LinuxQuestions.org - fresh ubuntu installation, unknown monitor

background: I was using ubuntu like normal, no problem. suddenly, the monitor goes black as though the screen saver came on, but quickly, instead of the fade to black. monitor light goes from green to orange, what it normally does when it goes to sleep. I move the mouse. no response. I press a button on the keyboard. nothing. I check power to computer and monitor. check. I unplug and replug the cables from the monitor and the cable and from the computer. still nothing. I power down the monitor and power it back up, then the light turns green, the screen comes back on, but this time in much lower resolution, and not in 'wide screen' mode. the last time this happened, a reinstall of ubuntu fixed everything. not so this time. I have been using ubuntu since 8.04 and it has always worked out of the box. (note: every prior installation of ubuntu has always displayed the proper full screen [wide] even with the installation cd. now even with the cd, the screen isn't right)

now, after a second reinstallation since the messup, I still have an ugly screen. I have activated the nvidia drivers offered through the ubuntu channels, even added the latest glx (I think?) driver through synaptic, yet still the software won't access the right screen resolution and nothing looks right as it should. the lower resolutions work, but of course I want my old resolutions. since the initial messup, the video drivers see the monitor as "unknown monitor" and in the video driver, it sees a "CRT" yet I have an LCD.

windows vista did and still does work fine, but I feel dirty having to boot up in it, not to mention the feeling of not being secure.

is there anything I can type in the terminal to help diagnose this?

any clue what I did wrong? is my monitor going bad? maybe video card?

thank you very much