VIDEO CARDS: ATI, Intel, VIA... whatever you got...

[JaseP]

I hadn't intentionally started mucking around and installing fresh to be a pest,... I had broken the MythTV portion of my install too badly (my channels configuration never worked right,... apparently a hardware and vendor issue, nothing to do with LinuxMCE,... it never worked right). So, I installed fresh, figuring it was faster than trying to track down and fix what I'd broken.

I hadn't read any of the threads before I tried my reinstall. I had reconfigured my network to (hopefully, If I got it right) be more compatible with LinuxMCE's expected topography. I hadn't read the entire thread (I got ADHD, I'm impatient like that), before trying the fix. So I missed the part about holding off. In short, leaped before I looked My fault.

I am not trying to be rude or obnoxious,... just short and concise. When I say something is "broken," I mean "it is not working." I absolutely do not mean, " You're a &+$*&+$+)>#, you busted my stuff." Sorry if comes off that way. The pessimistic post was not aimed at you or your work, but rather that I didn't believe the problem was related to the libva stuff. Not the best choice of wording on my part. I realize that if you were stressed, tired and overworked, you may have easily interpreted things the wrong way.

By the way,... to give you info on what worked and what didn't,... All I did after a fresh install was to add the libva stuff, update, upgrade, and rebuilt MDs... I had not changed anything from stock (for further clarification, I did it several times, the last time, not even adding the Medibuntu stuff that I had previously, and had worked, before). It was Kubuntu install, run an update, install LinuxMCE... Please note that compositing (and UI2 with Alpha blending) worked under the install I had screwed up before. So whatever detection or setup routines that were working before, absolutely worked.

I do not have anything newer than a couple of years old (that will be running LinuxMCE, anyway). So, all the chipsets are part of the GMA 945 series or successors. I have no HD3000s. So no worries there. I will note that even on identical chipsets, that the differences between hardware installs (bus configuration, etc.) from one OEM to another can make a huge difference in performance and capabilities. But that's a hardware problem, not a software problem. I already expect that.

I don't blame you for counting out a chipset with substandard Linux support. I'm the (unfortunate) owner of a MID with the Intel/PowerVR Poulsbo GMA 500 chipset. If it weren't for the fact that I otherwise love the little machine for it's specs and form factor, I'd have returned it as soon as I bought it. Getting all of it's hardware working is one of those eternal projects. And don't worry,... I'll never ask for GMA 500 support...

[l3mce]

Then we're friends, and I owe you a beer for being hyper-senstitive and taking out my aggravation on you.

Have you done an update/upgrade yet today?

If not, please do, skip the Diskless_Create and when upgrade completes:

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sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bu; reboot
On boot it should automatically detect that your xorg is missing, run through its detection/install routine, generate a fresh xorg.conf.pluto.avwizard file and dump you into AVWizard, which will generate the final xorg.conf file.

You should not need to do ANYTHING. Please post success or failure... and thank you for testing.


*ps I write commands out, not because I presume any level of understanding on the user end, but because it makes it easier and my intent is made clear.

[JaseP]

No beer necessary ... I just have to make a mental note to myself about working on my communication skills.

Haven't had the oppty to do update/upgrade,... at work now, no remote access to the machine (and I like it that way, keeps me from getting even more distracted). I'll do tonight and post a report. In the unlikely event it fails to recreate the org.conf, what reports logs should I look for or run & post???

[l3mce]

It is a universal installer. It is pretty much gonna be a go or no go. AVWizard_Run.(date.timestamp).log might be helpful.... might be almost empty.

I wouldn't say the UNLIKELY event that it fails either... like I said... about a 50/50 shot on that one... but I am hopeful.

[JaseP]

Well,... Then God smiles on me 'cause the video worked!!!

But the audio didn't... But I don't think anything you changed affected that. Something was probably muted by KDE. I've seen this before, where KDE mutes key sound channels. That may be something to take note of for the DVD installer (i.e.: unmute all sound channels). ... I have this love/hate relationship with KDE. Sometimes I Love to Hate 'em, sometimes I Hate to Love 'em. I'm in conflict as to which I am feeling about them now.

I think I'll just do a reinstall.  I'd like the chance to eliminate some of the failed user accounts I created, and consolidate that data from the effective ones. ...

Thanks, l3mce,... Good Work ... !!!

[l3mce]

Well that is good news... but I don't expect a reinstall will fix that...

try this instead

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amixdigital=$(amixer | grep Simple | cut -d' ' -f4,5,6 | sort | uniq) ;  for output in $amixdigital; do amixer sset $output unmute; amixer sset output 80%; done 2>/dev/null
It will unmute everything that is mutable and raise all volumes to 80% that have volumes.

Unless of course you mean you have no sound DEVICE. If aplay -l has nothing avail... you will want to look at alsa.

