nvidia with dual monitors keeps changing resolution

**Cammy** · October 30th, 2012

I have an nvidia 9500GT and am using the drivers that shipped with 12.10 (304.43). I'm running two 19" monitors, and the left one is on a KVM switch that I can toggle between my ubuntu machine and a Win7 machine.

In nvidia-settings, under X Server Display Configuration, I have Twinview set up, with the left monitor being my primary and am running 1280x1024 on each monitor.

My problem: When I'm switched over to the Win7 machine on the KVM switch, something seems to happen that causes the resolution on the left monitor to drop down to 1280x1024.

I can solve this temporarily by going into nvidia settings, then to X Server XVideo Settings, and telling the machine to sync to the right monitor, but it won't seem to save that setting through a reboot (and sometimes before I even reboot). In fact, no matter what I do in nvidia-settings, most of my settings are lost after a reboot, despite me saving them to a file.

If I set my resolution to 1280x1024, it resets to auto.
If I change which monitor to sync to, it changes it back.
If I pick the other monitor as my primary monitor, it changes that back too.

Is there a way to make nvidia-settings save my settings, or some way to make it honor my desired resolution?

**Milambar** · October 30th, 2012

Yes,

Stop using windows.

**Cammy** · October 30th, 2012

I'll remember that the next time you want to play Red Alert 2.

**papibe** · October 30th, 2012

Hi Cammy.

Try saving your current setup using 'Nvidia X Server Settings' (nvidia-settings).

First save your current xorg.conf, just in case:

Code:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.old

Then run nvidia-settings as root:

Code:

gksudo nvidia-settings

Once open click on 'X Server Display Configuration' at the left. Set resolutions and other settings as you need it. Once you are happy with the configuration, save the settings by pressing 'Save to X Configuration File'.

Restart to check if the settings were set correctly. In case you run into problems, recover your old settings by doing:

Code:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.old /etc/X11/xorg.conf

I hope it helps, and tell us how it goes.
Regards.

**Cammy** · October 30th, 2012

Thanks papibe!

I've previously tried saving the settings to /etc/X11/xorg.conf (there wasn't one of those files originally) but it all seems to reset the first time the screen cycles off when switched over on the KVM.

At first I thought this was my wallpaper changer, so I changed the frequency to 24 hrs, but it still happens. Then I thought it was from the screen automatically turning itself off after an hour of non-use, but I've seen the resolution switch while the screens are still on.

There's something that's causing ubuntu to change my screen resolution on my left monitor while I'm switched over on KVM, despite what xorg.conf says, and I have no idea what it is.