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Bill Giannikos (Home Page)
This guide will help you configure the proprietary fglrx module under Ubuntu 9.10. I will not be covering the open source radeon module included with Xorg because its configuration is normally handled automatically by Ubuntu. We also wont be covering the radeonhd driver as these are still in an early stage.
ATI/AMD provide their own license for their driver. You will need to read and accept this license before proceeding.
You should run a full update for your installation of Ubuntu to ensure you have all the latest packages installed.
Ubuntu 9.10 includes the fglrx module which makes installation quite easy. Here is how:
1. Launch the “Restricted Devices Manager” program from the menu System → Administration → Hardware Drivers
2. Enable the “ATI accelerated graphics driver” driver
3. Reboot
Like many things in Ubuntu this is nice and easy.
If you are unable to launch the GUI and are forced to install the driver from the text console follow these instructions.
1. Type in the following:
sudo apt-get install xorg-driver-fglrx linux-restricted-modules
2. Now create the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Do this by typing:
sudo aticonfig --initial -f
3. Reboot the computer and the fglrx module should load.
Discussion
“I've concluded that it is at a stage of development roughly equivalent to Windows 3.1.”
Ouch. I've been using Ubuntu for 2 years as well, and what I can say is that it started as a basic OS, but has quickly (read: VERY quickly) turned into a contender in the OS market, especially in league with the other Linux-based OSes. Building on Debian doesn't hurt.
I liken computer operating systems to cars: If you just want to get from here to there without hassle, get a MAC. If you want to drive what everyone else has, get Windows. If you love to drive, but also love getting under the hood and customizing, figuring out what makes the engine tick, get GNU-Linux. AND if you want to get under the hood with lots of community support to back you up, get Ubuntu.
FYI: the command line can be avoided by keeping a LiveCD of Ubuntu handy. If something goes nutty, boot the CD and try and fix it from there. More often than not, it'll work like a charm. Edit a config here, delete a module there; life is good.
I don't want a computer that tries to be smarter than me. Do what I say when I say, and if you break, I'll fix it. Computers should trust, and be able to trust, that you know what you're doing.
“Nothing worth doing is easy.”
David
well , not that easy , i have enabled the ATI module as per ubuntu recommendation after a successful installation (ubuntu 9.10 64 bit on my T500 having ATI ) and the result was the same as i have already seen in previous versions of Ubuntu. Once the machine was restarted the monitor was flickering in text mode and stuck at this point , long before x11 server took place .
Thank god the installation is a quick and easy process so I did again , this time no temptations ..
Any one has an idea how to fix the above ??
Regards
Yoav
“Like many things in Ubuntu this is nice and easy.”
And, as with other things in Ubuntu, if it doesn't work you're screwed.
The FGLRX driver bricks machines with ATI graphics adapters. It's as simple as that. I tried hard to like Ubuntu, but after two years of struggling I've concluded that it is at a stage of development roughly equivalent to Windows 3.1. Specifically, it looks great at first, but the applications are primitive and the OS has numerous hardware incompatibilities. If you run into problems, you have to drop out into a hardcore commandline environment. Whereupon you are screwed.