[JaseP]

Thanks for that but the ADHD kicked in and I already started... I wanted to remove the "ghost" accounts peppering  the /home partition,... and that's more easily done in a pristine environment ... A quick reinstall,  purging useless accounts, and reinstalling LinuxMCE, will make me feel the install is more virg... pristine.  Standby,... and thanks (again?!?) for the sound channel command.

By the way would you like system specs on my core for reference??? If so, please specify the files you'd like to see copies of...

I'm planing on a leisurely reinstall,  while watching Top Gear on BBC America,... with a wine spritzer in hand,... "No worries"  (the phrase, a tip o' the hat to the Aussies in the crowd,... y'all know you watch Top Gear with all the enthusiasm of a Brit).

Peace.

[PaulH]

I was watching this thread with interest since I too went through what JaseP went through well, minus the advanced stuff.
Last night I reinstalled LMCE10.04 in my server and went to bed after initiating Diskless_Create.
Tonight, after work I fired up one of my MDs and worked beatifully. Thank You L3MCE for fixing and Thank You too JaseP for raising the question.
PaulH

[l3mce]

What I would like is very simple... and this goes for all, if you would.
If it is a "regular computer", tell me what it is. If it is not, tell me what the motherboard is and graphics (onboard or added). Give me the lspci -v | grep "VGA", tell me what it is connected to and what connection it is using... and what resolution and UI you have had success or failure with. For example...

Compaq C500 (laptop)
Onboard video
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
720p - Internal Display
UI2 no alpha
works swimmingly

Acer Aspire L5100 (nettop)
Onboard video
Flags: bus master, VGA palette snoop, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 64
01:05.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RS690 [Radeon X1200 Series] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
1080p DVI - 24in lcd monitor
UI2 no alpha
no tearing, sluggish with screen saver activated

VIA Jetway J7F2WE1G2ES-LF (micro-itx)
Onboard video
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/P4M800 Pro/P4M800 CE/VN800 [S3 UniChrome Pro] (rev 01)
1024x748 VGA - serial 3M MicroTouch 19 LCD
UI2 no alpha is sluggish, oddly Screensaver is not as bad for it as ATI. I use UI1 anyway as is touchscreen.

Dell OptiPlex 740 DCCY
Onboard video
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)
1024x768 VGA - 19" LCD
UI2 no alpha
Flawless



We know nVidia work well. No need for them in this thread. Thanks again.

*** I might point out a few side effects I have worked out and written into the code as well.

• Can now do AVWizard on the fly. No reboot, just runs and pushes a regen.
• Video Cards are completely plug n play now. If you swap cards, it will know. So if you upgrade your onboard nvidia 8200 for instance to a GT260, it will know, purge the old driver and install the appropriate one for you.
• When I have the DVD air-tight I will add the NIC change detection. So if you blow a NIC up, you just plug a new one in and it figures it out so you don't have to deal with that nightmare anymore.
• Modularized install process now means you will be given the ability to run arguments against the installer for any part in the process to reinstall, writing to the database.

I have to finish the DVD before I can give access to these things.

[JaseP]

Sorry in advance for the following "book" ... And thanks, l3mce for your hard work,...

I fell asleep last night doing the reinstall, so never finished (been fighting off a cold,... that's my excuse). Might get the opportunity to finish tonight, ... Might, to re-emphasize. I keep my /home partitions intact (no reformatting that partition), and want to clean up the junk on the core's /home,... it's looking like a flea marketeer's back room on that partition.

I'll try to compile my list of machines over the next couple of days. I haven't set up any of the MDs yet... I had taken them off of net boot a while back. The only machine I have worries about is an ASUS eeePC Box 202, from a video playback perspective, but I understand that others have made that model work.

Currently, only the core is being worked on. I have 3 MDs (the ASUS being one), as well. The other two are Dell Studio Hybrids (nice machines, too bad they were discontinued, very stylish small footprint machines, and dual core too). Two more MDs are being ordered, but they won't be pressed into immediate service (I'll be using them for RHCSA/RHCE lab machines, then afterwards as MDs when I pass my certs). They'll be quad core Intels on small footprint motherboards with nVidia video cards on riser expansions.

All my Monitors are LCD TVs (all Sanyo, a good compromise between features, picture and price). One of the TVs (plus another, currently unused) has no VGA input, HDMI only, so it can be a nice testbed for mode line settings (nasty overscan on that machine), and testing the overscan settings in the avwizard. I'll be getting two new Sanyo 26-32"  TVs as monitors for the new MDs (maybe some switching around of what MDs are in what rooms, no sense in giving the kids the quad cores). Why all Sanyo?!?! To make future IR setup easier, by sticking with one brand (I have a bunch of those keychain sized universal remotes, and staying with one brand is great for keeping them strategically hidden throughout the house).

The rest of the system includes a MCV Vera (as external network and z-wave master controller), 2 HDhomeruns, an
Obi110 ATA for VOIP/POTS bridging, and maybe a SP3201 ATA that'd otherwise be gathering dust (the Obi110 and the Linksys/Sipura were developed by the same folks, so I'm hoping to follow the Wiki on the Sipura to get both working).

So you can see it's an ambitious system setup,... In all, about $6k to $7k of stuff, including TVs,... All I need is a a couple of more Z-wave units for a basement room we're building, another security cam or two, ... and maybe an R2 unit to fix it all    . So, it'll be a great testbed for anything you want to throw at it, and I'll be happy to help out there. I've seen a few really cool ideas thrown out by folks on the forums.

[l3mce]

TY for the update, and your future updates.

You might give the DVD snapshot a try when it is finished. This one should be close to working, and will give you the ability to do a "side by side" install. It is much faster than the current install process as well. Most of the system is pre-installed on the dvd. The new one (with all the detection stuff) is on its way (the previous one that works does not have new detection, the current several ones have detection but do not install). So you could just isolate that home folder on its own partition, and the dvd will make a new partition for you. Just a thought.
http://linuxmce.iptp.org/snapshots/

Again... when it is available (in 5 hrs or so) it will be completely untested... and desktop is purposefully broken. I will tell you how to undo it if you want it back.

As a side note. I can make your GMA 500 work. It requires its own version of X though, so that probably means screwing with pluto depends... so it goes in the "one day" pile. It will run with compositing.

[JaseP]

Thanks,

No need to kill yourself on the GMA 500. You'll end up wanting to beat your head against a brick wall with that chipset. You can't get full function out of it with an Xorg newer than the one from Ubuntu 9.10 (vers. 1.7, I think). That means rebuilding everything that links to the Xorg. I'm going the other way with it and rebuilding the kernel in 9.10 to support the other devices the gadget has (equally problematic, and I suspect the devices were specifically chosen to thwart porting Linux to the thing). My main use for that machine will be as a car computer (it has mounting brackets and everything).

I intend to finish my LMCE install tonight. I got as far as reinstalling Kubuntu and cleaning some junk on it up. The LMCE 10.04 install will follow tonight.

I might try the side by side install with the DVD later, maybe this weekend. You say it has no KDE desktop available, I might want to put it back. I'm very comfortable with a command line interface, but I prefer the graphical tools anyway. I'll ask you about it when I try the DVD install. I'd have to adjust partitions, though. My core currently has 3, the main, home and a small swap. I'd need a fourth for a whole new OS. The gParted stand alone distro allows for easy shrinking and growing of partitions, and the app can do it as well.

[l3mce]

The GMA 500 has already been done on 1004... that is why I know it requires its own version of X.

The newer DVDs should have desktop back. Testing is needed on the DVDs before they are ready for prime time.

[JaseP]

OK,... Install went relatively smooth. I didn't turn on all my stuff yet, or set up my TV cards, etc. But basic functions are working. The chipset is a GMA series (probably 3100 series). UI2 with Alpha blending working fine. Sound works.

So, ... nice work l3mce!

I noticed that the room setup sometimes has a hickup and pops you back out to the beginning of the sequence (I then fast forward back to room setup). This happens most often when renaming rooms. It seems to be something being detected that knocks you out that way. Not a show stopper, but it might scare a newbie a little. I assume it is possible to fix room names in the Web Admin utility. It might be something that is system dependent,  and may not happen on all different types of hardware.

Question: Is it possible to add the Intel microcode deb packages if you detect an Intel chipset at start-up? The Intel microcode stuff adds small tweaks to the Intel firmware that Intel has come up with since releasing the chipset. So it helps stability, etc. I've never noticed dramatic improvement with it, but have noticed small improvements (i.e.: recovering from suspends and hybernation less quirky, that sort of thing).

2nd Question: Does the multimedia scanning check hidden directories (those with a "." in front), and if so, is there a way to toggle that to off? I'd like to be able to remove from the system's "sight" duplicate media files that may exist on more than one hard drive.

PS: If you really want to mess with the GMA 500, by all means go to it. But I honestly cannot commit to testing it, as the particulars of my device (a Viliv S5) are such that I am better off locking the machine down with a tweaked and reworked version of Ubuntu 9.10, rather than testing anything else. The machine has problematic other peripherals as well, such as it's wireless chipset, touch screen controller, and GPS chipsets that make 9.10 the best convergence point. Older versions break some hardware, newer versions break other hardware (the Marvel SD8686 wireless chipset being particularly troublesome there). There are quite a few inexpensive Chinese import x86 tablets that use the GMA 500, though. They would make excellent orbiters. The GMA500 has good performance for a mobile chipset, when you can get it working 100%. So, working on it may actually prove beneficial, and open up LinuxMCE enthusiasts to some inexpensive,  yet powerful tablet/Orbiter devices.

[Marie.O]

The 2nd question would have been better of in a new thread, but I think a search for folder lock on the wiki might be helpful.