Trouble Recognizing graphics Device after 8.04 -> 8.10 upgrade -- low graphics mode

You will find the xorg.conf looks quite vanilla. This is normal because the file has been deprecated in the new Xorg 7.4. If you look at the header comments to this file you will find

# Note that some configuration settings that could be done previously
# in this file, now are automatically configured by the server and settings
# here are ignored.

Please trying installing ATI proprietary drivers from the menu System-> Administration-> Hardware Drivers. This should install the new Catalyst 8.10 drivers.

Hi
System->Administration->Hardware Drivers is empty.

To Provide a bit more information:

At Boot I get
"Ubuntu is running in low graphics mode, screen, graphics card, and input device setting could not be detected correctly, you will need to configure these yourself."

I have downloaded
ati-driver-installer-8-10-x86.x86_64.run from ati (http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html)

when run it gives:
Created directory fglrx-install.E27075
Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing ATI Proprietary Linux Driver-8.542...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
==================================================
 ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager
==================================================

Error: ./default_policy.sh does not support version
default:v2:i686:lib::none:2.6.27-7-generic; make sure that the version is being
correctly set by --iscurrentdistro

I just found this text on http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810

ATI "fglrx" video support

The ATI video driver in 8.10 drops support for video cards with r300 based chips (the Radeon 9500 - X600 Series of cards). If you have such a card, please use "Hardware Drivers" at System/Administration to disable it before the upgrade. Please see bug 284408 for more information "

so It looks like my card is completely unsupported in intrepid ibex. and related to the bug reported here:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/fglrx-installer/+bug/284408

i apear to currently be running the vesa drivers.

After all that -- the following instructions worked for me:

1. sudo apt-get remove --purge fglrx*
2. sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-xorg-video-ati
xserver-xorg-video-radeon
3. sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-ati

At Least:
There are no errors on boot, and compiz-fusion is working

After upgrading to Intrepid from 8.04, I am experiencing the same problem as Hali, except my card is a Radeon 3650, and my Restricted Hardware utility does show the Proprietary FGLRX Driver as being enabled.

Dug around a little bit, and it looks like I'm getting the following backtrace in Xorg.log:

(II) Loading sub module "fglrxdrm"
(II) LoadModule: "fglrxdrm"

(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/linux//libfglrxdrm.so
(II) Module fglrxdrm: vendor="FireGL - ATI Technologies Inc."
 compiled for 1.4.99.906, module version = 8.54.3
 ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 1.1
(II) fglrx(0): Using adapter: 1:0.0.

Backtrace:
0: /usr/X11R6/bin/X(xf86SigHandler+0x79) [0x80c3009]
1: [0xb7f6b400]
2: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//fglrx_drv.so(atiddxPcsLoadKernelDatabase+0xbc) [0xb770b4cc]
3: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//fglrx_drv.so [0xb76e9ffa]
4: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//fglrx_drv.so(atiddxPreInit+0x764) [0xb76e2d44]
5: /usr/X11R6/bin/X(InitOutput+0x96f) [0x80aac9f]
6: /usr/X11R6/bin/X(main+0x279) [0x8071b19]
7: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xe5) [0xb7b6e685]
8: /usr/X11R6/bin/X [0x8071101]
Saw signal 11. Server aborting.

Hali,

I did the same thing, and I am up working with the same results, but I have an issue with my laptop lid sensor not being recognized now. The laptop overheats now because of this. What about you?

My system is a desktop.

Hali,

You should not have marked this ticket "SOLVED"; you did not actually solve the problem. By switching from fglrx to the open-source radeon/ati driver, you implemented a workaround. Please open this ticket back up so that the package maintainers can see it as an unresolved issue.

Hi Brian.

Sorry -- thanks. Since the ticket seems to be a duplicate of 284408, how do I get it merged ?

Take a look to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/fglrx-installer/+bug/284505/comments/14. It worked out for me ;)