[SOLVED] New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

[nllittle]

The driver for the graphics card is recognised and installs fine but assigns me a default monitor. I am unable to change it to anything above 800x600.

Reading around I saw several lines of investigation to use:

• Go do the "dpkg -reconfigure xserver-xorg" ok no change in the result that time
• Find xorg.conf and manually change it ... /etc/X11/xorg.conf does not have anything in it. just a bunch of dummy statements. Whats going on with that? I see it all in the xorg logs.
• So lets use Envyng ... The package is not showing up in any of the repositories

So now I am beginning to start clutching at the hair (what little I have remaining) and wondering where to go from here.

These are my system specs:
OS: Kubuntu 8.10 kde 4.1.3
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+
MoBo: ASUS M2N-E SLI
Memory: 2GB Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400R
Graphics: ASUS EN7600GS Silent (NVIDA GeForce 7600GS) rev a1
HDD: Western Digital 80GB IDE WD800JB
DVD: Pioneer DVR-112D

This is what the xorg logs told me:

Probed      NV(0): CRTC 0 appears to have a CRT attached
Information   NV(0): Using CRT on CRTC 0
Probed      NV(0): VideoRAM: 262144 kBytes
Default setting NV(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
Information   NV(0): Configured Monitor: Using default hsync range of 31.50-37.90 kHz
Information   NV(0): Configured Monitor: Using default vrefresh range of 50.00-70.00 Hz
Warning     NV(0): Unable to estimate virtual size
Information   NV(0): Clock range: 12.00 to 400.00 MHz

Thanks for your help

Neil

[dibl]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600
[list]

• So lets use Envyng ... The package is not showing up in any of the repositories

The name of the package is envyng-qt -- can you find it? If not, there's something amiss with your sources. You need to have "main", "universe", "restricted", and "multiverse" in Adept Manager, or Synaptic. EnvyNG is in "universe".

[nllittle]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

I did not find envyng-qt

I have looked at sources.list and found that the Intrepid main, restricted, universe, multiverse, and partner repositories have been enabled. I also performed an update and searched for envyng-qt (and envyng, envy, and env strings) again. I also enabled the Intrepid-backports repository (see below) and tried again.

Take a look at this: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EnvyNG

I appears that because of envy not playing well with packages and updates that it may have been not added to the Intrepid repositories.

Now the thing with the /etc/X11/xorg.conf :
I am guessing that with default entries in the the xorg.conf file it is xorg probing the device every time the system is booted. With my ViewSonic 20G being in the "aged" category xorg's probing the device does not return any thing. So the idea is to get the correct parameters in the "Monitor" section to give me what I want. Too bad the developers took the ability of specify device settings in the "System Settings".

This is really ticking me off.

Section "Device"
    Identifier   "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier   "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier   "Default Screen"
    Monitor     "Configured Monitor"
    Device     "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

So, what are my options now?
I need something I can change the settings on the fly and being really, really lazy, I do not want to have to go into the recover login kill xorg each time and change the settings to find a parameter that will work.

Also, I dont know what the parameters to set xorg.conf to, it will take time to noodle that out.

Using EnvyNG looks like the best way to do this, though not being available in the Intrepid repositories means I have to do it "dirty".

[JohanLingen]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

This question may sound a bit silly, but it might also save you a lot of work:

To install the package, did you use "Add/Remove Software" or did you use "System > Adept Manager"?

Here, Envyng only appears with Adept Manager.

[Snowhog]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

It can also be installed from the command line (CLI). Open a console and type:

sudo apt-get install envyng-qt

[nllittle]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

I am putting this in the category of perplexing oddity

After getting the insistence that the package envyng-qt was indeed in the intrepid repositories and not seeing any result using Adept. I opened Add/Remove Package Manager and nothing. I decided it was time to drop back and reassess.

I opened up a konsole window and did:

nllittle@athena:~$ sudo apt-get update

Then search for the package

nllittle@athena:~$ sudo apt-cache search envy
alsa-tools-gui - GUI based ALSA utilities for specific hardware
envyng-core - install the ATI or the NVIDIA driver       
envyng-gtk - dummy package to envyng-core           
envyng-qt - install the ATI or the NVIDIA driver

Low and behold!
Well, I assumed that Adept was a graphical interface built on top of, or based on the APT commands. I guess that I was mistaken.

Later on I took a look at Synaptic, which got added when I installed Firefox. It did find Envy.

At any rate on to the next step...

Neil

[Snowhog]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

The Add/Remove Package Manager (adept intaller) is not the same as the Adept Package Manager (adept manager). The former is convenience application that puts packages (pre-selected) into categories. Not all the available packages that you can see/find/install using Adept Package Manager (adept manager) are in Add/Remove Package Manager.

