My Sony screen will not go into graphics mode, X is OK.

[tallboy]

Hi guys, I need some assistance.
My 21" Sony Multiscan 500PS screen will suddenly not show other than text mode. I boot off a live LupuPlus-5.2.8, so there is no corrupted X.

I have a working text mode with the Sony, I can run Xorgwizard with no complaints, and when I run Xwin, I can hear the familiar sound when X starts and set the new resoultion.
After that: black screen, no mouse, no visible reaction from keyboard, and the screen's setup menu don't show until I use Ctrl-Alt-Backspace and get back to text mode again.

At first, I thought the ATI graphic card failed, so I tried several graphic cards of several brands, but with similar results. I then fired up my old 19" Intergraph screen using the original ATI graphic card in the PC, and everything is back to normal. I also tested the other cards with the Intergraph; PC is OK, graphic cards are OK and Intergraph screen is OK.
Sony is not OK

Does anyone have some insight into what may be wrong? Is anyone familiar with problems with this Sony?

tallboy

[mill0001]

Hi tallboy: Can you hook the Sony up to another comp to see if it works with it?

[tallboy]

I have done that with 2 other old Linuxboxes, and also used different graphic cards in them, to no avail.

tallboy

[rokytnji]

Not familiar with sony screen but is the cable interchangeable with a working monitor to rule out a bad wire to vga pin in the cable?

[Semme]

Sure. If not hw, try vbetool. Maybe.. maybe reinstall the driver..

[tallboy]

rokytnji, I have used the same cable on the Intergraph monitor as I used on the Sony, and it seem to be in working order.

Semme, I have the impression that vbetool is for tweaking the PC's components more than for the monitor.

tallboy

[Semme]

Nope. Many times X fails me.. vbetool doesn't. It reinitializes the hw..

[tallboy]

Semme, thanks. I'll re-read the manual and see what I can make vbetool do.
Do you know if it exists as a .pet? I find it as an ubuntu item in the ppm.

tallboy