Need help with xorg multihead configuration
 

This is my first time attempting to do a multihead system. I just installed PCLinuxOS. The video card is an AGP EVGA FX5200. It has both VGA and DVI outputs with an adapter to convert the DVI to VGA. My monitors are identical. Both of them were connected during the install.

During the bootup process, both monitors display the same thing until the login screen. Then the left screen shows junk and the right screen is normal.

Sorry for the long post, but I know I will be asked for my xorg.conf file, so here it is, after I added the extra sections for the second monitor, device, and screen. Any help will be appreciated.

# File generated by XFdrake (rev 57713)

# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the xorg.conf man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"
# font server independent of the X server to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:-1"

# minimal fonts to allow X to run without xfs
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc:unscaled"
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
#DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort)
#DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)
AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse does not work
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension
Load "v4l" # Video for Linux
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx" # 3D layer
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
Option "XkbOptions" "compose:rwin"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor1"
VendorName "Plug'n Play"
ModelName "PV1710"
HorizSync 30-82
VertRefresh 50-75

# TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output.
# 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630

# 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor2"
VendorName "Plug'n Play"
ModelName "PV1710"
HorizSync 30-82
VertRefresh 50-75

# TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output.
# 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630

# 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "device1"
VendorName "nVidia Corp."
BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)"
Driver "nv"
Option "DPMS"
BusID "PCI:0:1:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "device2"
VendorName "nVidia Corp."
BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)"
Driver "nv"
Option "DPMS"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Monitor "monitor1"
DefaultColorDepth 24

Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen2"
Device "device2"
Monitor "monitor2"
DefaultColorDepth 24

Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "640x480" "480x360" "320x240"
EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "layout1"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
Screen "screen1"
Screen "screen2" RightOf "screen1"
EndSection

You need to install Nvidia's binary driver. There's instructions in the readme for the driver on how to get different configurations of multi-monitor working.

Thanks UK MAdMaN for the help. It was exactly what I needed.

I installed it via Synaptic, and configured with Twinview = true, and it came up with almost exactly the twin screen configuration I wanted. The only things I changes were to make the background NOT span both monitors, and to make the panel TO span the monitors. I might change my mind about the panel, but since the desktop switcher now takes up more space I might need panel space because I usually have lots of windows open at a time.

One more task done on my to do list.