Linux Unleashed, Third Edition:Installing and Configuring XFree86

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SuperProbe

SuperProbe is a utility that attempts to determine the type of video card (and the amount of video RAM installed on that card) in many PC systems. It works on ISA, EISA, and VLB (local bus) architectures, but not on MCA or PCI architectures (although SuperProbe versions for these systems may be available by the time you read this book). If you already know which video card you have, then SuperProbe is of little use to you.

SuperProbe attempts to identify video cards by probing for certain known unique registers on each video card it knows about. This has one drawback: Some instructions executed by SuperProbe can cause your machine to lock up! Although it is unlikely damage will occur because of SuperProbe, the file system will have to be cleaned up if the machine must be reset. For this reason, make sure you are the only user on the machine. A backup of your system is also highly advisable.

Tip:
Running SuperProbe by itself is almost guaranteed to lock up any machine, so use it with care and follow the instructions in this section for giving SuperProbe a basic idea of the testing it should do.

SuperProbe is included as part of the XFree86 distribution set with many CD-ROMs and can be obtained from FTP and BBS sites that offer Linux software. SuperProbe is not exclusive to Linux but can run under several other PC UNIX systems. A man page is available for SuperProbe.

SuperProbe uses a number of command-line options to specify its behavior. Although the exact options change with each new release of the software, the basic options of interest to you are limited to a few:

• -bios specifies the video card BIOS’ address, normally set to C0000. If you should set your BIOS address to some other value, it will be specified with this option.

• -info displays a list of all video cards SuperProbe knows about and the names of the cards as recognized by SuperProbe.

• -no_16 disables 16-bit testing. Used only for old, 8-bit video cards.

• -no_bios disables testing of the video card BIOS and assumes the card is an EGA, VGA, SVGA, or later type. If your video card is new, this is a useful option for preventing many BIOS-caused system freezes.

• -no_dac disables testing for a RAMDAC type. This can be used with VGA and SVGA cards to prevent potential freezes.

• -no_mem skips the testing for the amount of video RAM installed on the video card.

• -order specifies the order in which chipsets should be tested. This is useful if you think you know the types of chipsets, but want confirmation. Alternatively, if you suspect the video card has one of a few chipsets, you can list just those.

• -verbose displays information on the screen as to the actions and results of SuperProbe. A useful option that should be used in all cases to show progress and potential problems.

One of the first steps to take is to display a list of all the video cards SuperProbe knows about. Issue the following command:


SuperProbe -info

and you see a list that shows the cards, chipsets, and RAMDACs that SuperProbe can recognize. Note that the utility name SuperProbe is mixed case, with uppercase S and P. This is unusual for a Linux system and may take experienced UNIX and Linux users a moment to get used to.

If you have an older 8-bit card, you can determine the chipset with the following command:


SuperProbe -no16 -verbose

If you have a 16-bit (or higher) card which you suspect to be an S3, Cirrus Logic, or Tseng chipset, for example, you can use the -order option to simplify testing (and prevent potential problems):


SuperProbe -order S3,Cirrus,Tseng -verbose

There are no spaces between chipsets specified after the order option. The verbose option lets you see what is going on. It is advisable to narrow the search for a chipset in this way to prevent lockups. Even if you know exactly which video card is in your system, don’t assume SuperProbe will function properly. SuperProbe has an annoying habit of hanging up a system because of conflicts with other cards or devices. Use it with care.

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