First, I am a newbie to Ubuntu Linux. I just started teaching myself Linux in the hope of being able to get rid of my Windows based server.
I am running Ubuntu 8.04 on a Dell Optiplex GX270 with an Intel 82865G graphics cards and a Viewsonic VX2835wm monitor (with 1920 x 1200 resolution). The Optiplex uses the Windows dual boot which was configured by Ubuntu as part of the Ubuntu installation; the computer also runs Windows XP. Ubuntu is now the default OS on boot up.
When I first downloaded and installed Ubuntu Linux a month or so ago, it immediately and correctly configured my monitor resolution to use the full 1920 x 1200 screen resolution of my monitor. Yesterday, in the midst of an office move, I restarted my Optiplex with the HDMI cable removed. No big deal until I restarted the computer with the cable attached and found myself staring at a 640 x 480 resolution screen.
When this happened I knew nothing about either the "Screens and Graphics" menu or the xorg.conf files. In the 24 hours since then, I have learned more than I wanted to know about this menu and these files. I have been able to restore partial functionality to my monitor by getting the resolution up to 1024 x 768 by selecting the Intel 865 (i810 Integrated Graphics) driver and the generic 1920 x 1200 display monitor. (Also, I am quite sure that there is no hardware problem since the monitor still functions fine when I boot into Windows XP instead of Ubuntu.)
I don't have a back up of whatever the xorg.conf file looked like before this all started happening and I would like to avoid having to learn how to program the xorg.conf file (I have made some attempts that failed miserably). I am hoping / assuming that since the screen resolution was configured effortlessly (and correctly) on the initial install, there may be a simple way to restore my prior settings. Alternatively, is there a way to add additional monitors to the menu on the "Screens and Graphics" menu? If so, is there a way to find out what Ubuntu driver support there is for my Viewsonic monitor? (I couldn't find anything at the Viewsonic web site and none of the Viewsonic drivers listed which I tried seemed to work.)
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