[conspire] supported graphics cards?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Ken Bernard (kenbernard at gmail.com):

> Thanks Rick, everything you mentioned is of course TRUE. 

Flatterer.  ;->

> The video display problem is:
> The PC displays the Knoppix penguin and boot options screen(s), but then
> Knoppix does not display, I get a pink and grey display that looks like old
> time TV static but is not flickering.

Web-search on 'knoppix cheat codes' and you find:
http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes

That lists things you can provide on the GRUB boot prompt for various special
needs, which includes forcing the use of the specific X.org video
driver.  Mind you, Knoppix is probably autodetecting the need to use the
X.org 'radeon' driver, and just not able to support the hardware, but
you can check:

knoppix xmodule=radeon

Or use a generic:

knoppix xmodule=vesa

knoppix xmodule=svga

Neither of those would probably make you very happy even if they work,
but are worth looking at.  In all likelihood, I suspect the near-term
answer is a proprietary (add-on) fglrx driver and the longterm one is an
upcoming revision of the X.org 'radeon' driver.

> Cabal suggests an older 1GB NVidia video card, and/or checking the distro
> wiki for how to get fgirx / Catalyst to support the above mentioned
> integrated graphics.

Sounds about right, but I see nothing that particularly compelling about
Nvidia _and_ they are particularly non-cooperative with open source.  If
the card's a couple of years old, the non-cooperation won't matter
because X.org's 'nv' driver will have caught up with it, but I'd
personally favour non-Nvidia generally.