Need help with dual screen on Kubuntu 13.04

[Guest]

Hi,
I have recently switched to Kubuntu 13.04 from Ubuntu 13.04 and so far I really loving KDE 4.10.2. The only issue I come across is to do with dual screen. I have 1 AOC monitor 1600*900 connected with a dvi cable to my AMD Radeon 7*** card. The second monitor is an LG and this time it is connected with a vga cable. The problem I having is that the 2 screen appear to act as separate desktops and are unable to interact with or detect each other. If I run the monitor settings on screen 1 i see only screen 1 connected. If I run the settings on screen 2, only screen 2 appears. I am unable to send windows from one screen to another. The AOC screen is supposed to be the primary one. It is worth noting that I can only switch workspaces on the primary screen and the CRTL-ALT-T short cut also only works when the mouse is on screen 1.

I have setup this weird instance using the Catalyst Control Centre, I went to multidisplay -> Single Display Desktop (multi desktop). I am unable to use the default kde settings as they only detect 1 screen depending on which one they are run on.

I have been seaching online for days without any luck. People seem to ask for the output of xrandr so here it is:

Screen 1:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1600 x 900, maximum 1600 x 1600
DFP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP4 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP5 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP6 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP7 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
CRT1 connected 1600x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 443mm x 249mm
1600x900 60.0*+
1440x900 60.0
1280x768 60.0
1280x720 60.0
1024x768 75.0 70.1 60.0
800x600 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2
640x480 75.0 72.8 67.0 59.9

Screen 2:

Screen 1: minimum 320 x 200, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 1280 x 1280
DFP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP4 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP5 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP6 connected 1280x1024+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 338mm x 270mm
1280x1024 60.0*+
1280x960 60.0
1280x768 60.0
1280x720 60.0
1024x768 75.0 60.0
800x600 75.0 60.3
640x480 75.0 59.9
DFP7 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
CRT1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Please help me out with this rather strange case if you ask me. I've only been a linux user for 3 months so try and use simple language for answers.
Thank You Very Much,

[claydoh]

Have you tried the display config tool in System Settings? I don't have dual gpu's, but simply dragging each display to where I want seems to work, if they are connected side to side, or top to bottom it acts as an extended desktop. If they are separate, they are 2 unique desktops. If they are on top of each other, it is mirrored. It might be worth trying.

[Shabakthanai]

Hoping the individual info further confirms the problem's location.

This is Shabakthanai. I don't mean to enter a post written by another, but I am having the selfsame problem and thought that might be useful to know. When I read the post, I could have been the one who wrote it. This problem did not happen when I had an nVidia Card installed with Kubuntu 12.10. But now, I have a 7850 Radion. I thought it was a peculiarity of perhaps the Radion card that was the reason and was probably natural, because although I can not drag anything from screen to screen, I can move the mouse from screen to screen to continue work. It is definately like having two separate computers connected by a mouse that is the only thing that can cross from screen to screen. I also recently upgraded to 13.04, which may contain the reason for the change and may be a bug in the distribution. More than likely, if it is a distribution modification that is intended and not a bug.

I much prefer being able to drag work from screen to screen too but can live with the existing configuration. It just causes you to have do a little extra work.

Another interesting symptom of the change is that before, with the nVidia card, I would click on an application that would open in the other monitor. This happened quite a bit. While with the current setup, it happens only rarely, like the popup requesting your password may open in the other screen. I wrote this because it is such a mirror description of a problem and may then be worthy of a bug report.

And, Claydoh, I am not sure I understand your explanation. I am sure it is not your explanation that is at fault, and is just my limited brain-power, but, describe which of your screen placements will probably solve the problem. Sorry for being so slow, but it has been a life-long problem, being slow that is. And thanks for your help.

And Dachckom, I am not trying to highjack your post; I thought you could prosper with the information, knowing someone else is having the exact same problem. No offense intended.

Have you tried the display config tool in System Settings? I don't have dual gpu's, but simply dragging each display to where I want seems to work, if they are connected side to side, or top to bottom it acts as an extended desktop. If they are separate, they are 2 unique desktops. If they are on top of each other, it is mirrored. It might be worth trying.

[Guest]

Don't worry, I think you have as much rights to the solution as I do (since it appears like we have the same issue).

And Dachckom, I am not trying to highjack your post; I thought you could prosper with the information, knowing someone else is having the exact same problem. No offense intended.

I appreciate your reply but as I said in the first post:
If I run the monitor settings on screen 1 i see only screen 1 connected. If I run the settings on screen 2, only screen 2 appears.
This means that I am unable to drag displays around as there is only 1 at a time.

Have you tried the display config tool in System Settings? I don't have dual gpu's, but simply dragging each display to where I want seems to work, if they are connected side to side, or top to bottom it acts as an extended desktop. If they are separate, they are 2 unique desktops. If they are on top of each other, it is mirrored. It might be worth trying.

