# FreeBSD-10 : Xorg doesn't work



## cmic (Apr 15, 2014)

Hello

I tried 3 times (downloaded FreeBSD-10 netinstall installed thru Internet) then:

```
prompt#pkg install xorg. 
prompt#xorg -configure 
prompt#xorg -config -config xorg.conf.new
```
... end the the computer is frozen. I had to press big button and restart.

Having questions about Xorg itself, i installed a recent version of Linux Debian and Xorg works OK with Debian: so the culprit seems to be FreeBSD Xorg?

My PC: old one Nec PowerMate AMD64, graphic  card: `lspci` says: [AMD] nee ATI RS480 [Radeon Xpress 200G series]
Any hint to make FreeBSD-10 and Xorg works on this hardware ? disapointed ... x( 
NB: last year, FreeBSD 9.1 and Xorg did work OK on this PC.

--
michel marcon aka cmic
sysadmin


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## wblock@ (Apr 15, 2014)

*Re: FreeBSD-10 : Xorg doesn"t works*

This may be due to the KMS drivers.  X can make the switch to graphics mode, but the old console cannot switch back.  The computer is not frozen, it just can't show what you are typing.

So... don't generate an xorg.conf.  Try starting X without any configuration at all, and let it auto-config.


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## cmic (Apr 16, 2014)

Hello 
@wblock

I have downloaded FreeBSD-10 x86 (32bits) just to be sure it is not a problem of architecture.
then I tried X alone (as you suggest): no way ! Black screen, no kbd access, as on AMD64 version
Thx for the tip about KMS. I didn't knew the KMS thing: it might be the culprit.

I am donloading FreeBSD-9.2 AMD 64 and gonna try this.
More on  that later

cheers.
--
marcon aka cmic


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## SirDice (Apr 16, 2014)

cmic said:
			
		

> I am donloading FreeBSD-9.2 AMD 64 and gonna try this.


It's going to have the same issue. It uses the same sc(4) driver for the console and it has no notion of KMS.


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## wblock@ (Apr 16, 2014)

I should have included this earlier: Installing KMS Ports.  Also, that just gets the KMS drivers.  For the graphics console, a custom kernel using vt(4) must be installed.  On 10-STABLE, there is a kernel config file called VT which does that.


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## cmic (Apr 17, 2014)

I downloaded and installed FreeBSD-9.2 AMD64 and (after PITA fighting with the set up of PKGNG (Grrr!!)), Installed Xorg and XFCE4. So bad I didn't succeeded to do the same with FreeBSD-10.

However I gonne am going to try another time with the hint you show about KMS driver. More on that later 9-)

NB: the transition from pkg to PKGNG (in FreeBSD 9-2 for example) its rather not well documented. Particularly the config files pkg.conf, the repositories and its "fingerprints". I had to fumble in the docs, forums, etc. As a general Sysadmin (Linux, Irix, ..), sorry to say, but this kind of mess shouldn't exist. No OS war though.

Cheers


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## SirDice (Apr 17, 2014)

cmic said:
			
		

> NB: the transition from pkg to PKGNG (in FreeBSD 9-2 for example) its rather not well documented. Particularly the config files pkg.conf, the repositories and its "fingerprints". I had to fumble in the docs, forums, etc. As a general Sysadmin (Linux, Irix, ..), sorry to say, but this kind of mess shouldn't exist. No OS war though.


Yes, the documentation can be improved. But at the moment they're more focussed on getting functionality working and fixing bugs. And because things still change a lot the documentation would have to be modified too. Once everything is working correctly and the functionality doesn't change as much I'm sure the documentation will get a lot better.


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