# Laptop monitor resolution

## Gear.0

I am trying to change my laptop monitor resolution. I've heard that people using my same laptop model (HP Compaq nc6320) have had success using 915resolution. However, those are older guides and that program is now masked in portage.

Am I correct to assume the more 'modern'(?) way of doing it would be to use xrandr?

If so, I have been trying to change it to my screens native resolution of 1400x1050.

Here is what I have tried with the output I get:

(note: for the first command I have tried both gtf and cvt, with and without the third refresh rate option)

 *Quote:*   

> ~ $ gtf 1400 1050 60
> 
>   # 1400x1050 @ 60.00 Hz (GTF) hsync: 65.22 kHz; pclk: 122.61 MHz
> 
>   Modeline "1400x1050_60.00"  122.61  1400 1488 1640 1880  1050 1051 1054 1087  -HSync +Vsync
> ...

 

Now, if I try the last command again except this time with VGA(which is reported as disconnected by xrandr) instead of LVDS, I don't get any errors, and the mode appears under VGA if I just type 'xrandr' without any options.

Now, if I try to activate that VGA mode, I notice something strange, I was expecting an error because it says VGA is disconnected, but instead it just seemed to make the screen *think* it has a larger resolution. It basically seems like a virtual display but doesn't allow me to pan. So maximized windows get part of the screen cut off and I can move my mouse well past the edges of the screen, but the actual display area still appears to be 1024x768.

I noticed something interesting when trying to switch back to a different display. xrandr would show a star next to the 1024x768 option in LVDS and a star next to the 1400x1050_60.00 option in VGA at the same time like they are both active. But the interesting thing is that when I tried to remove the mode 1400x1050_60.00 with xrandr --delmode VGA 1400x1050_60.00 it gave me the same output as when I tried to add the mode to LVDS:

 *Quote:*   

> X Error of failed request:  BadMatch (invalid parameter attributes)
> 
>  Major opcode of failed request:  148 (RANDR)
> 
>  Minor opcode of failed request:  18 (RRAddOutputMode)
> ...

 

I am assuming that is because the display still had a star next to it (still being used) so maybe the error is like a display is in use message.. so maybe I can't add the mode to LVDS simply because I am already using the display and for some reason xrandr can't access it. If I try to do it from within tty, I just get a:

Can't open display

error.

Please help me, I would really appreciate any advice.

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## BradN

Try using X -configure (from outside X) to generate an xorg.conf.new file, move that to /etc/X11/xorg.conf and edit it to insert:

Modeline "1400x1050_60.00" 122.61 1400 1488 1640 1880 1050 1051 1054 1087 -HSync +Vsync

Into the monitor section for your internal display.  No guarantees, but this is the generic way to add a display mode to X.

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## Gear.0

I ran X -configure as root and got the following error:

 *Quote:*   

> vmware: Please ignore above "FATAL: Module vmwgfx not found."
> 
> <then some Backtrace information>
> 
> Segmentation fault at address (nil)
> ...

 

Isn't Vmware for virtual machines? I don't have that and I don't want it... but I suppose I could try adding the vmwgfx module to the kernel.. is that what it's asking?

Also, I was originally using a xorg.conf without HAL, and someone told me that with xorg-server 1.7 (which is what I have) it is better to NOT use xorg.conf and just let HAL do it, and configure things with 'fdi' files??

Should I still continue trying to make a xorg.conf, I think if I have a xorg.conf I get a warning message (now that I recompiled everything with HAL support) to remove my xorg.conf, I think it still uses it though, it's just a warning.

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## BradN

emerge --unmerge xf86-video-vmware

This caused problems for me as well last time, suggest setting up VIDEO_CARDS="intel" in /etc/make.conf so it doesn't get reinstalled.

To be honest I'm not 100% sure what parts of xorg.conf are still used when HAL is enabled.  I know input devices are basically ignored in there then, which caused a bunch of pain for me trying to make my serial touchscreen work and calibrated correctly.  I ended up making a script that runs whenever the touchscreen needs to be reconnected (at initial X login and after resume from suspend/hibernate) that uses xinput to reconfigure everything.

I'm hoping the monitor sections are still used by xorg here, I think they are because I don't think HAL really has a way to handle monitors until KMS (kernel mode setting) becomes standard.

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## Gear.0

Alright I added the 'intel' line.

I also tried putting modes into xorg.conf... no luck.

Perhaps I will just try using the 915resolution program. People with my laptop model have been reporting success with it, but a few years back I think. I don't know why it is now masked in Gentoo, they also removed it from the repos in Ubuntu because it breaks something...

That is why I've been reluctant to try it, I'm worried it might mess something up. But if we can't think of any alternatives to try, then I might just give 915resolution a shot.

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## Gear.0

The 915resolution program did not work. I think it was meant to work with older versions of xorg-server.

I don't know what to try next...

Does anyone have an idea?

NOTE: I don't have KMS enabled for my video driver... is that bad?

I read a comment on the kernel-seeds.org website that it is more stable for my driver if KMS is not compiled...

But I would be willing to try it if you think it might actually help.

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## BradN

You could try a new kernel (2.6.34+ I believe) and the latest unstable intel driver, in which case you must enable KMS or the driver won't work at all.

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## paulusbrand

KMS works fine on my eeepc using the i915 kernel (2.6.35) driver. I don't use a Xorg.conf since X server sets everything automagically using evdev and xf86-video-intel. I do use the ~x86 versions of xorg-server and xf86-video-intel.

Good luck

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## BradN

It's mostly working with my i855 laptop at 1024x768 using the same software as palusbrand.

The only problem I've still got is some instability that I think is related to suspend/resume, causing xv to stop working completely, and events like this in dmesg:

```
[206912.844031] [drm:i915_hangcheck_elapsed] *ERROR* Hangcheck timer elapsed... GPU hung

[206912.844305] render error detected, EIR: 0x00000000

[206912.844332] [drm:i915_do_wait_request] *ERROR* i915_do_wait_request returns -5 (awaiting 7107045 at 7107031)

[206912.844338] ------------[ cut here ]------------

[206912.844359] WARNING: at drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_tiling.c:332 i915_gem_set_tiling+0x12c/0x16b()

[206912.844365] Hardware name: LifeBook B Series

[206912.844368] failed to reset object for tiling switch

[206912.844372] Modules linked in: lib80211_crypt_ccmp ipw2200 libipw

[206912.844386] Pid: 6132, comm: X Not tainted 2.6.34-gentoo-r2 #1

[206912.844390] Call Trace:

[206912.844403]  [<c101c9da>] ? warn_slowpath_common+0x5e/0x8a

[206912.844410]  [<c101ca38>] ? warn_slowpath_fmt+0x26/0x2a

[206912.844418]  [<c1189d0d>] ? i915_gem_set_tiling+0x12c/0x16b

[206912.844430]  [<c1171c7b>] ? drm_ioctl+0x1e5/0x29b

[206912.844437]  [<c1189be1>] ? i915_gem_set_tiling+0x0/0x16b

[206912.844448]  [<c106a327>] ? fsnotify_modify+0x5a/0x61

[206912.844456]  [<c1171a96>] ? drm_ioctl+0x0/0x29b

[206912.844465]  [<c10744ba>] ? vfs_ioctl+0x1c/0x7d

[206912.844472]  [<c1074a08>] ? do_vfs_ioctl+0x456/0x48d

[206912.844480]  [<c102ec08>] ? hrtimer_try_to_cancel+0x4e/0x54

[206912.844489]  [<c101fd19>] ? do_setitimer+0x152/0x180

[206912.844499]  [<c10327ec>] ? ktime_get_ts+0xcd/0xd5

[206912.844506]  [<c1074a6b>] ? sys_ioctl+0x2c/0x42

[206912.844514]  [<c10026d0>] ? sysenter_do_call+0x12/0x26

[206912.844519] ---[ end trace 9cda7f7c5207ee47 ]---

[206947.353037] [drm:i915_hangcheck_elapsed] *ERROR* Hangcheck timer elapsed... GPU hung

[206947.353050] render error detected, EIR: 0x00000000
```

I'm not 100% sure what's at fault, the kernel driver, the xorg driver, or acpi or general suspend code.  It's not a major problem as X keeps working but xv always stops working, and sometimes acceleration is shut off completely.

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## Gear.0

I think I will just wait for the kernel to show up normally in portage.

When that day comes I will report back here whether it works or not.

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