# [solved] Trying to get fglrx running

## chias

Hi,

I'm working off of a Samsung ATIV-6, which is one of those laptops that contains a low-power intel graphics card, as well as a much nicer radeon one. Relevant  portions of lspci are:

```

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])

   Subsystem: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device c0e6

   Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 41

   Memory at f7800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]

   Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]

   I/O ports at f000 [size=64]

   Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]

   Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-

   Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2

   Capabilities: [a4] PCI Advanced Features

   Kernel driver in use: i915

01:00.0 Display controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Mars [Radeon HD 8670A/8750M]

   Subsystem: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device c0e6

   Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 11

   Memory at e0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]

   Memory at f7d00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K]

   I/O ports at e000 [size=256]

   Expansion ROM at f7d40000 [disabled] [size=128K]

   Capabilities: [48] Vendor Specific Information: Len=08 <?>

   Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 3

   Capabilities: [58] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00

   Capabilities: [a0] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+

   Capabilities: [100] Vendor Specific Information: ID=0001 Rev=1 Len=010 <?>

   Capabilities: [150] Advanced Error Reporting

   Capabilities: [270] #19

```

I am trying to install the fglrx drivers, and have been following this guide. Everything installs fine, until I reach the point where I try to start X. It fails, with the relevant part of the log showing:

```

[    15.133] (II) fglrx(0): Invalid ATI BIOS from int10, the adapter is not VGA-enabled

[    15.134] (EE) fglrx(0): Invalid video BIOS signature!

[    15.134] (EE) fglrx(0): GetBIOSParameter failed

[    15.134] (EE) fglrx(0): PreInitAdapter failed

[    15.134] (EE) fglrx(0): PreInit failed

[    15.134] (II) fglrx(0): === [xdl_xs114_atiddxPreInit] === end

[    15.138] (II) UnloadModule: "fglrx"

[    15.138] (II) UnloadSubModule: "fglrxdrm"

[    15.138] (II) Unloading fglrxdrm

[    15.138] (II) UnloadSubModule: "fglrxdrm"

[    15.138] (EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

```

Searching for these errors, I found this thread over at ArchLinux forums which states that "I got fglrx to work by REMOVING the BusID parameter from xorg.conf!". So, I checked the xorg.conf file that aticonfig generated, and found the following line:

```

   BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"

```

Unfortunately commenting out this line did not solve the issue for me -- X now fails with the following error:

```

[  1350.608] (WW) fglrx: No matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:0@1:0:0) found

[  1350.608] (EE) No devices detected.

```

Searching some more I found this thread here at Gentoo Forums, but my BIOS does not give me the option to select between "Switchable" and "Discrete" graphics. I've tried with VGA_SWITCHEROO both enabled and disabled, and the problem persists.

I'm not really sure where to go with this. The open source drivers are fine, but the laptop runs very hot (the fan location on this laptop is far from optimal), and I get weird display issues in some programs, so I really want to get the proprietary drivers running if at all possible.

Thanks!Last edited by chias on Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## Roman_Gruber

I wouldnt recommend to disable the bus parameter as any driver needs that to identify the cards, wether its nvidia or amd (or ati in old days).

The usual way is to try every available version of these drivers in portage or find a newer beta driver out there which is not in portage.

As these drivers also needs special considerations you should check for the right settings in your kernel + xorg.config + other config files.

Not sure about amd, but maybe you have such enduro platform and therefore there should be enough info on the net.

For Nvidia for example there is a linux forum on their homepage, maybe amd has the same.

Your other issues which you describe are caused because of overheating, because of bad hardware design (too small cooling system) and not optimal fan.

Sidenote (off topic, my personal opinion): I have tried some notebooks saw this issue and have instantly send that notebook back to the manufacturerer and bought something else. In the past a lot of notebooks had this bad thermal management, bad configuration of the cooling system.

As I remember, xorg usually do not need any config anymore these days. So i would go for the kernel (different kernel versions with the appropriate settings) and different fglrx drivers.

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## chias

Thank you for your response.

As best as I can tell, this is a configuration issue. People in forums I linked to seem to have identical symptoms when their bios is misconfigured -- the card reporting that it is not VGA enabled seems to be mostly about whether the bios is configured to treat the graphics cards as discrete or switchable -- but my bios does not have the relevant configuration options.

It isn't an overheating issue: temperatures are all reasonable.

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## Roman_Gruber

Have you checked for a Bios update?

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## chias

Got it working eventually, after a new kernel and general updates. Not really sure what did it in the end.

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