# intelfb + LCD

## andrewbarr

Does anyone know if the intelfb driver supports LCD screens? According to the driver maintainer's web site, you need to program the video BIOS at boot time by using the vga= kernel parameter (and the driver has to be compiled in, which it is). I get "undefined video mode" when using modes specified in vesafb.txt (GRUB is my bootloader, and I've tried decimal (791) and hex (0x317) mode numbers). If I don't add the vga= parameter I get an error message during bootup saying the chip needs programmed at boot time. I tried adding the VESA framebuffer driver to my kernel but the problem is that it takes over instead of the Intel driver and I get "cannot reserve FB memory region" from the intelfb driver, ostensibly because the VESA driver has already claimed the hardware. If anyone has succesfully used the intelfb driver with an LCD screen, I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks,

Andrew

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## billybobjoe1984

I'm having the same issue, I've tried everything to get this working with my dell laptop to no avail.  Gentoo guru's I beseech you...help us out!

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## saimonm

Hi Have you guys got any further with this?

Apparently, I'm running into the same problem with a Dell Inspiron 510m with an Intel 855GME chipset.

Regards,

Saimon

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## mc_barron

Are you just trying to use the framebuffer, or are you having issues with X11?

I can see the penguin on boot up, and my X11 works beautifully, but alas I cannot get Qingy working yet (framebuffer based login manager...it rocks).  Anyone get a framebuffer working yet using intelfb?

BTW, my grub lines are:

```
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/kernel-2.6.10 root=/dev/ram0 real_root=/dev/hdc3 vga=0x317

initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd-2.6.10
```

Not sure if that's any help to you.

*edit*

Anyone see this other discussion: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-276907-highlight-qingy.html

I didn't have the USE flag 'fbcon' as that thread suggests...trying it now...

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## mc_barron

Wow, it's working now!  Seems like the problem was fixed by adding 'fbcon' to my use flags and re-emerging Direct-FB (actually I did an "emerge --newuse -auDt world", but whatever).  

Yeeeee-haw!

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## enfant terrible

same problem here using (i.e. trying to use) intelfb on a 82852/82855 graphics chipset (fujitsu-siemens lifebook). any success, anyone?

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## mc_barron

Uhhh...did you try the USE flag and recompiling DirectFB?

Did you compile intelfb as a module?  I have it compiled into the kernel, as well as the vesa modules.

What kernel are you using?

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## enfant terrible

i've compiled it into my kernel, too - it's a 2.6.10. after looking at the maintainer's website, this might be the root of the problem; it says there, intelfb "needs to be updated to work with the fbdev interface changes in 2.6.x and later 2.5.x kernels." i haven't tried the fbcon USE flag yet, but as i dont't have even the penguin on bootup, i don't think that's related - mc_barron, if you're using the vesa modules, they will probably used _instead_ of intelfb by the kernel. (i've tried using those instead, they do seem to work, but scrolling performance is sometimes _really_ bad, and i thought, if there's something "native", why not use it?...)

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## ivanl

I've a 855GM laptop and have the same issue with intelfb. I've not solved it and I intend to email intelfb's author about it. Here's my findings so far.

This issue has nothing to do with X11 (XFree86 or x.org) - it is purely framebuffer related.

If I've intelfb compiled-in, it complains cannot switch video mode (see footnote below). The old intelfb webpage says to use vga= to set the video mode at boot time.

Now, in order to use vga=, vesafb have to be used. This is shown in kernel source arch/i386/boot/video.S. If vesafb is used, it takes over the fb, leaving intelfb in the cold ('cannot reserve fb memory'). Even if I specify vesafb as a module, it didn't respect that and goes on to compile into the kernel.

* If you google "intelfb 1024", you'll find at least 1 or 2 folks' laptop having intelfb successfully registered itself as fb and does not complain "cannot switch video mode" - it says "initial mode is 1024x7....".

* intelfbdrv.c yells "cannot switch video mode" if the laptop/LCD is in 'fixed' mode and the graphic 'card' is not VGA. I might be able to understand 'fixed' mode, but my graphic 'card' is not VGA?? VGA detection code lies in arch/i386/boot/video.S. Unless my BIOS is buggy (unlikely given the number of people having this issue)(I'm using Acer Travelmate 370), this shouldn't be happening.

