[clug-talk] Problems with dual head graphics cards.

[Dafydd Crosby]

The cards are kind of old, so some quirkiness is to be expected.

It sounds a bit like a software issue - do you know which X driver 
you're using on the Predator? Also, was there anything in /var/log/ that 
gave a clue as to what was happening?

-Dafydd


On 10/22/2010 01:26 AM, Ralph Boland wrote:
> I haven't had much success with the dual head graphics cards that David C.
> handed out.  The problems are likely problems with my system and not
> the cards themselves but opinions on my problems appreciated.
>
> My computer is a custom built (Memory Express, XMas time 2009) desktop
> ($400) using an AMD Athlon II with 2GB memory.
> I only have one screen so far so I didn't test the cards in dual screen mode.
>
> First, I added the first card together with a wireless card I had.
> (I am not using the wireless card.  I used it once upon a time with my old
> machine but since my old machine died it was not in any machine.
> I took the occasion to put it in my new machine as a safe place to store it.)
>
> The first card worked but didn't support my screen size (1024X1280).
> I then switched to the second card, the Predator LTZ.  With this card my
> mouse would freeze after about 5 minutes.  So I removed it.
> Then my computer worked for perhaps 15 minutes but would then freeze
> and the screen would go black as well.  (CTRL-ALT F5 (etc)) was
> completely ignored for both ways of my computer freezing.
>
> So I removed the wireless card as well and my computer worked fine for a
> week.  I then decided to try the Predator without the wireless card but my
> computer would then not boot.
> It froze after reporting the name of the graphics card.
> So I switched slots for the card and  tried again but with the same result.
> I have only two slots for the cards.
> So I removed the Predator card again and my computer works fine again.
>
> I don't  see any pattern here that tells me what is broken.
> Is the problem hardware or software?
> Should I buy and install a new dual head graphics card?
>
> I can bring the graphics cards and wireless cards to the next meeting if
> anyone wants to try them out.
>
> Comments welcome.
>
> Ralph (Rocky) Boland
>
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