[Shabakthanai]

When you install Catalyst, if you have not already done so, that will change, I believe. I do not remember the exact sequence of repair on my computer, but I had the same problem until, I believe, I got off the computer's default drivers. I am pretty sure having Catalyst is the cure. In 'System Settings' I only show screen over screen too right now, but I have two working monitors with a mouse that is able to move from screen to screen. I just cannot drag an image from one screen to the other. Frankly, I don't know if this is the way it is supposed to be in a Radeon setup, that is why I continue to work the problem.

When I had an nVidia video card installed, I was able to drag from screen to screen, however I still had some problems with video. For instance, I would attempt to open an application in one window and when I clicked on the link, it would sometimes open in the other. Additionally, sometimes when that happened, It would open under an existing application that filled the screen. I would then have to minimize or reduce that image to the panel to continue work. Neither GPU's work exactly the same as when I open using Windows 7. Nevertheless, with their imperfections, I much prefer living with the imperfections than using the Windows operating system. And, the list of reasons for my preference is too long to enter in this post.

As I recall, when I installed and configured Catalyst all but the mentioned difference went away, including the one black screen. Look, friend, I am 70 years old and have difficulty retaining memories anymore, and my memory about this situation is vague, at best, but each time you write, it matches what I remember, and the only thing I can remember that really helped was the installation and configuration of Catalyst.

A similar improvement was experienced when I installed the nVidia drivers and the application "nVidia Settings" installed and appeared. I had to fiddle with things like "twinview" and other simple adjustments, but when finished got a very acceptable dual-monitor experience. If you haven't installed Catalyst, AMD has assistance for Linux, try it, it beats waiting for a sure cure that I don't expect ever, using Linux as the OS for a system designed for Microsoft products. I could be wrong, but I believe that Microsoft goes out of their way to create these problems for Linux users just to disable the remaining 1% or so of users. It is that greed factor and belief that makes me accept the few unresolved problems of the Linux Gurus and why I remain all but revulsed by the use of Microsoft products.

I don't like to speak down on anyone, but that is my impression after 20 years of Linux use. I so respect and admire and am so grateful to our Kubuntu and other Linux developers for the all but perfect and superb jobs they do.

I don't use my computer for business purposes anymore, I am retired, but I don't remember a problem cutting or copying and pasting from screen to screen, so there seems to be a work-around to the drag and drop loss. If you haven't tried installing Catalyst yet, try it; it may be the only cure you will find, until you or the developers create a fix or work-around for the differences that rise during the first days and weeks of the addition of new technology.

My video card is not the cutting edge, but it is currently new enough to not be a front line item on the developer's list of things to fix. Continue patience and good luck, friend.By the way, my video card is a 2GB XFX R7850 double dissipation Radeon. Judging from the identity you gave of your card, they must be at a similar level of new technology. Additionally, my processor is an AMD 8350 eight core processor that currently is running at 4.2GHz, however some have gotten it to 6GHz using sophysticated techniques, that's nearly 48GHz of processing power for under $200. I may be wrong again, but Intel and AMD seem to have a similar relationship as Microsoft and Linux, and you can see, I chose the more economical solution to both problems. I also believe that any technological superiorities that Intel may offer are overwhelmed by the processing power per dollar one can experience using AMD. And, INMHO Kubuntu is so superior to Windows that if I had to pay more for its use, I would gladly pay. Using Linux is not something I do just to save money. I prefer Lambourginis over Kias too, and I mean no dispersions to Kia or their owners. For the buck, Kias are a much better deal. Cudos friend.

Don't worry, I think you have as much rights to the solution as I do (since it appears like we have the same issue).




I appreciate your reply but as I said in the first post:
If I run the monitor settings on screen 1 i see only screen 1 connected. If I run the settings on screen 2, only screen 2 appears.
This means that I am unable to drag displays around as there is only 1 at a time.

[claydoh]

I appreciate your reply but as I said in the first post:
If I run the monitor settings on screen 1 i see only screen 1 connected. If I run the settings on screen 2, only screen 2 appears.
This means that I am unable to drag displays around as there is only 1 at a time.

Sorry, I somehow thought you were using the catalyst config tools to set up your displays.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[Guest]

Once again thank you guys for your time.
I have originally set-up my dual screen using the catalyst control centre. I did this because the default kubuntu setting did not detect 2 screens. After playing around with all the different settings, I uninstalled catalyst control centre along with all its drivers (sudo apt-get purge fglrx). This made the settings detect the second screen and so I was able to fix the problem. I believe the issue was originally some sort of incorrectly installed driver. Either way, the system works fine with the default graphics driver and since I won't be using it for gaming any-time soon. I believe my issue has been resolved.
Thank You both for your help. You have helped me and probably anyone else who stumbles upon this thread when looking for a solution for the same problem.