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## ivanl

 *enfant terrible wrote:*   

> scrolling performance is sometimes _really_ bad

 

Use video=vesafb:ywrap to improve scrolling performance. This is documented in Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt.

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## enfant terrible

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> If you google "intelfb 1024", you'll find at least 1 or 2 folks' laptop having intelfb successfully registered itself as fb and does not complain "cannot switch video mode" - it says "initial mode is 1024x7....". 
> 
> 

 

yeah, but according to some of their .config's, they have the vesafb enabled, so it's not the intelfb running their hw...

i've contaced david dawes (the original maintainer) - he's not maintaining the intelfb module for 2.6 kernels (wasn't even aware of who is). i then had a look into the module source code - a sylvain meyer now now in charge of it. google his name and intelfb and you'll find some changelogs telling you what's going on with development at the moment. i've even posted a bugreport, check out https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?p=2196108#2196108 for another guy struggling with this issue... sounds pretty hopeless... maybe there's some chance for [/quote][/url]later 2.6 releases... any volunteers?

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## eschoeller

Well, its been several months - This is a good thread, I'm having similar problems _now_ in 2006 ...

Anyone find a resolution to using the intelfb driver on lcd's .... especially at 1280x800 ??

Here is my new post on the matter:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-2999012.html#2999012

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## ccgoo

 *andrewbarr wrote:*   

> Does anyone know if the intelfb driver supports LCD screens? According to the driver maintainer's web site, you need to program the video BIOS at boot time by using the vga= kernel parameter (and the driver has to be compiled in, which it is). I get "undefined video mode" when using modes specified in vesafb.txt (GRUB is my bootloader, and I've tried decimal (791) and hex (0x317) mode numbers). If I don't add the vga= parameter I get an error message during bootup saying the chip needs programmed at boot time. I tried adding the VESA framebuffer driver to my kernel but the problem is that it takes over instead of the Intel driver and I get "cannot reserve FB memory region" from the intelfb driver, ostensibly because the VESA driver has already claimed the hardware. If anyone has succesfully used the intelfb driver with an LCD screen, I'd like to hear from you.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Andrew

 

I have the problem, totally totally totally same with you!!! I try intelfb with LCD on my thinkpad X60 laptop, and the graphic chipset is 945G, kernel is 2.6.22 stable.

At the beginning, I have vesafb and intelfb both built in kernel, and boot parameter is "video=intelfb:...". That cause the problem below like you:

```
intelfb: Non-CRT device is enabled ( LVDS port ).  Disabling mode switching.

intelfb: Video mode must be programmed at boot time.

intelfb: cleanup
```

and the cosole is still in text mode.

Then  I add "vga=<mode>" in boot command line, as the driver maintainer's web site told me. When I boot, I got the problem below like you:

```
intelfb: Cannot reserve FB region.

intelfb: cleanup 
```

Because the vesafb is used at boot time instead.

And I remove vesafb from kernel by FB_VESA=n. The command line is still "vga=... video=intelfb:..."

This time, like you again, I also get "undefined video mode" when using modes specified in vesafb.txt. Kernel ask me to choose one valid mode, and whichever I choosed, intelfb still refused to work. The error message is still:

```
intelfb: Non-CRT device is enabled ( LVDS port ).  Disabling mode switching.

intelfb: Video mode must be programmed at boot time.

intelfb: cleanup
```

Text mode console I got again and again...

I have been very confused for very several days. I spent all day on googling this issue, but nothing useful to be found.

Is anybody successful with intelfb on LCD? Come out please!!! Help us out please!!!

I really can not suffer from this issue. But I really don't wanna use a generic driver if there is a specified one.

However, now, I think I have to use vesafb first, temporarily untill one day...........

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## amadio

I am having some trouble as well, but I can make the framebuffer work for me at 1280x800:

```
kernel /vmlinuz quiet video=intelfb vga=869
```

The 869 is for the wide screen. My problem is that it still complains "cannot switch video modes"

during bootup and I am not able to make fbsplash work...

I think that no other framebuffe drivers can be enabled on your kernel but intelfb for the above to

work.

Cheers,

----------

