# Problems after installing a new processor

## PatomaS

Hi

I have a computer where I was in the process of setting up Xen, I couldn't finish because of work, so that idea was paused. In the meantime, I had the chance to change my processor for another one from a friend, and so I didas soon as I had a chance. Before the change, the non-Xen kernel booted fine and I could use everything, fluxbox. libreoffice, PHP+apache+mysql, inkscape, gimp, etc. Xen didn't work properly, but I was still on it. After the processor change, the system boots, but when I use startx, I get a black screen with a text cursor on the top left corner.

The first processor was an Intel I5-2500K, the new one is an Intel I5-3330. The motherboard is an Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE.

One of the things I tried was an emerge --emptytree world and a kernel update. Plus disabled all things xen and virtualization related. I also disabled virtualization options on the motherboard.

The system is not blocked, I can SSH from a different computer.

I've been checking the logs and trying to fix a few error messages and different things, but still can't get the X to work.

Here is a list of info from my system, I hope it helps.

dmesg

lspci

lspci -v

lshw

emerge --info

xorg.0.log Yes that's the whole log.

cpuinfo

htop

grub.cfg The highlighted area is the option I'm booting with.

kernel, ati-drivers, mesa and xorg-server versions I downgraded ati-drivers, but even with the latest beta doesn't work.

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

Update

Booting with the radeon driver

dmesg

Xorg.0.log

I have desktop but the warnings on dmesg continue

Update

Booting with kernel 3.8.13 and the last 4 ati-drivers

dmesg

/boot/efi/GRUB2/grub.cfg I'm booting with the highlited section.

Boot stops at "Loading Linux 3.8.13-gentoo...". I can connect using SSH.

Right now, the kernel has a few options, but I started the test with no options, so no mtrr, no modesetting, no nothing.

Since I'm not sure about the real reason of the problem, may be this is not the right subforum for this message, so if it has to be moved, please do so. Also If we found the actual problem, I'll try to rename the subject to a better title.

Thanks again for all the help.

Bye

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## Hu

I see you are using the proprietary drivers.  Could you test whether the open source Radeon driver works for you?  Even if you require FGLRX features, it would be useful to try the open driver as a comparison.

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## Navar

Looks like fun.  I didn't go through all your logs, but to add to what Hu said...

1. I'd start with trimming off temporarily any video, uvesa, etc. settings off your kernel boot.  Eliminate fancy things until you've got the basics working again.  Your x.org log seems brief.

2. We're running similar cards, myself and a number of others have had bad experiences with ati-drivers 13.4 in particular with regarding switching to VTs after X has ran.  Try falling back to 13.1, but see #3 first.

3. Try using the 3.8.13 gentoo-sources kernel with #2.  The only drivers that may work ok with 3.10 kernels are the ati-driver 13.8 beta releases.  I haven't tried them yet myself, just read a bit lately from other's experiences and statements from AMD.

4. As an easier alternative, give the open source radeon driver a try instead.  I've had good experiences with this (for 2D) on older hardware.  I don't recall if I tried using it for my 7850 card. edit-I did use briefly when migrating from much older system/ati setup.

The fact that you're getting signal out showing a blinking cursor on a black screen is better than many.  I need to read up on why everyone seems in such a hurry to run 3.10 kernel when drivers are behind.

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## s4e8

Disable vt-d, IOMMU staff. New processor support VT-d but the old not.

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## PatomaS

Hi people

Thanks for the answers.

@Hu, I tried the xf86-video-ati driver and I got X to start, although all the warnings in dmesg are still there.

@Navar I did remove all the modesetting and extra options on the /etc/default/grub and that combined with Hu's options got me the console to start with high resolution plus X (fluxbox) to start. When I got back to 3.8.13, with xf86-video-ati, everything worked fine, but not with ati-drivers. When I whent back to 3.10.7, the same, xf86-video-ati works, but ati-drivers doesn't.

I'm not in a hurry to use 3.10, but when I had the problem, I tried different options, one of them was updating the kernel. That is a very common solution or at least a common attempt.

@s4e8, as I mentioned, I disabled all the options related to virtualization, in kernel and in the motherboard UEFI. Although the idea is to run Xen and do passthrough, so once I have the system stable and working fine, I'll have to reenable all the virtualization options. I did disable IOMMU in some of the tests, but it didn't improve the situation, so I reenabled it.