K Menu > Applications > System > Adept Package Manager is what you want to use, if you don't use Synaptic, which compared to the current incarnation of Adept Package Manager (in Intrepid) is way better.

[nllittle]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

I have installed envyng-qt and installed the recommended nvidia driver.
I then ran

sudo nvidia-xconfig

This changed the highest resolution for my monitor from 800x600 to 640x480!

Im going backwards!
I tried change it using

sudo nvidia-settings

It would not let me go above 640x480!

Ok, so this is getting me no where.
It looks like I am going to have to tinker with the xorg.conf file so I can get the thing to display something I can live with.

Well after all that I have uninstalled envyng and the nvidia proprietary driver. And restored the xorg.conf to the pre-envyng settings.

Envy just wasnt getting me anywhere. I have finally gotten my Viewsonic CRT monitor back to where it displays 800x600 again.

So... NEXT!

Next thing is how to "fat-finger" xorg.conf (Fat-Finger an old phrase for those of us that have used computers that use to have little paddles on the front on them).

Can anyone provide guidance for that?

This monitor is a good ole fashion 20 CRT monitor
Here are its specs.

Model: VIEWSONIC 20G
Max Resolution: 1600 x 1280
Sync Type: Composite, Seperate
H Freq/ V Freq: 30-82 Khz / 50-90 Hz
Monitor Type: Multisync/Multiscan
Tube Model:
Tube Size: 20
Connector: 5 BNC

Any suggestions?

Neil

[JohanLingen]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

Before you enter the stage of manually editing xorg.conf files, please try to re-install envyng, make it install the recommended nvidia driver and then reboot. In the GRUB-menu, choose Safe Mode and then select "Repair X-server".

If it doesn't work, you may try

nvidia-xconfig --mode=1600x1280

[dibl]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

Couple of suggestions:

1. I've been using the Nvidia downloaded installer recently, to take advantage of the improved 180.xx series drivers. The 177.xx seemed to have some problems with KDE 4. Nevertheless, I would expect the new 180.22 released driver to be included in EnvyNG in the very near future -- that is the best way to install it, if you're not comfortable with the downloaded installer.

2. Better to use kdesudo nvidia-settings -- it is a GUI package. And you have to use the Save to X Config. button to make the changes permanent.

3. My Samsung 1100MB is not that different from your ViewSonic, so I'll share the important part of my xorg.conf file. You probably need a "metamodes" line like this. This is Kubuntu 8.10/KDE 4.2, an GeForce 9600GT, and the 180.22 driver:

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Samsung SyncMaster"
HorizSync 30.0 - 130.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 9600 GT"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "CRT-0"
Option "metamodes" "1600x1200 +0+0"
Option "Coolbits" "1"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Hope this helps.

[dwsdad]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

I'm running a GeForce FX 5200 with the 173xx driver loaded. I'm stuck at 640x480 - I can't go any higher. Should I load a newer driver?

[dibl]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

You probably need to read and decipher the paragraph entitled "nVidia Legacy Video Support" here:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810

You might have to diagram that to figure out exactly what it means for your graphics chip, but I think the rough translation is "you are screwed" ... :P

Nvidia's driver site says 173.14.12 is the correct driver for your card:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_d...173.14.12.html

So I think it comes down to your CPU and whether it does "SSE".

[dwsdad]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

I looked at the nVidia site before I posted and figured I had the right driver, but I just wanted to make sure.

I'm trying to make a "Media Center" server out of an old PC, and so far XBMC and Boxee both work, but with 640x480 resolution, it's a pain trying to maneuver in the menus.

How can I tell if this board supports SSE?

[dibl]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

The "SSE" question is kind of a research problem. I'd install lshw and dmidecode, if you don't have them already, and use those to get the details on the CPU model designation. Then Google the exact model and see what the OEM's specs say about its capabilities.

On the Media Center, I've never built one, but I'll venture a generalized opinion, based on the "old PC" aspect:

You probably would get better performance by not running KDE 4 on it, if you can avoid it. KDE 4 is glorious for a desktop, but it is rather a resource-hog compared to other Linux desktop environments (not compared to Windows, BTW). I'd be looking at installing Xubuntu and a server kernel, I think, or else Kubuntu 8.04 with a server kernel, and steering clear of the KDE 4 remix. That's just an opinion -- you should research the topic and see how other folks are doing it, but the general issue is that "old PC + new software = slow performance", as a generality.

[dwsdad]

Re: New install will only set monitor resolution to 800x600

That's a good idea. I thought the sluggishness was just from the older CPU/board. I don't much like the KDE interface anyway, so I may just drop back a version.

I'll install lshw & dmidecode and see what they tell me. That info may help me down the road anyway.

Thanks for the help and sorry for the thread hijack.