low resolution, new install of ubuntu 8.04, sis661 graphics chips

gnome181 · 10-26-2009, 06:51 AM

i have just installed Ubuntu 8.04 into an asus with p5s800-vm mother board, the graphics are by sis 661 chip set. the screen resolution cannot be set higher than 720x400. as i am using a 19inch monitor, 1024x768 would be better resolution, but this is unobtainable. it is as if drivers aren't loaded, when i look in "system-administration-hardware drivers" i get a message that there are no proprietary drivers in use.
if i need drivers, where do i find them and how do i install them?

linus72 · 10-26-2009, 06:57 AM

Welcome to LQ gnome181!

Not sure if you can get that res
but, I dont think there are any proprietory drivers for sis?

anyway, go to system/admin/software sources and make sure you have all repos enabled

also, see here for other stuff to add to your repos
http://repogen.simplylinux.ch/

also, maybe you should try 9.04?
much more up to date

NOTE, my HP desktop a810n has sis 760 graphics and I cant even install ubuntu/debian as the screen locks up.

hopefully, others here can help too

Wim Sturkenboom · 10-26-2009, 08:34 AM

try in a terminal dpkg-reconfigure xorg-xserver; probably needs root permissions (sudo)

gnome181 · 10-27-2009, 04:51 PM

just tried it on another monitor, it picked up the make and was happy to increase resolution. how do i achieve this on an unknown monitor, i am trying to set this up as a multimedia unit for my sanyo tv??

Wim Sturkenboom · 10-28-2009, 12:01 AM

Specify the correct refresh rates in /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Code:

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Generic Monitor"
    HorizSync       27.0 - 96.0
    VertRefresh     50.0 - 160.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Note that the numbers are examples and must match your monitor's capabilities (check the manual).

If you don't have a xorg.conf, you can create one and add the above. I'm however not sure if that will work without other additions to the file.

gnome181 · 10-28-2009, 11:23 PM

Sorry, but i forgot to mention i am very new to linux. how do i edit the xorg.conf? i tried the text editor but when i went to save the new file i got "could not save file" as apparently i do not have the required permissions?

Wim Sturkenboom · 10-29-2009, 12:28 AM

If you're in the graphical environment, enter the command gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf in a terminal
If you're in a console, enter the command sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf or sudo vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf; nano is probably the easier to use editor for a newbie.

As you've found out, you need root permissions to edit the file and sudo elevates your normal permissions to root permissions.

gnome181 · 10-29-2009, 05:26 PM

Problem solved. I couldn't get the refresh rates from the TV manual, but did some research on the net and found some one who had to edit his xorg.conf to get higher resolution with a new graphics card. He had added an extra mode, so I tried this:

Section "Screen"
Identifier "DefaultScreen"
Monitor "ConfiguredMonitor"
SubSection "Display"
Mode "1024x768"
Virtual 1024 768
EndSubSection
EndSection

Which is a combination of both answers, and it worked.

Thank you for your assistance.