I got a user asking about having issues getting OpenChrome to work properly on Debian 9. The thing is, since Linux 4.5 kernel, vesafb, viafb, and vt8623fb frame buffer device drivers conflict with OpenChrome DDX, hence, they need to be blacklisted. In order to do this, you need to edit blacklist-framebuffer.conf configuration file located under /etc/modprobe.d/ as a root.
. . .
#blacklist tridentfb
#blacklist vesafb
#blacklist vfb
#blacklist viafb
#blacklist vt8623fb
#blacklist udlfb
Remove # before blacklist to blacklist the device driver. Do this for vesafb, viafb, and even vt8623fb. Reboot the computer and OpenChrome should be working.
Brace Computer Laboratory 
On an Everex NC1502 with P4M900 Chrome9 and Debian9.4/Arch32, blacklisting vesafb, viafb and vt8623fb does not work. I additionally tried with kernel parameter nomodeset and in Debian , it locks up. with no Xorg.0.log on subsequent reboot.
In Arch32, (kernel 4.16) nomodeset, I would get an Xorg.0.log but no Screen found. After a generic xorg.conf.d/15-openchome.conf, screens were found but not deemed usable. I can still run OpenBSD (openchrome 0.296) and NetBSD (openchrome 0.3.3).
The NC1502, originally came with a LinuxOS..
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Hi Scott,
Is it okay if you can open an active bug report over at bugs.freedesktop.org?
I did deal with a possibly related case while back.
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=100679
I will need Xorg.0.log attached to the bug report to see what is going on.
Also, you may have to compile the latest OpenChrome DDX and install it since the version Arch Linux uses (Version 0.6.0-2) may not have the VN896 chipset flat panel related code enhancement incorporated with the current bleeding edge version (Version 0.6.174).
Here is the instructions to compile and install OpenChrome DDX from the upstream repository.
https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/openchrome-users/2016-February/007237.html
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First of all thank you for your work on openchrome. I installed Obarun (Arch) and X did not start.
Solution was to use the kernel line parameter “video=vesa:off” and set in /etc/default/grub the following line from keep to text: GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text
Otherwise building the latest version of openchrome on Arch works fine (just followed the provided steps), in my case only two extra packages were required: xorg-util-macros xorg-server-devel
After installing those packages on Arch starting with “pacman -S git” etc. it builds with no issues. Somehow the machine (with VN896) is very slow, it needs some tweaking (I think I have the wrong screen resolution set, etc., will have to check the settings).
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