How to disable SLI on linux boot?

[penguin7009]

Hi all, loving Pclos2010.  I have an Alienware m17x notebook with the twin gt260 nividia and one onboard nvidia Geforce 9400m gt.  I would like to know how to edit the xconfig file to always use the 9400 gt.  Or is there a way to blacklist the 9400 and use the 260?

The problem is:  After installing Pclos with the power cord plugged in x configures vga for the two gt260 cards.  However when the computer is started with the power cord unplugged the bios switches to the onboard 9400 and the computer will not longer boot into gui because a new entry is written to x.

It would appear that xfdrake only sees the two 260 cards and automatically configures them for the default.  When I run nvidia-xconfig as the nvidia control panel suggests the graphics start working but then on reboot I get the problem and from then on the computer will not boot.  I have tried disabling the cards in the bios but it keeps on changing the settings depending on weather or not the power cord is pluggen in.  I want to use linux on this computer and only have windows 7 installed to operate the fx system.

Is there any way known to man to fix this problem without taking the two 260's out?

penguin

[penguin7009]

Ok, did some research on this problem.  Over at ****** forums some folks have an older thread concerning this problem and have had limited success at getting the problem solved. 

Seems that the bios senses the the power cord is not present from the acpi and changes the selected settings in the bios which pclos looks for when booting.  Naturally if one boots into pclos with the power cord disconnected pclos tries in vain to use the original settings to boot and fails.

Apparently there is no bios downgrade to just use the gt260 cards and I can't see any way to remove or disconnect the nvidia 9400 graphics card?

Would it be possible to write a script for xorg that would select the proper card on boot regardless of which one is needed according to the bios change?  Is anyone here savy enough to help with that?  I know I'm not

penguin

[penguin7009]

Allrighty then, on this thread Tex was talking about how to create an auto xconf file:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,67963.msg553956.html#msg553956

Can anyone elaborate a little on how to do it, exactly what the process and commands are?  Would or could this be incorporated into the boot menu and if so how or what would the code be? It would need to look at the situation from the bios and choose the proper nvidia card to use or pick the one available?

Thanks, penguin

[T6]

sorry to ask, isn't supposedly the nvidia driver responsible to administer this setting?

in some bios you can specify some options related to integrated video cards, no options on this alienware?

[penguin7009]

sorry to ask, isn't supposedly the nvidia driver responsible to administer this setting?

in some bios you can specify some options related to integrated video cards, no options on this alienware?

Hey good to hear from you T6.  Yes there is a setting to enable/disable the graphics cards in the bios.  Trouble is when the power cord is plugged/unplugged the bios switches from sli to onboard graphics card and there is no way to disable this function in the alienware notebooks with the dual 260 gt cards with the onboard 9400m.

So what happens is if you install pclos with the power cord plugged in ( which is what most folks do)  when you unplug the power cord and start the computer Pclos or any other linux tries to use the previous xorg settings which are now wrong. 

The only way I have found to get around this is to reset the bios every time the computer is rebooted in a different configuration--bummer. So I was wondering if the "auto" xorg setting Tex was talking would take care of the problem.  As I understand it usually one one configuration can be had a any given time?

What do you think?

penguin

[T6]

i don't have the knowledge to help you on this but i remember a post talking about 2009.1 in livecd with some files saved in the usb, oriented to work with multiple pcs with very different hardware but keeping same settings but i can't find it

maybe a admin could do a better job doing the search or Texstar could give you more ideas on how to apply this

[Was_Just19]

penguin7009,
                         I have no knowledge of the PC itself, but would wonder if there is some power setting in the BIOS which could be edited.
 
 It is obviously causing the switch for mains/battery operation.
Maybe that setting could be changed in BIOS?

[penguin7009]

penguin7009,
                         I have no knowledge of the PC itself, but would wonder if there is some power setting in the BIOS which could be edited.
 
 It is obviously causing the switch for mains/battery operation.
Maybe that setting could be changed in BIOS?

Hey JohnBoy, good to hear from you.  It's a Phoenix Bios version A02.  As you know the Main screen is just the basics of the computer.  Under the Advanced tab the only two that would help are the graphics card selection (which doesn't have auto) or the Adapter Warning which just turns off the alert about using the twin 260 cards but does not enable the ability to use them any way.

The computer continues to take control of the selection of the graphics card regardless of the manual settings through the acpi system.

penguin

[Was_Just19]

What happens if you boot without acpi enabled?

[penguin7009]

What happens if you boot without acpi enabled?

Well just tried it. No joy here, the bios is a devil.  I thought of calling support over at Dell and talk to a tech to find out if I could reflash the bios to one that doesn't do that?

penguin