Nvidia dual monitor wrong resolution

[timonoj]

Hi guys,

Sorry to ask yet again the never ending question with display issues, but I'd really like to have Linux as main OS, and that would require to properly deal with my screen.

So, I know for a fact that the secondary LCD is 1920x1080, but it won't report it properly, for some reason. That took me to manually add the resolution in Windows (through nvidia control panel, including trial and error with scanlines etc). The main display is 1440x900 and that works no problem from the beginning.

I'd need to do something similar in Linux, but the best it gets is 1360x768, which my LCD reports on the OSD as 1280x720. Not too bad, but I'd really need to go all the way to 1080p. The best it does is some kind of downsampling, it says the desktop is at 1920x1080p, but it's actually stretched into the real output of 1280x720p, with everything looking bloory and stretched.

Is there any way to force the monitor to take its real resolution?

Thanks a lot!

[timonoj]

Hi,

Just an update on this: After fiddling with the xorg.conf, I could very briefly show 1920x180 on the LCD, but only on the login screen. After logging in, it changes back to 1260x768. Also, when this was achieved, the laptop screen had a wrong resolution, showing the screen blank with white bars flipping fast. After logging, laptop screen got to the proper 1440x900 and showed fine. Not sure what was the tricky setting, though. Here's the xorg.conf:

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 313.30 (buildd@lamiak) Wed Apr 10 17:19:51 UTC 2013


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

# HorizSync source: builtin, VertRefresh source: builtin
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "unknown"
ModelName "CRT-0"
#HorizSync 28.0 - 55.0
#VertRefresh 60
ModeLine "1920x1080R" 138.50 1920 1968 2000 2080 1080 1083 1088 1111 +hsync -vsync
Modeline "1440x900_60.00" 106.50 1440 1528 1672 1904 900 903 909 934 -hsync +vsync
ModeLine "1360x768R" 72.00 1360 1408 1440 1520 768 771 781 790 +hsync -vsync
ModeLine "1280x720R" 63.75 1280 1328 1360 1440 720 723 728 741 +hsync -vsync
Option "DPMS"

EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 8600M GT"
Option "MetaModes" "1920x1080R"
#Option "UseEDID" "False"
#Option "UseEDIDFreqs" "False"
#Option "ModeValidation" "NoDFPNativeResolutionCheck, NoEdidModes, NoMaxPClkCheck, NoVertRefreshCheck, NoHorizSyncCheck, NoEdidMaxPClkCheck"
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "metamodes" "CRT: nvidia-auto-select +1440+0 {viewportin=1920x1080}, DFP: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "Stereo" "0"
Option "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
Option "metamodes" "CRT: 1920x1080R +1440+180, DFP: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

So, I'm trying (really bad) to get my LCD (VGA-0) to get to 1920x1080@60hz, and the laptop screen DFP-0 to work (at the moment it does) at 1440x900@60Hz.
Additional difficulty: I'm starting to seriously believe is the monitor itself is not report the EDID resolution properly. But its a 1080P capable, and in Windows (with also some fiddling) it definitely shows 1080p.

Any help on this is very welcome!

[timonoj]

HALP!

I'm getting REALLY close to get this working! After some further fiddling, I managed to get the LCD showing full 1080P during a started session. Problem is, now my main display shows a pattern of white lines and nothing else. Hence, something's bad on the laptop screen settings. It should display 1440x900@60, and right until now it did. Current xorg.conf, with a busted laptop screen and a working external LCD:

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 313.30 (buildd@lamiak) Wed Apr 10 17:19:51 UTC 2013

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: builtin, VertRefresh source: builtin
Modeline "1920x1080R" 138.65 1920 1968 2000 2080 1080 1083 1088 1111 +hsync -vsync
ModeLine "1440x900R" 106.50 1440 1528 1672 1904 900 903 909 934 -hsync +vsync
Modeline "1360x768R" 72.00 1360 1408 1440 1520 768 771 781 790 +hsync -vsync
Modeline "1280x720R" 63.75 1280 1328 1360 1440 720 723 728 741 +hsync -vsync


Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "CRT-0"
HorizSync 66.66
VertRefresh 60.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 8600M GT"
Option "MetaModes" "1920x1080R"
Option "UseEDID" "False"
Option "UseEDIDFreqs" "False"
#Option "ModeValidation" "NoDFPNativeResolutionCheck, NoEdidModes, NoMaxPClkCheck, NoVertRefreshCheck, NoHorizSyncCheck, NoEdidMaxPClkCheck"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "Stereo" "0"
Option "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
Option "metamodes" "CRT: 1920x1080R +1440+0, DFP: 1440x900R +0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Additional info for whomever may be in trouble: I got the metamode for the LCD right from the Windows settings. Since my monitor reports a wrong EDID for 1080p, i had to do it manually. I got it right by trial and error, and finally these worked in Windows:

In the end, with the help of the Modeline Database, I figured out a way of translating the windows setting to a Linux Modeline.

HINT: in the modeline, you get HSynStart by adding HRes + "Portico Anterior (Previous Gateway?)". Then you get HTotal from Pixel Total (Total de Pixeles), and HSyncEnd = HTotal - Sync Width (Ancho de Sinc). Same rule for Vertical.
A bit more clear:


EDIT: IT seems to be SOLVED! After getting he goddamn metamode right, disabling the lines that block the EDID check made it work. So I think the metamode for 1920x1080R is correct (finally) while the one for 1440x900R is wrong, and the EDID fixes it. Go figure.

The login screen shows only on the LCD, which is a bit annoying, but I'll try to fix it another day.

[oshunluvr]

Which display manager are you using? If you're using the default LightDM, the login should follow the mouse. I.e. the login will be on the screen the mouse is on, at least that's how it works here.

[timonoj]

Hi oshunluvr,

Actually it is LightDM, but it won't turn on the laptop screen. It remains off (blank), and turns on after the password. The LCD is the only area you can move the mouse around, you cannot move it to the edge to show on another screen. Is there anywhere I can modify LightDM settings?