Monitor Perspective?

[lwrver]

Is there any way to maintain the proper perspective on the desktop when using a widescreen (16:9) monitor? No matter what settings I use, the circles always become ovals, and the squares become rectangles. Sheesh! Why didn't I keep my old CRT..

[cantab]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

You just need to set the correct resolution. System Settings > Monitor & Display > Administrator Mode > (enter password) > Hardware > Monitor #1 Configure > either locate your make and model, or choose a suitable 'generic' option. OK/apply yourself out. Log out, restart the X server (Ctrl+Alt+Backspace) and things will hopefully be fixed. If not, log back in, then K Menu > Run command > type in krandrtray. You should get an icon in your system tray, a blue box with diagonal arrows. Click on this and you can change resolution at will.

These instructions are for KDE3.

[lwrver]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

You just need to set the correct resolution. System Settings > Monitor & Display > Administrator Mode > (enter password) > Hardware > Monitor #1 Configure > either locate your make and model, or choose a suitable 'generic' option. OK/apply yourself out. Log out, restart the X server (Ctrl+Alt+Backspace) and things will hopefully be fixed. If not, log back in, then K Menu > Run command > type in krandrtray. You should get an icon in your system tray, a blue box with diagonal arrows. Click on this and you can change resolution at will.

These instructions are for KDE3.

Thanks for the suggestions! My problem is not with resolution, but with aspect ratio. I can change resolution OK, but I can't configure the graphics adapter to work with a widescreen monitor. It defaults to 4:3 aspect ratio, and will not recognize that the monitor is 16:9 aspect ratio. So regardless of the resolution settings, the icons and windows always show up as wider than they are high. A circle looks like a horizontal oval, and a square looks like a horizontal rectangle. A picture makes everything look fat and short. I'll report back after I get the nvidia drivers loaded successfully.

[cantab]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

Aspect ratio and resolution are intimately linked. A specific resolution, for example 1280x1024, will have an associated aspect ratio, in this example 5:4 (yes, not 4:3, check yourself). In your case, what's happening is you're only being offered resolutions with a 'normal' (usually 4:3) aspect ratio, not widescreen. This is because you X configuration, /etc/X11/xorg.conf has your monitor listed as a normal one (or as nothing, in which case the default is normal). You can change this manually, or try using the KDE tools. Did you try the procedure I gave you? If it doesn't work, post the contents of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Whether you use the free nv or proprietary nvidia should make little difference - at least it doesn't here.

[lwrver]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

Well, I think the problem is because of the way I installed Kubuntu. I installed from within windows using the vmware emulation option. Since Linux is launched from the disk image in a folder in Windows, all of the hardware support options may not be available. I can manually select the monitor configuration, but the "Apply" button is greyed out. The config file never gets changed. I tried to edit the file, and really screwed it up. Guess I can live with it like it is until I can get a second disk to install to. I don't want to partition the Windows disk. Thanks for the tips.

[cantab]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

Hang on, you need to explain what you're doing here. What's this about VMware? If you really are using VMware, then it's its settings, and/or those of Windows, you need to change.

If, however, you are referring to Wubi, that's nothing to do with VMware. Ubuntu installed with Wubi runs natively on the hardware just like normal; the difference is the 'drive' is actually a file on the windows partition.

As for apply being greyed-out - you need to activate administrator mode.

[lwrver]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

Hang on, you need to explain what you're doing here. What's this about VMware? If you really are using VMware, then it's its settings, and/or those of Windows, you need to change.

If, however, you are referring to Wubi, that's nothing to do with VMware. Ubuntu installed with Wubi runs natively on the hardware just like normal; the difference is the 'drive' is actually a file on the windows partition.

As for apply being greyed-out - you need to activate administrator mode.

Sorry for the confusion! Yes, WUBI is the way I installed it, and I had to use admin mode to even get to the configure page. It'll let me change to widescreen 16:9 mode, but won't let me apply the changes. When I click on the test button, it does nothing. Looks like it may be a bug in the Nvidia graphics driver. I'm using the standard NV drivers. Couldn't get the envyng drivers to install.

[cantab]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

Hmmm, that is strange. I have an nvidia card with the proprietary driver, and test never works but apply normally does. Ditto for when I'm using the free driver.

Ah well, looks like it means editing xorg.conf manually. As you've discovered, it's not the easiest of config files to understand. But post it here and I'll see what I make of it.

[lwrver]

Re: Monitor Perspective?

I have uninstalled the WUBI version because of unrelated issues, and have ordered another HDD to do it the right way. I'll post back after I have it reinstalled.