How to restore video drivers

Asked by EricS

My video drivers had deteriorated so that I could only use 800X600. I tried to pick a driver for my card from the list in screens and video but could not. I decided to go to dell and enter my computer code to see if they had any Linux drivers and they did. I only wanted to unzip the package and read the readme file but it when t ahead and installed when I clicked on it. I rebooted and the next thing I knew the phrase "too many parameters whipped by on the screen" and I was in some sort of TTY mode. I tried to get out (for several days) but to no avail. I had downloaded an ISO image of the latest UBUNTU install disk a few hours before the accident and copied it over to my windows computer. A day later and I have succeeded in burning a working copy. I have booted up from the CD and found that the video driver is exactly what I need for may board. I would like to copy Just the driver onto the system that exists on the hard drive and then set it so it will boot back into graphic mode. I don't want to reinstall as I have put a lot of software and emails on the hard drive system already.

Can you tell me how to put just what I need from the CD onto my hard drive?

Thank you for any help you can provide,

Eric

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Ubuntu xorg Edit question
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Solved by:
marcobra (Marco Braida)
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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said :
#1

....My video drivers had deteriorated so that I could only use 800X600....

Try to reconfigure your X graphic server:

1) If you can only use tty terminal:
Make a login with your user and password and go to point 3.

2) If you can use Gnome Gui:
Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications->Accessories->Terminal:

3) To reconfigure xorg please type:

cd /etc/X11
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.800-600
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
sudo reboot

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Thank you

Revision history for this message
EricS (ericsellers) said :
#2

I tried but it seems when I use the cp command the file cannot be created so permission is denied. Can you tell me what the equivalent of the attrib command in windows is please. I also tried to do it when logged in under the CD session since it is gui but of course I was not the owner and couldn't do anything. I did notice that there wasn't a copy of xorg.conf.800.600 in this folder though. There was a "failsafe version" and a few others. Do you think, given that I have the right permissions, that I could copy the xorg.conf from my CD session to the appropriate folder on my hard drive and make it work or does this file control more than just the video driver?

Thanks,

Eric

Revision history for this message
Best marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said :
#3

....My video drivers had deteriorated so that I could only use 800X600....

Try to reconfigure your X graphic server:

1) If you can only use tty terminal:
Make a login with your user and password and go to point 3.

2) If you can use Gnome Gui:
Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications->Accessories->Terminal:

3) To reconfigure xorg please type:

cd /etc/X11
sudo cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.800-600
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
sudo reboot

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Thank you

Revision history for this message
EricS (ericsellers) said :
#4

This worked great! Thank you so much. It also gave me some insight into how it works so I can begin to work with it on an intelligent basis, I think, after all that it is an excellent operating system. Again, thank you.

Thanks from a grateful user,

Eric

Revision history for this message
EricS (ericsellers) said :
#5

Thanks marcobra, that solved my question.

Revision history for this message
Rick Lange (lange-rick) said :
#6

hey...question...what if it stops you at "cd /etc/x11"

...my terminal says "No such file or directory"...everything I've tried to fix my vid driver has only had the purpose of making it worse...I can't even use my webcam or mplayer any more...I'd do a fresh reinstall if i didn't need my computer for projects/papers for college every week or so...

my last 3 questions posted on launchpad timed out...I'm really frustrated by this whole...this is about the point where I "would" start cheating in a game...

I'm running a Dell Mini 10 on Ubuntu 9.10, and apparently...my xorg.cong is non-existant...and my netbook complains about needing to be in low graphics mode every boot...I've attempted the fixes at the boot level...none of them work...and I am thoroughly frustrated