To big resolution

[snekkis]

Just starting with linux and choosing Ubuntu 8.10. Have installed on a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro v2055, but the resolution is set to 1600 x 1200 default after install. It extends beyond the physical screen and I'm missing out on lower part and right side of the screen. If I set it to 1200 X 800 (default), it goes all distorted and I can not set it back.

No refresh rates is provided from manufacturer. Only this, Display diagonal: 15.4 inch WXGA, TFT
Max. resolution: 1280 x 800 / 16 mio. colours
Screen controller
Chip: VN 800 / Uni Chrome Pro 3D/2D
Video memory (VRAM): shared memory

I have seen some posts about doing something in the terminal, but I don't know it it applies to the latest 8.10 distribution. I'm not that terminally either.

I get all confused when I even try connect the wireless. In help it says: (system > administration > network) to find the Network Manager, but I can not find the Network Manager. As I understand it should scan for available networks and find my router.

I've found Network configuration in Preferences though, and its called Network Configuration when the dialog window opens???

Want to fix this and use Ubuntu. It looks very nice.

Snekkis

[mrjohnston]

Ok, first the wireless. Network-manager should be a little computer monitors icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Right click on the monitors and it will display your network cards you can use to connect as well as any routers available wirelessly and their signal strength.

Now the screen resolution. Usually that is autodetected, but under preferences you can go to screen resolution and change it and the monitor frequency to find one that works better. I would also ask you you are using any kind of adapter to connect your monitor (like dvi to vga or a KVM switch) as those can mess with the ability to autodetect the monitor.

You also seem to be using a chrome video card, which I believe is fairly old and troublesome. I know there is an openchrome driver you can use, but not sure about the details of it as I've never owned one.

[snekkis]

That icon I can not see. It is beyond the screen. I have notebook and there is no external things connected. But I'll look for that driver and see.

Thanks for replying!

[sailor2001]

alt/f2 type in /usr/share/applications/screens and graphics try setting refresh at 60 and go from there

[northern lights]

mkey.

As for the resolution, there's two issues that might both need tweaking.

It's possible you're not using the most suiting graphics driver; although, if you were on no driver but VESA at all, these high resolution would not be possible. Check under "System > Administration > Hardware Drivers", whether a proprietary driver is offered and whether the recommended driver is in use.

Since your on too large a resolution and your monitor's native resolution is screwed up, it is very likely you don't have the correct monitor selected. What graphics device does your laptop use?
The following goes for nvidia devices:
If the proprietary nvidia driver is in use, there should be a "NVIDIA X Server Settings" entry under "System > Administration". Open it, find the "GPU 0" entry in the menu and further find its subsection "CRT 0". Highlight "CRT 0" and click on the "Acquire EDID..." button. Native resolutions should now be supported. You will have to restart X (logout/reboot).

As for the wireless, can you please open a Terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and post the outputs of

sudo lshw -C network

ifconfig

and

iwconfig

Further, if you're unsure about your graphics device, also post the output of

sudo lshw -C display

[benit]

I have the same laptop as snekkis and the same issues (new to Ubuntu, not very terminally etc, and obviously the same problem with the screen resol.)

I been trying to find out how to work in Ubuntu and the first thing that more or less gave me a better idea was by finding a list of basic commands in Ubuntu.

The problem with the screen resolution when installing Ubuntu 8.10 in the Amilo V2055 is that it doesn't install the correct driver for the Chipset Via VN800 (So it seems by what I have read), so it starts running with a General Driver, this is what I get if I access the xorg file in the terminal I entered:

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

--------------------------------------------
This is what it comes up:
--------------------------------------------
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

---------------------------------------------------
And that's it, I was reading some other solutions given to similar screen resolution problems, and some say to modify this file, as I am totally new to Ubuntu I didn't want to make almost any changes.

The simplest suggestion that I found was to add a couple of lines to the xorg file,

I again entered in terminal:

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf


and did this:
----------------------------------------------------

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Configured Video Device"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
SubSection "Display"

Modes "800x600@60" "1024x768@60" "800x600@56" "1280x800@60"
EndSubSection
EndSection

----------------------------------------------
I saved the xorg with the new lines and then rebooted, I clicked on System>Preferences>Screen Resolution. Hoping to see the new options with their respective refresh rates but nothing seem to have changed, (in the choices "1600x1200" "1400x1050" "1280x1024" "1280x800" etc... all have still O Hz refresh rate the only option that has a value different to zero rate is "640x480" at 60 Hz )

If I select the "1280x800" (which is the correct resolution for Amilo V2055) there is no refresh rate so I just lines all over the screen as I move the cursor across it.

I try finding too the correct driver for this laptop as suggested the only one I could find was the one refered to in http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=485646

But I don't know how to follow this instructions or even how to install the File Type: openchrome-stable.sh

I hope the problem is clear (totally new clueless user please help in step by step if possible. Thank you all for your time!!

[northern lights]

One ahead of the specific issues: Irrespective of the task / problem at hand, if you need to run graphical applications as root, please do so with gksu (kdesu under KDE/Kubuntu) rather than sudo. Use that for shell processes only.

As far as your graphical problem is concerned, please (as requested above) open a terminal and post the output of

sudo lshw -C display

That will display information on your graphics device and the currently assigned driver. We'll take it from there.

[kansasnoob]

Editing "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" on 8.10 (Intrepid) doesn't work. In 8.04.2 that would be the thing to do, though you didn't do it just right, but unless you decide to install 8.04.2 that doesn't matter.

What I'd suggest now is either getting to terminal which sounds like it may not be an option for you or just restarting and accessing GRUB by waiting until the system prompt passes and pressing Esc. Then you'll see a list of boot options, basically the newest kernel first followed by a recovery mode and the same for each older kernel and finally an option for "memtest".

Once you access the GRUB screen you want to select "recovery mode" for the newest kernel and when that's done running you'll be presented with a few options. You want to choose to "recover Xorg/Xserver" or something like that, sorry I can't remember the exact words they use, but it's fairly recognizable.

That should get you back to square one. Optionally if you can get to "terminal" (one way might be pressing Alt > F2 at the same time) you could run in terminal:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Which will just restore xorg to it's original state.

Then to try and fix things I'd install either "grandr" or "lxrandr" (you could install both - they don't interfere with each other) either from Synaptic Package Manager or using the terminal:

sudo apt-get install grandr

sudo apt-get install lxrandr

or for both:

sudo apt-get install grander lxrandr

Then either can be launched (they don't show up in the menu) by pushing "Alt > F2" as I said before and then typing either grander or lxrandr. They both have gui's so they're easy to understand.

BTW, the driver you need to be using is "openchrome" but I have no idea how to manually install it with Intrepid - it was easy in Hardy.

[kansasnoob]

I was doing some testing on Jaunty when I posted that message and couldn't post screenshots for the "randr" gui's but here they are:

Screenshot-Display Settings.png

Screenshot-grandr.png

[kestrel1]

kansasnoob: Editing "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" on 8.10 (Intrepid) doesn't work. In 8.04.2 that would be the thing to do, though you didn't do it just right, but unless you decide to install 8.04.2 that doesn't matter.

This is not true. You can edit the xorg.conf file in Ubuntu 8.10.
This was the only way that I could get my system working correctly, when I installed 8.10 nearly six months ago.