driver confusion and dual monitor not working

[stuthebearded]

I've just installed linux on my main desktop for the first time ever (I've been running ubuntu on my laptop for a while). My desktop has a Radeon X1900XTX and I’m confused about which drivers to use. I notice from the Ubuntu repositories there are the following:

• Xorg-driver-fglrx (AMD’s propriety driver) (I have these installed at the moment)
• Xorg-driver-fglrx-envy (I guess this is also AMD’s propriety driver whats the difference between this one and the other?)
• xserver-xorg-video-ati
• xserver-xorg-video-radeon
• xserver-xorg-driver-ati
• xserver-xorg-video-radeonhd

So it appears theres six apparently very different packages other than the fglrx package which others support my X1900 and which would be the best to use? Basically I'd like it to work the way XP does it extend my desktop to the other screen and be able to use hardware acceleration on both.

The problem is that the dual screeen works correctly at the login screen but then goes to clone mode after i've logged in how does that work? from what I've noticed the login screen seems to use a different config to the main desktop as my laptop has the login screen running at 1280x800 and once logged in the resolution is 1680x1050 which is native res for the screen. Why don't they both read from the same hymm sheet so to speak. See this is why I'm confused as I don't fully understand whats going off. Also why the hell did ubuntu change the display-config-gtk for that new one in 8.04 its rubbish and doesn't do anything remotely useful

[chibacityblues]

You've counted -ati twice, this makes it five..

The differences are:

-flgrx : AMD's blob
-fglrx-envy : envy is a script that assists you in installing the most recent binary driver version. I guess this package is a newer version of the driver than -fglrx I'd stick with -flgrx anyway.
-ati : actually -ati just selects a fitting driver, -radeon in your case. -ati supports older ATI architectures (Mach, Rage, Rage128..) too.
-radeon : open source driver
-radeonhd : another open source implementation with a slightly different approach

Both the open source drivers should support your card. Which is better suited to your needs is hard to say, I'd guess -radeon because it is more mature. If you want 3D, better stick with -fglrx. To configure your screens graphically (assuming -fglrx), install the package fglrx-amdcccle and run amdcccle.

Hope this helped you.

[stuthebearded]

I've tried CCC but it doesn't work it takes ages to load and then the settings don't take affect properly hence extended desktop works for the login screen but doesn't work after I've logged in which is nothing short of very odd. I'm going to try the latest fglrx drivers this evening and i'll see what happens.