Screen resolution not showing all options

[halon314]

I have yet to install Ubuntu on a machine that shows screen resolution options higher than 1024x768. Is there a (GUI) way to turn on the missing options? I'd rather not have to go into that while xorg.conf thing if I don't have to. In other operating systems, I load it and set the resolution to what I want, they just show up. Why is it so hard in Ubuntu (and most Linux's in general)?

[CatKiller]

Why is it so hard in Ubuntu (and most Linux's in general)?

Because your monitor is broken.

It's perfectly possible for monitors to advertise the resolutions that they are capable of. This is done through a mechanism called EDID. This means that everything works automatically with no need for configuration, and this is what happens in the majority of cases. Some monitors, like yours, don't do this, because the manufacturer is either cheap or incompetent.

In Windows you get around this failing by installing a "driver" which is really just registry entries of the information that should have been provided through EDID.

In Linux you can do something similar by putting that information in xorg.conf. If you tell us more about your hardware we might be able to help you through it.

[halon314]

Thanks for the reply. It's odd that Windows can work around that problem and Linux can't. I would think linux would make it easier to use older hardware.

In my case, the on-board video is showing as an Intel 82865G Graphics Controller and the monitor is a Westinghouse - LCM-19w4. Is it possible to manually configure Ubuntu to work with this combination of hardware?

[realzippy]

Open a terminal,type

xrandr -q

post output.

BTW,which ubuntu version?

[halon314]

The output from xrandr -q is as follows:
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1024 x 768, maximum 4096 x 4096
VGA1 connected 1024x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
1024x768 60.0*
800x600 60.3 56.2
848x480 60.0
640x480 59.9

[realzippy]

run these commands:

xrandr --newmode "1440x900_60.00"  106.50  1440 1528 1672 1904  900 903 909 934 -hsync +vsync

xrandr --addmode VGA1 1440x900_60.00

xrandr --output VGA1 --mode 1440x900_60.00

If it works,do nothing.
Post (then we make it permanent)..

[CatKiller]

Thanks for the reply. It's odd that Windows can work around that problem and Linux can't. I would think linux would make it easier to use older hardware.

It's not a question of old hardware, it's a question of broken hardware. The EDID spec is 16 years old.

The workaround for Windows is just as ugly as the workaround with X, it's just that manufacturers are more likely to bother to do it for you with Windows because it would be suicide for them not to.

[halon314]

FANTASIC!! Now I have 1440x900! Will this be persistent after a reboot?

[Duncan Williams]

have a read of this:
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-change...ng-xrandr.html

He's pretty zippy, hey...

[realzippy]

@catkiller

Pleased to meet you
I also prefer xorg.conf hack to fix resolution.
..but for some reason the mods don't want this.
Few threads ago when I suggested to create xorg.conf bodhi zazen jumped in claiming that xorg.conf is "depreciated" giving this link.
zippy