can i install xfree3 ?

moxen · Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2002 11:47 am Post subject: can i install xfree3 ?

greetings!

I own a very old laptop (Pentium 75Mhz, CT65545) which has its difficulties with xfree4. After the "XFree86 -configure" I can startx X but my screen becomes just white. It is like it is overcharging. I just can't figure out how to get it working even with my old xfree3-config-file. The same values (hsync,vsync, etc..) don't work under xfree4. The screen always becomes white. The only problem that I can see is a line that says (WW) CHIPS(0): Failed to set up write-combining range (0x3e00000,0x100000). However. I searched the internet and there I read about "MTRR". So I compiled the kernel one time with MTRR and one time without MTRR but it didn't help. At the end I posted a message in a forum on XFree86.org. But I am not sure that I will get an answer there.
My question now is: Is there actually a way to install xfree3 in gentoo ? If I do so, will I destroy the integrity of the whole portage stuff on my system ? Or is there a good way to play around with ebuild scripts ?
Has somebody ever done anything similiar ?
I would be thankful if anybody knew advice.
regards
moxen

Naan Yaar · Bodhisattva Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 1549

Some information in this thread. You can install XFree 3.x from a source tarball or binary and the do "emerge inject" to fool portage into believing that it is installed.

moxen · Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2002 6:15 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the quick answer. I've read the other thread. I am sure that sooner or later somebody will hack an ebuild script. I am not at all into progamming and so. But what is this emerge -inject about ? I can't find any documentation about this. Do I have to umerge xfree4 first ? I think that I could install the binaries of xfree3. But wouldn't all the ebuilds (hence programs that I emerge later) from portage expect the libs and stuff from xfree4 later, even if it believed that it is installed. In other words: What garantuee do I have, that xfree3 serves the whole portage system as good as xfree4 ? OK.OK. I would have to try. So: only one question: where can I read about "-inject" ?
thnx

Naan Yaar · Bodhisattva Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 1549

It is actually "emerge inject" or "emerge -i". I mistyped in the above post; sorry.
From "man emerge"

moxen · Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2002 11:08 am Post subject:

This sounds like I should only try it as last possibility. When you say that something would probably break, then you also mean programs which are already installed ? Like the whole gnome stuff ? All in all I'll only do it if my messages at XFree86.org really don't lead to something. (And then: with my experience I am pretty sure to end up rather installing Debian or so..

n0n · Guru Joined: 13 Jun 2002 Posts: 355

Well, anything that was compiled using version 4-specific things will obviously have some problems . . . DRI and AGP stuff . . . Although if you're on an older laptop like you said, then you're probably not using any of that fancy stuff anyway. Back when 4.0 had come out, I swapped back and forth a number of times, and everything seemed to work fine. Make sure you install X3 into a clean (empty) /usr/X11R6, and you'll want to swap out /etc/X11 as well. If you're just using some basic X stuff, you should probably be okay. If you have problems with a particular app, probably re-emerging that app would work okay (just to re-link against the correct libraries, etc).

That said, personally I'd spend some more time trying to figure out why it's not working under version 4. I've found it to be better in every respect, especially now that it's had a little time to mature. I'd see if there's an XFree mailing list, actually. I've found mailing lists tend to be more helpful than forums (the Gentoo forums excepting, of course) . . .

moxen · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 12:55 pm Post subject:

OK. This reply is to complete the thread. I tried to install xfree3. X worked but everything else was broken. Nothing functioned or compiled anymore. After a while I installed debian3 (woody) on my laptop because I couldn't find any solution for my problem. Debian3 comes with xfree4.1 It was configured by the debian-tool during installation. It worked instantly without problems. I kept the xfconfig-file and reinstalled gentoo1.2. I ended up in having the same problem as before ! No matter what I did.
Finally somebody from XFree86.org told me how to work around. The solution is to just take the XFREE_SVGA server from xfree3.3.6 into /usr/X11R6/bin and set a link from "X" to "XFREE_SVGA". Keep the xfconfig-file from xfree3 in /etc ! This workes great !!! All libs and fonts from xfree4.2 are still there. Everything compiles without problems. And X functions like it used to.
I hope that this can help to everybody who has the same problem.

kode54 · n00b Joined: 16 May 2002 Posts: 42

MTRR will only work with 686 generation CPUs or newer, ie. Pentium II or Athlon.

Correction, it is also supported by a few 586/686 generation chips such as some K6-2 models, K6-3, some Winchips, etc. See this: http://www.au.linuxvideo.org/user/mtrr.txt

Pointless, though, since you did say you have a Pentium.