[RESOLVED] S3 Trio 86C 764/765 Video Card

Hi Guys,

I have searched this forum, but am unable to find a relevant post to answer this query.
I am trying to convert from Windows XP and have decided to use Zorin 8.
My installed version is: Linux 3.2.0-54-generic i686 Ubuntu

My main monitor is using the on-board graphics and is working fine, however I have another video card and monitor which refuses to start up. It is an: S3 Trio 32/64v+ 86C 764/765

I looked in the software centre and I have "X.org X Server - - legacy S3 display driver" (xserver-org-video-s3) installed, but I am unsure on how to configure this to make my card work?

Can anyone guide me on how to do this (if it's possible)

Many Thanks,

Rob

Hi, just for clarity, are you trying to use two monitors on the same rig? Not sure if the BIOS supports both on-board graphics and separate card at the same time? You state Ubuntu - have you got Ubuntu installed at present as well as XP?

Hi,

I have been using this same hardware setup with 2 monitors under Windows XP, Intel onboard graphics card feeding one monitor and a S3 Trio PCI card feeding the second monitor. Under Windows I had to tell the BIOS that the PCI card was the main monitor and once set up it found the on-board graphics card and used that as the second monitor, all fine.

However, when I tried to install Zorin 8 it could not go past the bootloader and just blacked out the PCI monitor and ignored the on-board graphics.

So I told the BIOS to use the on-board Intel graphics and then I was able to install Zorin without any problems, but now I can't do anything with the PCI card (It knows it's there because this is what I get when I run 'lspci' "03:01.0 VGA compatible controller: S3 Graphics Ltd. 86c764/765 [Trio32/64/64V+] (rev 43)") I do like having 2 monitors to use as one big desktop, maybe Linux doesn't support this?

In answer to your last question, I have my original XP installation on its 500Gb SATA drive and I added another 80Gb IDE which I'm using to run Linux until I'm happy with it.

Thanks,

Rob

Could you see what happens when you try the following? Try booting the machine with the DVD once more and press the 'Tab' key as soon as you see the menu bootloader with choices menu as to what to do next. Then edit the boot command at the end with:

Code:

forcevesa acpi=off nolapic nomodeset

after which, press enter and see if the second monitor fires up.

Also have you checked inside System Settings | Displays? (Menu | System Tools | System Settings):



And click on 'Detect Displays' button.

Keep us posted!

Also please post back the result of the terminal command:

lspci -nn

Hi Guys,

Swarfendor437: Booted back up with the extra commands, after distorting the screen for a while (Scrunched the viewable screen into a fifth of the size and filled the rest with horizontal black/white bars) it sorted itself out and booted normally into Zorin, still no second monitor. I looked at the Displays menu again and it showed very similar to yours, only one monitor, pressed detect displays, nothing else.

madvinegar: Result as requested.

rob@rob:~$ lspci -nn
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation 82945G/GZ/P/PL Memory Controller Hub [8086:2770] (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2772] (rev 02)
00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller [8086:27d8] (rev 01)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 [8086:27d0] (rev 01)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 [8086:27d2] (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 [8086:27c8] (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 [8086:27c9] (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 [8086:27ca] (rev 01)
00:1d.3 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 [8086:27cb] (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller [8086:27cc] (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge [8086:244e] (rev e1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Bridge [8086:27b8] (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller [8086:27df] (rev 01)
00:1f.2 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SATA Controller [IDE mode] [8086:27c0] (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SMBus Controller [8086:27da] (rev 01)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 01)
03:01.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: S3 Graphics Ltd. 86c764/765 [Trio32/64/64V+] [5333:8811] (rev 43)
rob@rob:~$

It's the S3 on the PCI bus that's not working, the on-board Intel is fine.

Thanks for the help so far guys, really appreciated.

Rob

Hi Rob,

keep one of the monitors unplugged and boot up the PC, open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + t) and paste this command then restart and make sure everything is okay, switch off then connect up the 2nd monitor and boot again, see if it fixes the problem:

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -f

Hi Wolfman,

Sorry, I really want something to work but absolutely no difference. Out of interest, what have I just done? It downloaded a lot of stuff!

Maybe I need to buy a video card that is easily supported?

Cheers,

Rob

hi rob,

the S3 is quite old now and I think you may be right but I don't really know!.

Did you try resetting the monitor?, there is a reset function somewhere on the panel or in a menu, the signal may just just be out of range and is sending back an error signal or something!????.

You just did a force download in case there where any missing dependencies in the software list!.

Hi Guys,

OK, Nothing worked, so this is what I did.

I went and bought an Asus Radeon HD5450 PCI-E video card (good reviews, basic, cheap card)
Fitted it and booted up - Nothing! It didn't work
Disassembled the plate from it and fitted it to my Daughters Dell half height computer - it worked fine
Disassembled the half height card from the Dell and fitted it to my computer - it worked
Swapped Daughters computer for mine and that's where I am now. 2 monitors, both working as one seamless screen without any messing about at all

Conclusion: It was probably my old Novatech computer that was not compatible with the video cards all along, however for the sake of £30 it is easier to go and buy a new card than waste 3 days messing about with a 18 year old card!

Many thanks to both Wolfman and Madvinegar for your help on this, I have taken all the data off my Windows hard drive and I'm sticking with Zorin (I like it)

Regards,

Rob

60 blue jewels to Wolfman! Have marked as [RESOLVED]!