Mandrake X + Compaq laptop = blinking screen?!?! WTF?!

[THELAIR]

Argh... everything works cept for sound and X.

I can either get X working really well but only at 600x400, or at a higher resolution but at like 2 bit colour and after a reboot it blinks.

This is on mandrake 7.0

I think my biggest problem is WHAT HTE HELL VIDEO CARD DO I CHOOSE???

at one point i was able to run superprobe and got tihs information:

First Video: SVGA
Chipset: Trident SIG DATA: 85201023
Memory: 256 KB
RAM DAC: Sierra SC1148 {2,3,4} 15 bit or
SC1148 {5,7,9} 16/16bit Hi Color

I have tried 3 installations

1) recommended (automated)

X installed well, very clear, but limited to 600x400, DrakConf wouldnt let me change the screen resolution, no clue what it was that the automated install choose as my monitor

2) custom (not expert mode)
Picked what i thought is my REAL video card, the Trident CyberBlade 3D Graphics with 4 MB shared video memory (user-configurable to 2 MB, 4 MB or 8 MB)

X installed, but i dont know what monitor it selected, it started blinking.. the ENTIRE LCD panel shuts off, then back on, in about 3 second intervals...

now im gonna reinstall AGAIN, let it do a recommended install and see what hte hell it chose and see if i cant edit it.

All i want is 1024x768 mode @ 16bit colour

I have no net access on this laptop yet...

So basically, what i guess i want to know is this:

1) why does my laptop lcd screen blink?

2) if i get my x configured right, and its "nice" at 600x400 how do i increase its screen size if Drakconf doesnt work?

thanks for any clues

 

[MGMorden]

I'd try the automated install again and see if it will work again at 600x400. If so, edit /etc/X11/XF86Config and look for the section specifying available display resolutions. It should have "600x400" with something like MODES or such in front of it (sorry, don't remember exact syntax of the top of my head). just add the resolution you want to be default before it. For example, if it was "600x400", then make it "800x600" "600x400". When you resart X the first listed resolution is the default.

Good luck.