Laptop and External Monitor

[Rainagul]

Hi there,

I recently put Ubuntu onto my laptop and it works great. Im really loving it over vista

My laptop has a 15.4 inch screen and i wanted to test my 22 inch external monitor on ubuntu.
However when i plug it in, the resolution dosen't update and it stays at the 15.4inch resolution. When i go to resolution settings, i can't make it any bigger from there either.

So im a bit stuck. I would really like to use my 22inch but im just not sure how to make it work :S

If anyone could help, then i would appreciate it greatly. Also im still new to Ubuntu so if anyone awnsers then can it be in simple english >_< i probably won't understand if its all complicated.

Thanks in advance...

[linux_tech]

What is your system configuration- what graphics adapter
are you using?
What method are you currently using for dual display?

[overdrank]

Hi there,

I recently put Ubuntu onto my laptop and it works great. Im really loving it over vista

My laptop has a 15.4 inch screen and i wanted to test my 22 inch external monitor on ubuntu.
However when i plug it in, the resolution dosen't update and it stays at the 15.4inch resolution. When i go to resolution settings, i can't make it any bigger from there either.

So im a bit stuck. I would really like to use my 22inch but im just not sure how to make it work :S

If anyone could help, then i would appreciate it greatly. Also im still new to Ubuntu so if anyone awnsers then can it be in simple english >_< i probably won't understand if its all complicated.

Thanks in advance...

Hi and welcome, You can use the command

lspci

In the terminal located under applications, accessories, terminal and this will identify your hardware, Look for VGA. Also you may use this command using the alt, F2 keys and enter

gksu displayconfig-gtk

There you can set your driver and resolution for you monitor.

[Lusse]

Try to restart with monitor plugged in, that worked for me!

[Norman Grahams]

Do you mean the external monitor wouldn't turn on? Or it turned on but only on a low resoulution - the native resolution of the laptop's 15.4"?

[Rainagul]

Sorry i probably didn't make myself very clear.
Ill Explain the situation.

1. I turn on my laptop, log into Ubuntu etc.
2. Then i plug in my 22 inch screen .
Note: im not using it for a dual monitor configuration, im using it for primary monitor use.
3. Then the image appears on my 22inch, but its not at the right resolution and i can't change it.

I have tried restarting with the monitor plugged in, but that dosent change anything.

As for my laptop specs:

Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T7300 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.0GHz
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Hard Drive: 160 GB Total
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor
Sound Card: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium and Ubuntu

And thank you overdrank, thats what i was looking for I can only try it on tuesday when i get back from holidays. But i will post my results/problems.

Thanks to everyone, got my replies quite quickly