# Change the primary display (no Xserver)

## erus

Hello everyone,

I have a laptop with gentoo (I didn't setup an Xserver yet) on it and my problem is that when I plug it up to a hdmi display I cannot change my main screen to the hdmi display. 

If you can tell me how I can do that or where I can find the solution, it'd be nice.

I'm new on gentoo and linux as well so if a forget something don't hesitate to yell at me  :Smile: . (I wouldn't mind)

Thanks

erus

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## Gusar

Outside of X displays are cloned (you get the same console on both), so it doesn't matter which is primary. What exactly is your goal?

What you can do is disable the laptop display, depending on driver. So what graphic card do you have and which driver are you using?

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## erus

I have a nvidia geforce gt220m. 

The driver I don't know witch one it is, I just finished the installation and I didn't install any specific driver.

When my hdmi display is plug in it's not cloned the monitor just stay blank.

Disable the laptop display it's what I would like to do.

Thanks

erus

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## Gusar

Do you ever plan to use X? Maybe with the proprietary nvidia driver? Or do you just care about the console on the external display?

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## erus

I do plan to use kde but right now, I just want to use the console (on my hdmi display) to get use to it before setup a desktop.

Thanks

erus

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## Gusar

The reason I'm asking is, it makes no sense to now set up a console with the nouveau driver, if you later plan to use X with the proprietary nvidia driver. Because nouveau and nvidia can't be used together.

Anyway, to use a nouveau console, activate nouveau in the kernel (it's in the Staging section, unless you're using kernel 3.4). Once you've booted into that kernel, look in /sys/class/drm. You'll see stuff there like card0-LVDS-1, card0-VGA-1 and such. The part after card0- is the output name we're interested in, in my example we have an internal display (LVDS-1) and an external one (VGA-1). To deactivate the internal display, put this on the kernel line in the grub config:

```
video=LVDS-1:d
```

Adjust it to your actual output name.

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## erus

What you say makes sense so can I install my nvidia driver without setup a desktop ?

Would it be the same to change monitor setting with the nvidia driver?

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## Gusar

The nvidia driver does not handle the console, only X. So such manipulation is not possible with it. If you use nvidia for X, then you can only use (u)vesafb for the console, whose capabilities are very limited.

You can use nouveau for X, but nouveau does not have the feature set and performance of the nvidia driver. Especially on a laptop, nouveau's lack of power management is an issue (the battery will drain faster).

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## erus

I did install uvesafb while the setup of gentoo.

Could I have with the nvidia driver a cloned screen for the console at least ?

It means that if I want the nvidia driver I need to setup a desktop right now?

I don't now if I am clear enough, What I want it's my external monitor to be my main screen for everything ( console and X) and like you mentioned I plan to install the nvidia driver?

So what is the best things to do in my case ?

Thanks for all your help

erus

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## Gusar

I think you'll get cloned console output with uvesafb, but only if the external display is plugged in when you start the machine.

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## erus

I have my external monitor plug in when I start my computer but maybe uvesafb is not configured correctly yet.

I'm gonna work on this and I'd post if I have any trouble.

Thanks alot.

erus

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