S3 ProSavage8 not working.

rabcor · 2013-04-01 09:09:46

lspci -k gives
VGA compatible controller: S3 Inc. VT8375 [ProSavage8 KM266/KL266]
Subsystem: Mitac Device 8381

(So no kernel driver seems to be loaded)
On an old amd laptop this is the case.

If i start up X my screen gets all messed up and the computer freezes up.
Xorg.0.log spits out something like this (i have to write it all down since i'm not on the laptop)

(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libint10.so
(II) Module int10: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
compiled for 1.14.0, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 14.1
(II) SAVAGE(0): initializing int10
(II) SAVAGE(0): Primary V_BIOS segment is: 0xc000
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA BIOS detected
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE Version 3.0
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE Total Mem: 31680 kB
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE OEM: S3 Graphics ProSavage DDR Family BIOS
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE OEM Software Rev: 2.0
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE OEM Vendor: S3 Graphics Incorporated.
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE OEM Product: VBE 3.0
(II) SAVAGE(0): VESA VBE OEM Product Rev: Rev 0.0
(EE) SAVAGE(0): DRI isn't enabled
(--) SAVAGE(0): Chose mode 118 at 60Hz

And at this point the computer was crashed and the screen was in a mess and i had to forcefully shut it down.

How can i solve this issue? would a simple modprobe do the trick?

NoSavvy · 2013-04-01 09:50:57

To get mine working I had to use the LTS kernel and in ' xorg.conf ' :- Had to use ' Option "DisableTile" .

Last edited by NoSavvy (2013-04-01 09:51:21)

rabcor · 2013-04-01 10:53:25

I tried installing the LTS kernel and then adding

Section "Device"
Identifier "S3 Savage"
Driver "savage"
Option "DisableTile" "True"
EndSection

To xorg.conf

It didn't change anything for me. I also added all the options in here. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Savage

No luck.

The thing worked fine with windows xp it wasn't even that slow, in fact it was fast enough that i didn't realize this laptop was half as old as it is. i guess the 512mb of memory really helped. and i was hoping swap on linux could help even more.
It's a "Medion MAM2010" laptop.

Surprisingly enough it actually has 32 and 64 bit drivers for winxp.

Last edited by rabcor (2013-04-01 11:13:40)

NoSavvy · 2013-04-01 11:21:45

@rabcor

I will get to the other old PC and look at the xorg.conf for you later this evening. I know this was very frustrating for me and it took ages to get it to work.

NS.

rabcor · 2013-04-01 11:22:00

using the LTS kernel didn't help at all, setting the driver to vesa instead of savage got me somewhere, but i've still got ways to go before its actually to be considered functional.

Thanks NS

Edit:
I managed to make it barely work simply by using vesa instead of the savage drivers. i was able to get into xfce4. however the performance is really bad so i want to be able to make it work using the savage drivers.
With vesa the thing works well enough apart from crashing if i turn off X (hehe) for doing all the things i need to be able to do on the laptop except for watching videos. thats why i'll need to find a way to get the savage drivers working.

Last edited by rabcor (2013-04-01 13:23:22)

NoSavvy · 2013-04-01 18:47:33

#rabcor

Looks like I'm no help as I've now checked the old PC.
Xorg.conf only had the Option "DisableTile" although I did have the Option "NoAccel" " true" hashed out.
The kernel was 3.0.65-1-lts.

rabcor · 2013-04-02 06:45:24

Aw man. well i'll try out that combination anyways since you went through the trouble of checking it for me, maybe it'll work :)
It might be different because i'm on a laptop and not a desktop

nop :(

Is there a chance i'd have better luck with an older version of X?

Last edited by rabcor (2013-04-02 06:58:49)

seahawk1986 · 2013-06-06 08:35:57

Hi,
I tried it on an old laptop today - seems there is a unsopported call within the xf86-video-savage driver. Removing "miInitializeBackingStore(pScreen);" from src/savage_driver.c did the trick (probably someone forgot to remove this call like in other drivers, for example http://www.mail-archive.com/xorg-devel@ … 3787.html):

# $Id: PKGBUILD 181070 2013-03-31 08:09:15Z andyrtr $
# Maintainer: Jan de Groot <jgc@archlinux.org>

pkgname=xf86-video-savage
pkgver=2.3.6
pkgrel=4
pkgdesc="X.org savage video driver"
arch=(i686 x86_64)
url="http://xorg.freedesktop.org/"
license=('custom')
depends=('glibc')
makedepends=('xorg-server-devel' 'X-ABI-VIDEODRV_VERSION=14' 'resourceproto' 'scrnsaverproto')
conflicts=('xorg-server<1.14.0' 'X-ABI-VIDEODRV_VERSION<14' 'X-ABI-VIDEODRV_VERSION>=15')
optdepends=('savage-dri: DRI1 support from community repo')
options=(!libtool)
groups=('xorg-drivers' 'xorg')
source=(${url}/releases/individual/driver/${pkgname}-${pkgver}.tar.bz2
        git_fixes.diff)
sha256sums=('48813ed8f4a08858e8c2466fd2dc810ea31f86842025fa39ec949d44f9ad63d6'
            'b415bab5bbad890365c649fe3daa47db23428e92b4a4d8e5aa685e9d78de668d')

build() {
  cd "${srcdir}/${pkgname}-${pkgver}"
  patch -Np1 -i ${srcdir}/git_fixes.diff
sed -i "s/miInitializeBackingStore(pScreen);//g" src/savage_driver.c
  ./configure --prefix=/usr
  make
}

package() {
  #cd "${srcdir}/${pkgname}-${pkgver}"
  cd ${srcdir}/${pkgname}*
  make DESTDIR="${pkgdir}" install

  install -d -m755 "${pkgdir}/usr/share/licenses/${pkgname}"
  install -m644 COPYING "${pkgdir}/usr/share/licenses/${pkgname}/"

bgc1954 · 2013-06-06 16:08:06

You could try the solutions posted here: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=158803

I had some luck with the xorg.conf options he outlined in this thread or downgrading actually worked as well on my old T21.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-04-01 09:09:46

S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#2 2013-04-01 09:50:57

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#3 2013-04-01 10:53:25

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#4 2013-04-01 11:21:45

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#5 2013-04-01 11:22:00

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#6 2013-04-01 18:47:33

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#7 2013-04-02 06:45:24

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#8 2013-06-06 08:35:57

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

#9 2013-06-06 16:08:06

Re: S3 ProSavage8 not working.

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