Right now, I'm about to reinstall xf86-video-ati again since I haven't been able to get fglrx to work again. Since I don't need much performance for now, there is no need to use the ati-drivers. I'll be happy to get the system stable, get rid of the errors and then get Xen to work, after that, I'll try to get native drivers on windows for gaming and working, and use the radeon driver on Linux for programming work and everyday stuff.

I'll update the list of logs on the original post with the dmesg after booting with the radeon drivers. Any help to solve the warnings and to help me understand what they mean will be most appreciated.

Thanks again.

Bye

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## Navar

When you feel like tinkering with this again, please pastebin your 3.8.13 kernel config.  Relevant logs (X, dmesg) from a 3.8.13 boot with ati-drivers-13.1 installed would be useful.

Did you pair x11-drivers/ati-drivers-13.1 with sys-kernel/gentoo-sources-3.8.13?  Did you emerge those ati-drivers after 3.8.13 kernel boot with eselect kernel set respectively?  How about a reboot before testing fglrx functionality once emerged?  What were the errors after these steps?

When you toggled away from functional x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati with firmware for your card, did you avoid firmware blob in the kernel or module loading when using fglrx?

How are you configuring and building your kernel?  Manually or genkernel?

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## PatomaS

Hi

I may do a new attempt with the 3.8.13 kernel today, although, I don't think I'll try with 13.1 ati-drivers,I was using 13.8_beta2 for some time without any problem.

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> Did you pair x11-drivers/ati-drivers-13.1 with sys-kernel/gentoo-sources-3.8.13?
> 
> 

 

No, 13.4, 13.6_beta and 13.8_beta2

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> Did you emerge those ati-drivers after 3.8.13 kernel boot with eselect kernel set respectively?
> 
> 

 

Yes

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> How about a reboot before testing fglrx functionality once emerged? What were the errors after these steps? 
> 
> 

 

The booting screen stopped at Loading Linux kernel 3.8.13. The system was reachable from a SSH session, but nothing on screen. Before you ask, yes, I was sure that no radeon part was still on the system. I unmerged xf86-video-ati, radeon-ucode, did emerge --update --changed-use --deep @world, edited /etc/X11/xorg.conf and /etc/portage/make.conf and rm /lib/firmware/radeon/*

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> When you toggled away from functional x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati with firmware for your card, did you avoid firmware blob in the kernel or module loading when using fglrx? 
> 
> 

 

Not completely sure about this question, but I'll try to answer what I understand is the question. At no point there where blobs in the kernel, for radeon, I used modules, for ati-drivers, I used the fglrx gentoo wiki.

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> How are you configuring and building your kernel? Manually or genkernel?
> 
> 

 

Manually, always.

I'll make a new attempt in a few minutes and will update the original post with all the new logs.

Thanks again, and now, time to do some new tests.

Bye

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## Navar

 *PatomaS wrote:*   

> Before you ask, yes, I was sure that no radeon part was still on the system. I unmerged xf86-video-ati, radeon-ucode, did emerge --update --changed-use --deep @world, edited /etc/X11/xorg.conf and /etc/portage/make.conf and rm /lib/firmware/radeon/*
> 
>  *Quote:*   
> 
> When you toggled away from functional x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati with firmware for your card, did you avoid firmware blob in the kernel or module loading when using fglrx? 
> ...

 

The nomenclature I used is the same from those wikis.  Executive summary was simply you do radeon or fglrx setup as an exclusive process, the two are quite different and can cause issues if mixed.

I believe you essentially answered the question in prior statements.  CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE="" if I recall correctly is what your kernel config should show when going the fglrx route (the necessary microcode is already in that driver and the two don't mix well).  Awhile back I had unusual conflicts (visual artifacts) from having radeon firmware blob compiled into the kernel after switching to fglrx before I realized the cause.  As long as nothing is showing compiled into your kernel and that the radeon/drm modules are no longer loaded, firmware blobs sitting in /lib/firmware/radeon/ remain harmless.

One thing I have not done was using the hybrid route mentioned in the fglrx wiki.  I recall it being problematic for others and my system is a desktop.  So no DRM/KMS/Intel, etc. on the kernel config.  My make.conf VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx vesa vga" as a precaution, but the X log along with GL performance shows the fglrx driver used.  Your display, do you have a status option on it (active resolution, refresh rates, etc.) or at least you can visually tell if you're still receiving some signal out from the radeon card?  I'm going to presume from here you followed those wiki articles to the letter, running aticonfig, opengl settings, etc. even though you didn't offer your /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

I also believe I ran into issues going the video=uvesafb boot route which is why I recommended stripping that out, but I'll test that and see.  My grub setup on gfx mode (as in none) is kept simple to avoid issues.  With the radeon route you have absolutely no need of uvesafb anyway due to modesetting.

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## PatomaS

Hi

Ooops, I forgot to post the xorg.conf file, I'll do that in a moment. My setting is two ati graphic cards with two monitors, both connected using the hdmi port.

Right now, the situation is really unnerving and I'm doing the tests you mentioned, plus any other thing I can think of, but since I don't have access to the console on that computer, I'm about to give up completely, use radeon since it's working or just do a clean install. I can't be too long without the computer since I'm a freelancer. I'm doing the changes from my laptop in a SSH session and watching the desktop restartand get stuck on "Loading Linux 3.8.13-gentoo ..." Obviously the system keeps booting, otherwise I wouldn't be able to log with SSH, but I have no clue why I don't get anything else on screen.

I have tried with the last 4 available ati-drivers.

I have tried with variations of the framebuffer options on the kernel, with and without mtrr on grub.cfg.

I have tried with and without v86d.

I have tried with the normal booting option and the recovery mode set by grub and none give anything further than the message I mentioned before.

I have set many debugging options on the kernel but so far none of the give any idea, and I still don't know what this means:

```
ACPI Warning: 0x000000000000f000-0x000000000000f01f SystemIO conflicts with Region \_SB_.PCI0.SBUS.SMBI 1 (20121018/utaddress-251)
```

.

As soon as I post this message, I'll update the original post with the new dmesg and the xorg.conf.

Thanks again.

Bye

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## Navar

The ACPI warning you listed is most likely not the issue.  Lots of systems show a similar one for SBUS.SMBI.

I'm still confused on your report.  It sounds like X isn't the issue at all, but even a local basic console display.  My grub entry to launch is real simple even though I have a good number of multiboot selections:

```

menuentry "Gentoo-3.8.13 (multilib) (on /dev/sda8)" {

        insmod ext2

        set root='(hd0,8)'

        search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 92087a64-dac6-403a-be96-b54625340616

        linux /boot/gentoo-3.8.13 root=/dev/sda8 ro

}

```

Then glancing at your dmesg which is still showing me kernel framebuffer video mode set,

```
$ egrep '(device:|bus:|PM:)' dmesg.txt | wc -l

2112
```

Lot of entries.  Additional debug option?  Perhaps someone knows better after they glance at your dmesg.  My count for that is only 9.

While you have multi-display, note how basic the generated xorg.conf I'm using from aticonfig is.  You do not need the DRI2 module load.

```

Section "ServerLayout"

        Identifier     "aticonfig Layout"

        Screen      0  "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0" 0 0

EndSection

Section "Module"

EndSection

Section "Monitor"

        Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"

        Option      "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"

        Option      "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"

        Option      "DPMS" "true"

EndSection

Section "Device"

        Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"

        Driver      "fglrx"

        BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"

EndSection

Section "Screen"

        Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"

        Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"

        Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"

        DefaultDepth     24

        SubSection "Display"

                Viewport   0 0

                Depth     24

        EndSubSection

EndSection

```

But before all of that, it still sounds like you're having some framebuffer setting issue caused by grub, as what you stated sounds immediate.

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## PatomaS

Hi

Sorry for the delay in my answer.

Some of the options on the xorg.conf are from old tests, for instance the dri one, specifically that one was related to a test trying to get X to work on Xen, which I couldn't,but I had to stop the tests.

About how complex is the grub file/options, I have little to say. For me grub2 is just a mess that I have had little time/interest to get to understand, but the extra options, like mtrr, iommu, etc, those are mine, set on /etc/default/grub according to guides followed at some point to set the environment with better resolution. In this batch of tests, I have added and removed. Following common sense and your recommendations, I removed all the extra options from the kernel line on grub and tried to boot, when I got problems/errors, I added one by one, until I had the configuration as I was before when everything worked fine.

I'm lost here, I know the screen works and the system works, but I have no idea why there is no output to the screen.

If I have a little bit more time this week, I may just reinstall from scratch. I still will try to do some more tests.

Of course, thanks a lot for the help and answers.

Bye

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