 1280X1024 is supported for DVI flat panels, this would be at 120 Hz refresh.
Check your monitor manual to see what it wants in terms of resolution and refresh, and *make sure* your system settings match.
Also, since the G550 is a dual-head card, make sure you're set up with the flat-panel on the primary connector, and use DVI if possible.
What do you have set up as the second display, if any?

On Fedora, you might also try booting to text mode console and running "system-config-display"  to see if that will work for you.

Bupkus wrote:
> Bart Garst wrote:
> 
>>> I installed suse 9.3 and did the updates, sans the kernel update, and
>>> booting gives me a blank, black screen.
>>>
>>> I booted into failsafe (text) mode and there it is.
>>>
>>> I'm thinking that suse just doesn't like my PNY MX440SE video card, so I
>>> swapped it out for my Matrox G550.
>>> Yep,
>>> linux login: _  blink, blink, blink... and I don't know what to do.
>>>
>>>   
>>
>>
>> I've been kinda' following your 'adventures' with Suse and I'd would
>> like to
>> ask if you can clarify a couple things.
>>
>> You were able to install and have a functioning GUI display with vid card
>> "A" and monitor "A".
>>
>> At some point you switched to monitor "B" and lost your display.
>> At some other point your switched to vid card "B" and also lost your
>> display.
>>
>> During the course of one of these failures you ran a config tool and lost
>> the ability to go back to monitor "A" & vid card "A".
>>
>> Do I understand correctly?
>>
>> Bart
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change  you mail settings:
>> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>>
>>
>>  
>>
> Yes.  But to be most current I just installed Fedora 4 and had to do a
> text install because the graphics was way off focus and jittery.  After
> the install and booting into graphics mode it because illegible again. 
> I think I may have a bunch of hardware that no linux distribution likes.
> mobo: epox 8RDA+
> video card: Matrox G550
> I think I'm just gonna watch TV and have dinner for the rest of the
> evening.
> Thanks.
> I went to the installfest but apparently you needed to bring your own
> monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables, wires, etc, so I didn't install there.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change  you mail settings:
> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
> 
---------------------------------------------------
PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change  you mail settings:
http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss