Why am I having graphics problems with Ubuntu?

Q I have upgraded to Ubuntu 9.04 on an old laptop, but I am having some problems with my ATI graphics chipset. My previous version (8.04) worked without any problem, but I can’t get things to work properly now. Is there anything I can do to fix it?

Adam Morris

A You didn’t say which model of graphics chipset you have, but in an old laptop it’s most likely that it isn’t fully supported any longer.

The latest graphics software (X.org) in Ubuntu 9.04 doesn’t work with older ATI drivers, and the latest drivers do not support very old graphics chipsets. The result is that some ageing chipsets are not supported by the proprietary drivers in 9.04 and, although the open-source drivers are still available, there is no guarantee these will be problem-free.

Your best option is to try a fresh installation of 9.04, using the open-source drivers, or to use Ubuntu 8.04 or 8.10 instead.