Diff for "FixVideoResolutionHowto"


Differences between revisions 62 and 63
Revision 62 as of 2008-10-31 10:23:16
Size: 11604
Editor: c122-108-27-22
Comment: No dpkg-reconfigure for you
Revision 63 as of 2008-10-31 10:28:26
Size: 7664
Editor: c122-108-27-22
Comment: Hoary!? I think not.
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
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== Incorrect DefaultDepth ==
Sometimes the automatic X configuration sets the colour depth to a value
higher than some hardware can properly handle. To see if this is the case for
you, first backup your {{{/etc/X11/xorg.conf}}} file: {{{
sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup
}}}
Now open the file in your favourite text editor. I'll assume you'll use {{{nano}}}
for now since it is relatively simple to use, but you can use whatever text
editor you like.
{{{
sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
}}}
Search for the word {{{DefaultDepth}}} (notice it is one word) in that file.
The default colour depth set by Hoary is typically "24", but as mentioned,
some hardware may not be able to use a value that high. It's pretty safe to
change it to something like "16" just to test whether it solves your video
problems or not. If this change does not solve anything, it is just as simple
to change it back the way it was.

Once the value of {{{DefaultDepth}}} is changed, save the file, close all open
windows on your desktop, and press {{{CTRL-ALT-Backspace}}} to restart X. Assuming
all goes well, you will be prompted to log into GNOME again, hopefully at a
higher resolution.

== ATI - Refresh Rate & Resolution QuickFix ==

For those of you who run an ATI card with the fglrx driver, try running (in a Terminal):
{{{
sudo aticonfig
}}}

Follow the on-screen Instructions. This should fix the issue after restarting GDM.
For Instance on a Setup with:

 * 1 CRT Monitor
 * No TV-Out

I would be running these commands:

{{{
sudo aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
sudo aticonfig --resolution=1600x1200,1280x1024,1024x768
sudo aticonfig --force-monitor=crt1,notv
}}}

After you ran your aticonfig commands, you need to restart GDM, to restart GDM use
the following command:
{{{
/etc/init.d/gdm restart
}}}

That should fix it for good! If you experience a different Resolution being used for
GDM than your Desktop, you can scroll to the bottom of this Page to:
"GDM uses a different Resolution than my Desktop" to fix the issue.
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== You use the "nvidia" driver (Binary drivers) ==
It would seem that xorg cannot detect the possible resolutions when using the "nvidia" driver. For me, the only resolution I could use was my LCD's native resolution (1680x1050).

Here's how you fix this:

1) Make a backup of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf as shown in the previous examples

2) Open /etc/X11/xorg.conf as shown in the previous examples

3) Add the following line to your existing "Screen" section:
{{{
Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false"
}}}


If all else fails, try running the following command:
{{{
sudo nvidia-settings
}}}

Under Video Configuration set your resolution and refresh rate, click apply, then save X Config.
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== Adjust Only Resolution Settings on Dell Laptop ==

1. All I needed to do was get my laptop to display a higher resolution than 800x600. When I went to Syestem -> Preferences -> Screen Resolution, it was only showing me 800x600.

2. MAKE a backup of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

3. Open up terminal and type: sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg.

4. I left mine on vesa (since I knew that driver was working) and select "ok".

5. This is the fun part, go through and select the screen resolutions you want enabled by default. Whatever you check here should end up in the dropdown list in Syestem -> Preferences -> Screen Resolution,

6. Restart X server (CNTRL+Alt+Backspace).

7. It started up in the highest resolution that I had selected (1440x900). No need (for me) to install nvidia drivers.


== The End ==
So far, this is all of the possible solutions I've collected for this problem.
If none of the above corrected your situation, consider posting your question
in the [[http://www.ubuntuforums.org|Ubuntu Support Forum]] or in the #ubuntu
IRC support channel on the {{{irc.freenode.net}}} network.

Introduction

This Howto is intended for those who have problems with resolution or screen refresh rate (flickering), regardless of how they got to this situation. A possible reason for this is that your hardware (video adapter/monitor) may not have been detected properly.

One solution will work for one person and another solution will work for someone else. I hope to provide several different solutions here, ranked in decending order from what I have seen to be the most popular and successful solution to those solutions that have helped only a few. This way, hopefully it will provide an answer for everyone. Let's start with the most popular fix.

For ATI Users I recommend reading the ATI - Refresh Rate & Resolution Quickfix part on the bottom of this Page.

