Limited resolutions with Sandybridge graphics

**robertj20112** · September 16th, 2012

Originally Posted by Wim Sturkenboom

Your mode is not called 1920x1080, it's called 1920x1080_60 as I already indicated in my earlier post. So try to use that.

Code:

xrandr --addmode default 1920x1080_60

Thanks for your response. I had tried 1920x1080_60 and it failed, but in looking over the terminal output, I realized the true name was 1920x1080_60.00. I had to go through the mode adding process (for some reason, the modes I had added in a previous session were now gone, as were 3 of the four previously-existing VESA modes.) This time, the addmode worked. However, when I tried to select that mode from the drop-down list in the Displays GUI, I got an error notice that the chosen mode exceeded the allowable resolution, which was Minimum 1280x1024, Maximum 1280x1024.

You can see this range limitation in the xrandr output buried in this terminal listing:

Code:

mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$ xrandr
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 1280 x 1024, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 1280 x 1024
default connected 1280x1024+0+0 0mm x 0mm
   1280x1024      77.0* 
mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$ xrandr
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 1280 x 1024, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 1280 x 1024
default connected 1280x1024+0+0 0mm x 0mm
   1280x1024      77.0* 
mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$ cvt 1920 1080 60
# 1920x1080 59.96 Hz (CVT 2.07M9) hsync: 67.16 kHz; pclk: 173.00 MHz
Modeline "1920x1080_60.00"  173.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync
mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$ xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00"  173.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$ xrandr
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 1280 x 1024, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 1280 x 1024
default connected 1280x1024+0+0 0mm x 0mm
   1280x1024      77.0* 
  1920x1080_60.00 (0x14d)  173.0MHz
        h: width  1920 start 2048 end 2248 total 2576 skew    0 clock   67.2KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1083 end 1088 total 1120           clock   60.0Hz
mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$ xrandr --addmode default 1920x1080_60.00
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
mary@mary-Inspiron-One-2320:~$

So now the question is, how to change these minimum/maximum limits?

**Epodx64** · September 17th, 2012

You should amend "video=1280x1024-24@75" to Grub (the Linux Boot line)

obviously change 1280x1024 with your native resolution KMS Auto detection is failing when it boots because you either have a rare EDID or it's giving it the wrong EDID.

**robertj20112** · September 17th, 2012

Originally Posted by Epodx64

You should amend "video=1280x1024-24@75" to Grub (the Linux Boot line)

obviously change 1280x1024 with your native resolution KMS Auto detection is failing when it boots because you either have a rare EDID or it's giving it the wrong EDID.

Thanks so much for your response, Epodx64.

Here is what the line now says (after ro)

Code:

 ....... quiet splash nomodeset video=1920x1080-24@60 $vt_handoff

Is this the right syntax?

After booting, xrandr still shows maximum resolution 1280 x 1024, and 1920x1080 is not in the list of selectable resolutions in Displays GUI
. (Display native resolution in Win7 is 1920x1080)

**Epodx64** · September 28th, 2012

Originally Posted by robertj20112

Thanks so much for your response, Epodx64.

Here is what the line now says (after ro)

Code:

 ....... quiet splash nomodeset video=1920x1080-24@60 $vt_handoff

Is this the right syntax?

After booting, xrandr still shows maximum resolution 1280 x 1024, and 1920x1080 is not in the list of selectable resolutions in Displays GUI
. (Display native resolution in Win7 is 1920x1080)

get rid of the nomodeset thats probably forcing vesa to load and the intel graphics driver works fine

**robertj20112** · September 29th, 2012

Originally Posted by Epodx64

get rid of the nomodeset thats probably forcing vesa to load and the intel graphics driver works fine

Thanks for your suggestion, Epodx64. I have now tried it. When I removed nomodeset, the result was a blank (i.e., dark) screen for both the login screen and (once I typed the password blindly) the desktop. There must be a way to get the intel graphics driver working, but I haven't found it. FYI, while I got 10.04LTS to load on this hardware and the display to work without nomodeset, only the same reduced-resolution set of display parameters was available as in 12.04LTS with nomodeset. Then, when I tried to upgrade to 12.04 (rather than a direct installation of 12.04), the graphics continued working throughout the upgrade until the reboot after installation of changes. Then I got the blank/dark screen again. Right now, I am working with a fresh, direct installation of 12.04 again, and that is what I tested your suggestion against.

**robertj20112** · October 22nd, 2012

Problem has been solved in the 3.5 kernel of 12.10. All resolutions are available, no need to use nomodeset in the boot. Unfortunately, I cannot benefit from the Long Term Support of 12.04 but must install each successive new version. Oh, well, maybe the next LTS will work properly out-of-the-(electronic)box! Thanks to all who tried to help.