[Sussex] Installing Gentoo - more questions

[john]

On Saturday 20 December 2003 2:03 pm, Iain Stevenson wrote:
> I'm still mystified by this.  Whenever I've installed X v4.0 from source it
> has always used XF86Config-4.  So either:
>
> - you're using an old version of X
> or
> - Gentoo sets X version 4 to use a different config file ie XF86Config.
>
> I think the only way you'll resolve this is to systematically rename each
> XF86Config to something completely different until X stops working. Then
> you'll know which one is being used.

and

> --On Saturday, December 20, 2003 13:25:44 +0000 John Crowhurst
>
> <fyremoon at fyremoon.net> wrote:
> >  > Well, it seems that I'm buggered.
> >>
> >> If I look in my /etc/X11,
> >>
> >> there's file:/etc/X11/XF86Config
> >> file:/etc/X11/XF86Config.kxconfig.backup and
> >> file:/etc/X11/XF86Config.working
> >>
> >> and I have absolutely no idea how to check which is the one that is
> >> being  used.
> >
> > X usually uses XF86Config first, unless you explicitly tell it not to.
> > You need to be careful though, if you have a different XF86Config in your
> > home directory, it will use that instead.
> >
> >> I can also see xvidtune in the file:/etc/X11/app-defaults but what to do
> >> with  it, and how to use it remain a mystery. I've read a man page, but
> >> what would  be the correct/incorrect way to use it, is another mystery.
> >>
> >> Does anyone know of any good links or idiot guides that might explain
> >> please ?
> >
> > There are two generic HOWTOs for XFree86, the first is very basic:
> > http://en.tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree86-HOWTO/
> >
> > The second explains what the Video timings are and more indepth stuff,
> > but the author thinks its probably obsolete:
> > http://en.tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree86-Video-Timings-HOWTO/
> > --

Chaps,
Having just got back from a night's drinkies at a pal's place, knoppix disc in 
hand, in a somewhat vain attempt at exposing him to the delights of a linux 
distro (and before I start looking into your suggestions etc),

What do you think of the idea of copying the XF86Config from knoppix, and 
setting the values into the gentoo XF86Config? Is likely to work or will it 
wreek untold strangeness on my gentoo install ? And if it's likely that 
gentoo just tell's X to use XF86Config without the "-4" bit would it make any 
difference ?

regards

John D.

p.s. again thanks for the continued suggestions, I'm just off to look into 
them now.