Intel 852/855 graphics on Dell laptop

[WA9ALS - John]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Wendel" <jwendel at fnmoc.navy.mil>
To: <fedora-list at redhat.com>
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 5:52 PM
Subject: Re: Intel 852/855 graphics on Dell laptop


> On Friday 02 January 2004 02:42 pm, WA9ALS - John wrote:
>
> > Problem:  I can't get any screen resolution other than 640x480 on
> > my Dell laptop D500 with Intel 852/855 chipset.  It is an XGA
> > display whose max is 1024x786 in true color in Windows.
> >
>
> Why don't you post your XF86Config file. Maybe someone will see
> somthing you missed.
>
> Also, did you try using the <ctrl><alt><+> key combination to switch
> screen resolutions?
>
> Regards,
>
> John

1.  <ctrl><alt><+> didn't work.
2.  I posted my XF86Config file - no takers, and I think there's more to it
than that anyway.
3.  I found a pretty specific document that describes how to do what I need,
but I'm still too inexperienced to carry out what it says.  Let me try to
describe that:

First, I got the Intel 852/855 Linux driver(s) in an rpm file and installed
it with the RH package manager, no errors.

I found /var/lib/dripkg and ran install.sh.  The document says that the
defaults should be OK for "most people" (not a Fedora-specific doc, but does
mention RH7.3).  I get errors at one point in that routine.  Apparently
something has to be compiled into some part of the kernel, and mine's not
acceptable.  I have the latest kernel, but I'm not sure that I have all of
what I need - The document says to install Linux and then download "kernel
headers" (for RH7.3, on CD#2, /RedHat/RPMS/kernel-source-2.4.18-i386.rpm).
That just looks like an old kernel source file to me.  Alternatively they
say to load your kernel config file, save the config, and then "make dep".
Then you run install.sh, and then make a change in the XF86Config file, and
now your screen resolution is supposed to work as expected.

Basically, it sounds like some part of the kernel needs to be changed and
then recompiled - Is that correct?  Anyone willing to take on helping me get
this Dell laptop going with the Intel 852/855 chipset?  There are bound to
be many others facing the same problem (screen res only 640x480) that could
benefit from figuring this out.  Thanks, and sorry for the poorly-described
procedures. - John, back on the Windows box!