Ubuntu

Dual Display configuration issue, cannot get 1280*1024 in one and change the size of the other

Asked by Ahmed Hamed

Hello

   I have just installed Ubuntu on my pc and enabled the Nvidia driver for my Nvidia Geforce 7600GT. Two LCDs are connected to my PC, the main one being the 1280*1024 display connected to first DVI port through a VGA adapter while the other is connected to the second DVI port using a DVI-HDMI cable. The first issue is with the resolution of the main HP 19" display. Its optimal resolution is 1280*1024@60Hz while the maximum I can get is only 1024*786@50Hz according to the Screen Resolution tool(1024*786@60Hz according to my monitor) which looks bad on my LCD.
   The other issue is with the other display which is a Philips LCD HDTV. I am able to get it resolution which is 1280*720, however, some parts of the screen became invisible.(Heard it's a panning issue common in HDTVs) I was able to resolve this in Windows using hte Nvidia driver and the resize desktop option which helped me to fit it on the screen.
  Priority is for the 1280*1024 issue because its my main display and because i can run the other easily in Windows.

Best Regards and thanks in advance.

This is a copy of my xorg.conf file:

# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf(5) manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
 Fontpath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
 # path to defoma fonts
 Fontpath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
 Load "i2c"
 Load "bitmap"
 Load "ddc"
 Load "extmod"
 Load "freetype"
 Load "glx"
 Load "int10"
 Load "vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
 Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
 Driver "kbd"
 Option "CoreKeyboard"
 Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
 Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
 Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
 Identifier "Configured Mouse"
 Driver "mouse"
 Option "CorePointer"
 Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
 Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
 Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
 Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
 Driver "wacom"
 Identifier "stylus"
 Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
 Option "Type" "stylus"
 Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
 Driver "wacom"
 Identifier "eraser"
 Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
 Option "Type" "eraser"
 Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
 Driver "wacom"
 Identifier "cursor"
 Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
 Option "Type" "cursor"
 Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "Device"
 Identifier "Generic Video Card"
 Driver "nvidia"
 Busid "PCI:1:0:0"
 Option "AddARGBVisuals" "True"
 Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
 Option "NoLogo" "True"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
 Identifier "Generic Monitor"
 Option "DPMS"
 Horizsync 28-51
 Vertrefresh 43-60
EndSection

Section "Screen"
 Identifier "Default Screen"
 Device "Generic Video Card"
 Monitor "Generic Monitor"
 Defaultdepth 24
 SubSection "Display"
  Depth 1
  Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
 EndSubSection
 SubSection "Display"
  Depth 4
  Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
 EndSubSection
 SubSection "Display"
  Depth 8
  Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
 EndSubSection
 SubSection "Display"
  Depth 15
  Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
 EndSubSection
 SubSection "Display"
  Depth 16
  Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
 EndSubSection
 SubSection "Display"
  Depth 24
  Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
 EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
 Identifier "Default Layout"
  screen "Default Screen"
 Inputdevice "Generic Keyboard"
 Inputdevice "Configured Mouse"
 Inputdevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
 Inputdevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
 Inputdevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
 Mode 0666
EndSection

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Ahmed Hamed
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Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#1

You could try the nvidia-settings program which allows you manage both screens very easily via a graphical interface. Backup your xorg.conf first, then run nvidia-settings, and play about until you get it how you want it. Once done you can get it to write out a new xorg.conf.

Revision history for this message
Ahmed Hamed (ahmedhamed88) said : 		#2

Thanks for the reply but even in nvidia-settings, I can't find a 1280*1024 resolution for my main monitor. This is the main issue as This resolution is too low for me.

Looking forward to your reply.

Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#3

Ok, try this then:-

Open a terminal and reconfigure the x windows system with this command:-

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

Choose the nvidia driver when prompted, and later in the program you will be asked for the resolutions you want to use, tick all those that you want (including 1280x1024) of course. Once done you need to restart x, which you can do from inside x by pressing CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE, or just reboot. Then try the screen resolution changer or the nvidia-settings application. They should then work.

Revision history for this message
Ahmed Hamed (ahmedhamed88) said : 		#4

Thanks a lot. Finally I was able to get it to work. However, there is a final issue.
The first time i set the resolution the monitor showed a dialog "Signal out of range. Change to 1280*1024 60HZ". In screen resolution dialog, it was set to 1280*1024 50Hz and I could only make it 55Hz but it worked perfectly. Now the issue is at the log on screen, It shows the same problem and only disappears when I log in. I suspect its because the system default is 50Hz, which causes my screen to blank at login sometimes and work sometimes while showing that dialog. How can I make the default setting of the refresh rate 55Hz?

Thanks in advance..

Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#5

Use the same process and I think if you select "Advanced" when asked for the screen size, you are able to specify the frequencies.

Revision history for this message
Ahmed Hamed (ahmedhamed88) said : 		#6

Thanks again for the response. I will try this but according to this site http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p7.html#Advanced , I will be asked about vertical and horizontal sync range which I don't know. I only know that its optimal refresh rate is 60Hz. It's a HP vs19x LCD and nothing about those rates on on HP website. What should I enter when I am asked about them.

Thanks again...

Revision history for this message
Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey) said : 		#7

Good question. There is an alternate option. There is a concept called "modelines" which you can put in your xorg.conf to tell xorg how to drive your monitor. There is a natty application called gtf which can be used to generate these modelines. Here's an example.

alan@hactar:~$ gtf 1280 1024 60

  # 1280x1024 @ 60.00 Hz (GTF) hsync: 63.60 kHz; pclk: 108.88 MHz
  Modeline "1280x1024_60.00" 108.88 1280 1360 1496 1712 1024 1025 1028 1060 -HSync +Vsync

Just type gtf in a terminal for the help screen.

Paste that line (Modeline) into your xorg.conf in the screen section and restart x. It _should_ pick up those modelines. Alternatively google a bit for modelines for your specific model of LCD panel.

Worth noting that the refresh rate on LCD panels is kinda irrelevant, it only really applies to CRTs, but of course if your LCD panel is being picky then it makes sense to set it to something the panel likes. 60Hz should be fine.

Revision history for this message
Ahmed Hamed (ahmedhamed88) said : 		#8

Hello
  Thanks again for your suggestion, but I believe you meant the section to be Monitor instead of Screen. In screen, X failed to start and I hard to restore my backup. In monitor, nothing happened and the issue stayed. However, I decided to run nvidia-settings using sudo(I used to run it without sudo) and then I discovered that it was set to 75Hz (without sudo it was on 60), changed it and saved to config file and finally got it to work.

Again Thanks a lot and finally I can enjoy Feisty and never go back to Windows.