Hello there,
I managed to get an old Clevo M720Sr running Zorin OS. The live version running from the USB stick supports 1024X768 (which I can make do with) but after installing, it's stuck at 640x480. I've done a bit of digging around looking for a possible solution and have found nothing but dead ends. Also, I do remember having another distro (Mint 13 I think) runnning at 1024x768, but I can't remember the procedure involved. I'm a bit of a linux newb, but not afraid to use the terminal.
. Maybe someone can help?
Here I found some information, I'd recommend Zorin lite for your old machine. I think a distribution that supports older kernels and is more lightweight is better.
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/wjgmxg/trouble_with_sis_671771_graphics_is_there_any/
In this link is not mentioned which Zorin lite version was used. Zorin 16 is no more supported, but you could install Zorin 17 lite and install kernel 5.15. Surely older versions are not so heavy and support your computer better, but they are not safe to use if you want to connect to internet.
But I'm not sure if it will work. Someone says he got it to work in Q4OS with trinity. You could try this first. In Q4OS is also a 32 bit version offered if you need it.
Here is a script on github maybe it can help. Probably you should adapt the line "XORG_VERSION" so that it shows the xorg version which is used in your distribution. In Zorin 17.3 Lite the xorg version is 1.21. But I'm not familar with scripts - perhaps someone else can advice you. In the comments of github there are some helpful tips.
Or here is described how to change the drivers - but on older Linux mint version
Hi and welcome. Unfortunately SiS graphics have always been geared towards that other OS. On doing a search I found this:
"Several Linux distributions and driver solutions can be used to support the SiS 671 graphics chip, though compatibility is limited and often requires manual setup. The most effective solutions are tied to older, lightweight distributions that use compatible versions of the X.org server and kernel.
For the SiS 671, a working driver is available through the xf86-video-sis671 project hosted on GitHub, which has been successfully used with Lubuntu 18.04 32-bit and Xubuntu 18.04 64-bit. This driver is recommended for systems like the Fujitsu-Siemens Esprimo Mobile v5535, which features the SiS Mirage 3+ 672MX chip. A bash script is also available to automate the installation process.
An alternative method involves using a driver package derived from Mageia Linux, which includes the necessary sisimedia_drv.so and sisimedia_drv.la files along with a modified xorg.conf file. This solution is specifically documented for Linux Mint 19.2 Xfce and Xubuntu 18.04.1, as these versions use a kernel and X.org stack compatible with the SiS 671 driver. The method requires manually copying the driver files to /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/ and replacing the system’s xorg.conf file. It is noted that this approach may not work on newer Ubuntu versions beyond 18.04.1.
Another historical driver, available from a personal blog, was used with Ubuntu 10.04 and required downloading a ZIP file containing the sis671_drv.* files, copying them to the driver directory, and modifying the xorg.conf file to specify the sis671 driver. This method also required a kernel patch to recognize the SiS 671 PCI ID and was tested on Xorg 7.0 and later.
In summary, the most reliable options are Linux Mint 19.2 Xfce or Xubuntu 18.04.1, using either the Mageia-derived driver package or the xf86-video-sis671 driver from GitHub. Newer distributions like Ubuntu 20.04 or later are unlikely to support the SiS 671 effectively due to changes in the X.org stack and driver compatibility.
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts."
Zorin 17 is based on Ubuntu 22.04 and therefore it appears you won't get anywhere fast I'm afraid. Xubuntu 18.04 LTS reached end of life in April 2023. Zorin's equivalent would be Zorin 15 Lite (xfce desktop), whose EOL was also April 2023.
Thank you very much @Forpli and @swarfendor437 for your comments.The Github "install_sis_graphics_on_linux.sh" did for me, after installing Xubuntu 18.04 64 bit as recommended. I'm currently running the max resolution supported, which is 1280X800. And all this after reboot without any config whatsoever. I'll be using Xubuntu for a while to see how it goes, but I have to say, I got curious to see if it will work on Zorin.
. Thanks again, the old Clevo will report for duty at work. It will in my locker and it will be taken out and mainly be used for light doc editing, email checking etc. on a secure network. Here's a pic:
Just remember 18.04 LTS expired in April 2023. So no new security updates will be available for it.
You could also try MX Linux 21 (with XFCE), you'll get security updates until June 2026 and the script can be used without adaptations as the xorg version is 1.20 in MX Linux.
Another option is Q4OS 4 gemini with trinity desktop, it is supported until September 2026.
If you want to try Zorin 17 or other distributions that are based on ubuntu 22.04 or debian 12 bookworm, you would have to adapt the script and change the line to
XORG_VERSION= " 21.1 "
In the comments of github is posted
Here you can see the xorg versions for many distributions:
For distributions that are based on ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 11 bullseye you can use the original script with XOrg version=1.20.
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