vodhner@cox.net wrote:
> Thanks for the comments on this thread. I have a
> few follow-up questions.
>
> PROBLEM: Puppy Linux 109 CE only runs it in XVESA mode
> (which looks fine to me, but I'm no connoisseur). Puppy
> basically disconnects my monitor (the monitor goes into
> "no signal" mode) if I select Xorg. Systemrescue CD, which
> does not even bring up a GUI, also gets the disconnect, as
> soon as I select it in LILO. SimplyMepis 2004-06 displays the
> bootup sequence but the monitor disconnects when it goes
> to bring up X.
>
> So, what would cause a video feed to flat-out disappear?
---
If they don't include drivers for your card (and I don't think the distros you mention do), then they tend to try something "close" and this often fails to work. Stick with VESA mode for the smaller distros, since they're far less likely to have squeezed in a driver for any particular card.
You could also be dealing with phantom second screen issues (driver thinks you want the second output to be primary, but there's nothing there). I don't think that's the likely cause in this case, however.
>
> OK, I'm really puzzled by that statement. I was just over
> at Fry's trying out a few of their LCD monitors, and I was
> able to change the resolution. Are you saying this is
> harmful? Or are you saying that Linux can't change the
> resolution? Or are these not true LCD monitors, thus not
> the kind that you were recommending?
---
It is possible to change resolutions on LCD monitors, it's just a VERY bad idea, since the electronics are basically fuzzing the image to try to fit it to the fixed resolution LCD hardware. (i.e. if native is 1280X1024, and you set 1024X768, the electronics use 1.56 pixel elements for each image pixel, and it gets fuzzy because that's not an even number) If you set a screen resolution above the native res, the monitor just scrolls a viewport on the virtual screen.
>
> Really? By "reliable" are you talking about shortened
> life? This is a 21" monitor (maybe you missed that
> part). I'm running another old 21" at work, under
> Windows, at the same resolution. Will this kill my
> work unit too? And then, what is the use of a 21"
> monitor if you have to run it at 1280x1024?
>
---
21" monitors were designed, in most cases, for 1280X1024 resolution, 1600X1200 became common with 25" analog, and more substantially with 24" LCD monitors. Some CRT's can accept the higher analog frequencies for 1600X1200, but they're not terrible stable at those frequencies (with some exceptions). Basically, you're pushing the electronics much closer to the edge, and if they're on the bad side of their tolerances, they can fail. Since time tends to wear on analog components, and wear is accelerated for components pushed to the edge, analog monitors tend to fail at a significantly increased rate when pushed to their limits.
> Thanks for that. I have never had a real eyestrain problem,
> although I've used CRTs as long as they have existed (!) and
> am no stranger to 16-hour hacking sessions. But I do find
> the LCDs a lot nicer to look at, and will spring for a new
> 17" unit when holiday prices come out, if my 21" stays dead.
---
Note that I have yet to see a 17" LCD with a native resolution higher than 1280X1024.
>
> Joseph wrote:
>> ... putting a UATA drive on an EIDE port is sort of like
>> putting a V-12 in a Yugo, it might fit, but it's not
>> going to work as well as you'd hope and it might
>> melt-down unexpectedly.
>
> LOL! :-) OK, I'm not too concerned with speed, but how
> would you expect it to melt down? Anyway, I've now got
> a 300 GB UATA and it's going to an EIDE slot, so wish me
> luck! It's a Maxtor. Reqs on the box seem to support
> this application.
---
By melt down I mean corrupt your data. You're using the drive in a communications mode it's not entirely comfortable with, same with the EIDE port. Since you're riding the edge of the specs, it's entirely possible that a minor error in implementation by either port or drive maker will result in cumulative errors on disk, eventually leading to noticeable data loss. I'm not saying don't do what you plan, only that you should maintain VERY good backups on non-hard-disk media for anything you care about stored on that 300G drive.
>
> Thanks again to all.
>
> Vic
>
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