Jun 28, 07 | Ubuntu Dapper, Dell E521, and ATI x1300
As noted in the previous post, I have been having nothing but trouble with getting drivers to work with my video card (an ATI x1300 Pro 256mb) under Linux on my Dell E521. The reason I mention the make and model is that, apparently, this is part of the problem. However, after much, much time and effort, I have found a solution! This post is a step-by-step tutorial to getting 3D acceleration, provided you have a system configuration similiar to my own. And, while this tutorial is intended for Dapper, it should also work with Edgy (but not Feisty, don’t ask me why). Please let me know of any hangups.
First do a clean install of Ubuntu Dapper (6.06 LTS)
Enable universe and multiverse repositories by editing the sources list:
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Uncomment all repositories (you can change this back later if you feel unsafe).
Next open the terminal and type:
sudo apt-get update
This will reload and update the repository list. Afterwards reboot.
For installation, you will need several extra packages in order to build the driver, so type the following:
sudo apt-get install module-assistant build-essential
sudo apt-get install fakeroot dh-make debconf libstdc++5 linux-headers-$(uname -r)
Download version 32.5 of the ati proprietary driver, which can be found here:
8.32.5
The reason we use this driver and not the most recent is that all other versions are broken for this computer, kernel, xorg version, or video card. Thanks ATI!
Open the terminal, navigate to the folder to which you downloaded the file, and type:
sudo sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.32.5-x86.6.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/dapper
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
sudo module-assistant prepare
sudo module-assistant update
sudo module-assistant build fglrx
sudo module-assistant install fglrx
sudo depmod -a
ATI would tell you to run aticonfig –initial at this point, but that can lead to segmentation faults. So, we will change our xorg.conf manually:
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
First find the “Device” section and replace “vesa” or “ati” with “fglrx”. Then add the following:
Driver "fglrx"
Option "mtrr" "off"
Option "UseFastTLS" "2"
Option "EnablePrivateBackZ" "on" # Gentoo Ati Driver Howto recommends this for X1300
Option "UseInternalAGPGART" "no" # allow xorg to use the intel_agp module
At the end of the file add:
Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "false"
Option "XVideo" "Enable"
Option "DAMAGE" "no"
EndSection
Save xorg.conf and close the window. Our final step is to enable overlay, to do this ATI would recommend just typing aticonfig –overlay-type=Xv, however, this too can lead to segmentation errors. Instead, first exit your Xwindows session back pressing:
CTRL+ALT+F1
Now you may have to login again, that’s fine. Once in, type:
sudo aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv
Everything should be golden, so reboot:
sudo shutdown -r now
When Ubuntu comes back up, run fglrxinfo in the terminal. It should say that you are direct rendering. Run glxgears, and they you should see gears moving with FPS output in the terminal. FPS may seem slower than usual, but this is the price you pay for having the ATI x1300 PRO.
If you have Ubuntu Edgy instead of Dapper, I hear the 33.6 driver will work as well as the 32.5 used here. So just replace every instance of Dapper with Edgy, and 32.5 with 33.6. The 33.6 driver can be found here: 8.33.6
Hope this helps! Let me know if you get stuck.
06/29/07 | leszek
The easiest way is to install the newer version (Feisty 7.04) and then follow the official documentation which is much more easy:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI