Trying to use my plasma as my display

[sakundiak]

I'm new to linux but i'm sick of vista so i thought i would give it a try. I installed ubuntu 8.04 on two laptops, one i use for just around the house and the other is hooked to my plasma in the family. We use the plasma as kind of a family computer if we are sitting on the couch kinda thing. Its an hp laptop, my problem is that when i hit fn f4 to change my video output to the tv the display is way to big to fit my plasma. I have to move the mouse to the edge of the screen to kind of shift the display over so i can see different parts of it. The laptop is hooked up via vga cable, in vista i used 1024x768 res and it fit perfect. I tried to change the res but it did nothing. The video card in that laptop is a nvidia 5200 if that has anything to do with it. Like i said i'm new to linux and would hate to have to put windows back on my machines. Help pls.... Thanx

[chewearn]

Try using nvidia-settings to adjust the resolution.

To install, click here (apt://nvidia-settings), or run this command line:
sudo apt-get install nvidia-setting

Run it with sudo, if you want it to save the changes to xorg.conf:
gksudo nvidia-settings

I recommend keep a back-up copy of xorg.conf before you mess with it:
sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup

.

[sakundiak]

Ok i installed the app went into it and i'm not quite sure what i should be adjusting. I can see my 2 displays, the laptop display is set for 1440x900 and the plasma display which it calls crt0 is set for 640x480. In the res drop down bar for the plasma there are only two different res's, nothing higher than 640x480. Is this problem fixable or is it way beyond my capabilities?

[chewearn]

Click on "Detect Displays", see if there are more resolution options after that.

If not, your plasma tv is not giving a correct info (EDID) to the nvidia. That means you will have to tweak xorg.conf manually.

For the time being, make a back-up of /etc/X11/xorg.conf as shown in my previous post. Then, click on the "Save to X Configuration File", quit nvidia-settings and reboot.

Once back, post the xorg.conf file here, and we will see what need to be changed to get higher resolution.

.

[sakundiak]

i think this is what you are talking about

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 1.0 (buildd@vernadsky) Tue Mar 4 20:24:34 UTC 2008

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: builtin, VertRefresh source: builtin
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "CRT-0"
HorizSync 28.0 - 33.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 72.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce FX Go5200"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "CRT-0"
Option "metamodes" "CRT: nvidia-auto-select @1440x900 +0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

[chewearn]

In your xorg.conf, there should be two of:
Section "Monitor"
...
EndSection

and two of:
Section "Device"
...
EndSection


But I only see one each. I assumed that the second (plasma) display is not yet enabled.

In nvidia-settings, please click on the second monitor, then click the "Configure..." button, select "Twinview" or "Separate X screen".

Note:
1. Twinview: you get one big desktop
2. Separate X screen: you get two independent desktop (cannot move apps from one desktop to another).

It's a personal choice whether to use one or the other, I personally prefer "Separate X screen".

Finally, click "Save to X Configuration File", and reboot. You should now see desktop on both screens, and post the xorg.conf again.

.

[sakundiak]

the reason there is only one is because i disabled the laptop display since it is not in use. We use the plasma as the only display. But i will go ahead a enable the second display and post my results.

[sakundiak]

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 1.0 (buildd@vernadsky) Tue Mar 4 20:24:34 UTC 2008

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0" RightOf "Screen1"
Screen 1 "Screen1" 0 0
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: unknown, VertRefresh source: unknown
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Nvidia Default Flat Panel"
HorizSync 0.0 - 0.0
VertRefresh 0.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: builtin, VertRefresh source: builtin
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "CRT-0"
HorizSync 28.0 - 33.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 72.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce FX Go5200"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Screen 0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard1"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce FX Go5200"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "metamodes" "DFP: 1024x768 +0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard1"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "CRT-0"
Option "metamodes" "CRT: nvidia-auto-select @1440x900 +0+0; CRT: nvidia-auto-select @1280x800 +0+0; CRT: nvidia-auto-select @1280x768 +0+0; CRT: nvidia-auto-select @1152x768 +0+0; CRT: nvidia-auto-select @1024x768 +0+0; CRT: nvidia-auto-select @800x600 +0+0; CRT: nvidia-auto-select +0+0; CRT: 320x240 @640x400 +0+0; CRT: 320x240 @640x384 +0+0; CRT: 320x240 @576x384 +0+0; CRT: 320x240 @512x384 +0+0; CRT: 320x240 @400x300 +0+0; CRT: 320x240 +0+0"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

[chewearn]

In this part:

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: builtin, VertRefresh source: builtin
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "CRT-0"
HorizSync 28.0 - 33.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 72.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Change the HorizSync part to this:

HorizSync 28.0 - 80.0


Reboot, and go back into nvidia-settings, see if the higher resolution can now be selected.

[sakundiak]

How do i go about editing that. I open the file i saved on my desktop that i posted for you and edited what you said to edit, now how can i merge or copy it over the existing one thats in the system?

[chewearn]

You need to use sudo, which will give you root privileges. To copy the file over:
sudo cp xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.confOr to edit in place:
gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

[sakundiak]

Thanx that did it. Little bit of a shadow on everything but i guess its as good as its gonna get. I'm new to linux and i guess i will have to sit down and start learning these commands. Everything is so different from dos commands.