Desktop Setting

First step that most people miss is to run 'System', 'Preferences', 'Screen Resolution'. Be sure to pick your preferable resolution and refresh rate for your desktop. From there, click the option that states 'Make default for desktop only'. Now, restart and login again. If that doesn't work, look below.

Undetected Monitor Specs

Open the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf in your favorite text editor. I'll assume you are using nano for an editor as it is fairly straight forward:

sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Now look for a section in that file called Section "Monitor". Once you find this section, look at the lines of text between Section "Monitor" and EndSection. There should be two lines in there that begin with the words HorizSync and VertRefresh. If those lines don't appear there, don't worry. There is a good chance that we've found the problem already!

You will need to gather two bits of information for your monitor now, either from your Monitor User's Manual, the command line, or from online. Finding these values usually just involves searching Google with the model of your monitor. One extensive list is at the Lapis forum

We need the horizontal sync frequency (usually measured in kHz) and the vertical refresh rate (usually in Hz). Both of these values are typically given in a range such as "30-98 kHZ" or "50-160 Hz".

Alternatively, if your monitor supports it, you can just run the following command (install the 'xresprobe' package if the command is not available):

sudo ddcprobe | grep monitorrange

The first two values returned are your HorizSync rates, the second pair is your VertRefresh values.

There are two ways to enter your monitor information into the file. One way is to run the following commands which will regenerate the file and ask you for the values in the process:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.custom
md5sum /etc/X11/xorg.conf |sudo tee /var/lib/xfree86/xorg.conf.md5sum
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow xserver-xorg

The second way is to simply add those values to our /etc/X11/xorg.conf file with a text editor. But first, lets make a backup of that file just in case an error is made:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup

Editing this file so that it works involves adding two extra lines to the Section "Monitor" section of that file. For example, mine is shown below.

Section "Monitor"
     Identifier         "FLATRON 995F"
     Option             "DPMS"
     HorizSync          30-96
     VertRefresh        50-160
EndSection

Don't change anything that is written in the file for now. Just add the two lines. The snippet from my file is just an example and may not apply to your hardware. More importantly if your monitor is not detectable, the Identifier will be called Generic Monitor. In which case, don't change the Identifier to anything else otherwise X will fail to load and report that it can't find the a Monitor.

Now save the file, close all open applications, and press CTRL-ALT-Backspace to restart X. Assuming all goes well, you will be prompted to log into your session again.

(Note: If you do not want to shut down your current applications and at the same time enjoy a safer way of trying out your new configuration, you can try the advice on this page: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4211618)

If you are using XFree86 then you needed to edit /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.

(See this launchpad bug about low resolutions when horizontal/vertical sync frequencies are incorrect/missing for details about why this can happen and future work being done to prevent this problem in later versions of Ubuntu)

Also if you have an issue where only 800x600 is available in the dropdown for screen resolution, then modifying the Modes line within the section in that file called Section "Monitor" and adding the required resolution could solve this.

        SubSection "Display"
                Depth           24
                Modes           "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection

GDM uses a different Resolution than my Desktop

This problem is easily solvable; to fix it do the following:

1) Make a Backup of your xorg.conf

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak

2) Open xorg.conf

sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

3) Locate your Screen Entry

Section "Screen"

You will find multiple entries similar to:

        SubSection "Display"
                Depth     24
                Modes    "1280x1024" "1024x768"
        EndSubSection

The First Entry in the "Modes" Line is what GDM will use, so change it to something lower/higher (Please make sure you know that your monitor and Graphic Card BOTH support this Resolution). Save the file.

Close all running applications, restart GDM (/etc/init.d/gdm restart). Another way is just to log out your ubuntu session and press Ctrl-Alt-Backspace in the login screen. Look if everything went fine.

If the specified display resolution - "1280x1024" in the case above - differs from the used virtual screen resolution, add a respective line in the Display subsection of xorg.conf:

Virtual 1280 1024 

If these changes did not help, you can always use:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak /etc/X11/xorg.conf

to restore your system to the previous state.

After I upgraded my machine to Ubuntu 8.04 I was stucked with a maximum screen resolution of 800x600. No matter what I tried, nothing helped. I worked through suggestions on this page, but nothing helped. Finally I stumbled over another site where this problem was discussed and a user there described the same issue that I had. His solution was to connect the monitor cable not to the DVI port but to the VGA port of the card. I tried it and immediately my problem was gone. Smile :-)

(I'm using a BNC cable to connect my monitor to the computer. Maybe this is the reason why the monitor modes could not be recognized by Ubuntu on the DVI port.)


CategoryCleanup

FixVideoResolutionHowto (last edited 2011-11-04 22:07:48 by ckimes)