increasing the screen resolution . . . cannot find the answer in FAQs

Hi nathan

Maybe this helps - I don't know. Try the following:

1: Open the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf
2: Edit the file as following:

Section "Screen"
 Identifier "Default Screen"
 Device "nVidia Corporation NV5M64 [RIVA TNT2 Model 64/Model 64 Pro]"
 Monitor "Generic Monitor"
 DefaultDepth 24
        SubSection "Display"
                   Modes "1280x800" (choose your resolution)
        EndSubSection
EndSection

3: Save the file (you need root privileges)
4: Restart the system

Hope it helps.
Peter

but i do not have any root privileges . . . isn't that locked?

i am a newbie . . . sorry . . . please explain . . .

Hi nathan

On a terminal enter sudo. And you will get root privilges.

Or login as the root. But if you have changed the xorg file, log out. Because as root you can do everything - you can kill the system!

Hope it helps.
Peter

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

gives you root priveleges. Sudo works for "one-off" commands like this - be careful with it tho! It'll ask for your user pasword, not your SuperUser/Root one.

From inside gedit (the text editor in gnome) i recommend using "Save As ..." & call it xorg.020209 or something so you have something you'll recognise and be able to reinstate if it all goes wrong. Remember to "Save As ..." again to make sure you save changes to xorg.conf (and not to your backup lol)

Good luck with this
Regards from
Tom :)

Thanks for the help, Tom.

lol, i have pages open so long sometimes i don't see recent updates. Nicely done Peter :)

*lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

how can i back-up the file . . . if i messed up . . . how am i gonna use the back-up file? by the way, below is my /etc/X11/xorg.conf . . . my card . . . i think . . . is generic video card . . . not nvidia (that's why i cannot operate compiz . . . #sigh#) . . . please help me . . .

# 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 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"
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"
 Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
 Driver "synaptics"
 Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
 Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
 Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
 Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0"
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 "vesa"
 BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
 Identifier "Generic Monitor"
 Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
 Identifier "Default Screen"
 Device "Generic Video Card"
 Monitor "Generic Monitor"
 DefaultDepth 24
 SubSection "Display"
  Modes "800x600"
 EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
 Identifier "Default Layout"
 Screen "Default Screen"
 InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
 InputDevice "Configured Mouse"

# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
# InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
 InputDevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Your file does mention the problem. You have a resolution of 800 * 600:

Section "Screen"
 Identifier "Default Screen"
 Device "Generic Video Card"
 Monitor "Generic Monitor"
 DefaultDepth 24
 SubSection "Display"
  Modes "800x600" change the resolution!
 EndSubSection
EndSection

Before you're going to change the file, copy it. Type in a Terminal:
cd /etc/X11
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.bak

Hope it helps.
Peter

oooo, rather than .bak i prefer putting the date because otherwise i don't know which backup did what.

xorg.conf.030209
is probably going to be better than my
xorg.conf.111208
unless that was the day i got a new monitor ;)

Top notch answer though Peter :)

also i owuld tend to add in another screen resolution rather than replace one that works but then that might create additional problems anyway and you've always got the backup.

Sorry i'll stop rabbiting on now ;)

by the way, what command and where would i type that command if my /etc/X11/xorg.conf . . . failed? sorry i'm a bit paranoid after what happened to my laptop before . . . thanks again

Either through the Recovery Mode option you get on the bootup menu, it looks like

Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic (recovery mode)

except its inverse on a cool black background & looks kind of MsDos ish, or else though using a LiveCd of some distro, the Ubuntu disc is good at being a bootdisc like that. If you haven't got an Ubuntu disc it might be wise to download and burn a tiny distro such as wolvix or sliTaz but almost any would do. DistroWatch is a popular place to compare different versions of linux, here's their wolvix page
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=wolvix
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=slitaz

For wolvix you'd navigate into sda1's /etc/X11 and use "LS" (but in little letters) or "dir" to see what's in the folder and then just delete the wrong xorg.conf and rename xorg.conf.030209 or xorg.conf.bak to xorg.conf or do

cp xorg.conf.030209 xorg.conf

Anyway it hasn't gone wrong yet so don't worry about these various ways of dealing with something that probably wont go that wrong anyway ;

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

i tried changing the resolution but nothing happens . . . if you still have an idea . . . pls. let me know . . .

So if you open up xorg.conf this section looks like this now?

Section "Screen"
 Identifier "Default Screen"
 Device "Generic Video Card"
 Monitor "Generic Monitor"
 DefaultDepth 24
 SubSection "Display"
  Modes "1024x768"
 EndSubSection
EndSection

I think the speech marks are important. If it does look like that then all i can immediately suggest is to hunt around in this forum/AnswerSection for Solved questions relating to "xorg" and screen resolutions. I still haven't got used to the huge 'recent' change i the xorg.conf file and while many people seem to have had a similar problem they have been lucky enough to get better answers than i can give. If you do find the answer there or through google or in the AnswersSection on the Ubuntu home-webisite then please post it back here. In the mean-time i'll keep trying to find out how to fix this but i constantly get distracted. Better still someone else might be able to help so don't completely give up on us ;)

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

Please follow the link to the Questions/Answers forum and repost the question, keep it brief tho! Only the latest posted questions get looked at so reposting just before america arrives online gives your question a better chance of being answered.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

After upgrading from 8.10 to 9.04 my display settings were no longer correct. I was at 1080 by 800 or something, with black at both edges.

I fixed it by editing xorg.conf (gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf) and adding in the intel driver like this:

make this section:

Section "Device"
 Identifier "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

read like this:

Section "Device"
 Identifier "Configured Video Device"
 Driver "intel"
EndSection

I rebooted and the correct display settings were now available through the display setting dialogue. (1280 x 768 for my machine).
(I am using a Sony VAIO VGN-N270E with Intel 945GM express chipset.

Guy Smith

Please follow the link to the Questions/Answers forum and re-post the question as your own question, keep it brief tho! Only the latest posted questions get looked at and this one is 2 months old already! Here's a link for re-posting this question as your own
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)