Screen Resolution

bogal · 07-25-2005, 10:34 AM

I have got a new Dell system with E172FP monitor and I know this topic has been covered before in some depth, I've been reading message after message for the last day trying to work this out so if anyone has any ideas please help!

I am basically stuck in 640x480 resolution with no means of changing. I have ensured that the horizontal and vertical refresh syncs are correct and attempted to use a Modeline to force the correct resolution.

It is an integrated Intel video card with shared memory and I can only reach a graphic display with the default depth at 16. I have the resolutions running in decreasing order from 1280x1024 down to 800x600 (I don't have 640x480 included even).

My XF86Config-4 file: (monitor section)
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Dell Flat Panel"
HorizSync 31-80
VertRefresh 56-76
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Intel Corporation 82865G Integrated Graphics Devic$
Monitor "Dell Flat Panel"
DefaultDepth 16
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
EndSubSection
EndSection

If you want to see any more of this I'll happily post more! Any other details I've forgotten, post something about it and I'll get them back to you! I have tried playing around with specifying the memory it uses and bus location but no luck!

Any help appreciated! Ian

mpapet · 07-25-2005, 02:16 PM

I don't think it's about your monitor.

It's about your card driver settings in that same config file. I'm doing the following from recollection, so let me know if it's wrong.

1. Kill the x-server (control+alt+backspace)
2. It tries to restart itself so kill it again.
3. At some point it should stop trying to restart and leave you at the command line.
4. You can run X -configure (thats capital X "space" -configure) as root and it will make another conf file in your root directory. It should also finish with the instructions required to run it from the command line.
5. Start X from the command line, with the reply given from step 4.

If it runs at nice high resolution this way with everything working, then just overwrite the old one in /etc/X11/..... with the cp command.

bogal · 07-25-2005, 03:47 PM

Ok I'll give that a go when I get back on that computer at work tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens!
Thanks for the help

bogal · 07-26-2005, 03:17 AM

ok that seems to have done something except now it has come up with this:

Quote:

(EE) Mouse0: cannot open input device

With some other stuff about the mouse having no core pointer etc

The mouse that has been set from running your idea is:

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "ture"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

I tried dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86 to change the mouse settings but this leaves me back where I was with the large resolution! Any ideas about that?!

bogal · 07-26-2005, 04:06 AM

Ok from mixing parts from the original and newly created xconfig files I can either get the correct resolution but on loading get stuck before any desktop is seen (on a grey screen with a cross as the mouse pointer, which I have control over) or I can just get to where I was originally with the large resolution settings.

Chosing a generic mouse device within the new config file allows the proper screen resolution followed by being stuck whereas substituting the monitor/screen/graphics-driver settings found in the created config file into the original config file (in an attempt to get the proper resolution) doesn't affect the resolution at all (still being stuck at 640x480)

If that's clear any other ideas?!

bogal · 07-26-2005, 06:25 AM

Pretty much chatting to myself now i guess but for anyone who comes across this with the same problem...!

I managed to get better resolutions through adjusting the XF86Config-4 file directly to use a generic mouse and without setting the DefaultDepth value. This has however meant that the colour depth is now run at 8 allowing me to get 1024x768 res whereas forcing it to run at depth 16 only allowed 640x480.

I'm guessing this is a memory issue, with the graphics not being able to access sufficient memory to run at greater colour depths. This I'm looking into and have found Bios updates may be needed but not sure on how to go about it yet.

Ideas (or a step by step guide?!) on that are welcome if anyone has done that before for? Updating a intel board

bogal · 07-26-2005, 08:32 AM

And finally I've solved it!

For anyone else's reference my system is:
Dell Dimension 3000
17" E172FP monitor
Integrated graphics (I810 driver)
Running Debian 3.1 (Sarge)

I had to...
- Run (as root login) "X -configure" to get a new configure file for X

- Then run it in the way that is described at the bottom of the screen printout you'll get from running that first command (something like "XFree86 -xf86config /root/XF86Config.new")

- Ensure the refresh rates/syncs ranges were correct for the horizontal (31-80Hz) and vertical (56-76Hz), taken from techinical specs

- Make sure the correct mouse settings are entered (generic solutions worked well)

- Enter your BIOS and change the Onboard Video Buffer level (found in the Integrated Devices menu of BIOS) to 8mb, instead of it previously being 1mb.

- Then finally set the DefaultDepth in the XF86Config-4 file to 24 to make it use the highest depth it can

Note: no update of the BIOS was needed although this was reported as being needed by many people. I tried changing the Onboard Video Buffer level first before attempting a BIOS update and that worked fine, now running at 1280x1024 at 24 depth.

My config file now looks like this... (and that was 2 days of searching!!)

Code:

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "XFree86 Configured"
	Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
	InputDevice    "Generic Mouse"
	InputDevice    "Generic Keyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
	RgbPath      "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
	ModulePath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load  "dbe"
	Load  "dri"
	Load  "extmod"
	Load  "glx"
	Load  "record"
	Load  "xtrap"
	Load  "speedo"
	Load  "type1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"keyboard"
	Option		"CoreKeyboard"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xfree86"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc104"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
	Option		"SendCoreEvents"	"true"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"
	Option		"Protocol"		"ImPS/2"
	Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
	Option		"ZAxisMapping"		"4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	#DisplaySize	  340   270	# mm
	Identifier   "Monitor0"
	VendorName   "DEL"
	ModelName    "DELL E173FP"
	Option	    "DPMS"
	HorizSync	31-80
	VertRefresh	56-76
EndSection

Section "Device"
        ### Available Driver options are:-
        ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
        ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
        ### [arg]: arg optional
        #Option     "NoAccel"            	# [<bool>]
        #Option     "SWcursor"           	# [<bool>]
        #Option     "ColorKey"           	# <i>
        #Option     "CacheLines"         	# <i>
        #Option     "Dac6Bit"            	# [<bool>]
        #Option     "DRI"                	# [<bool>]
        #Option     "NoDDC"              	# [<bool>]
        #Option     "ShowCache"          	# [<bool>]
        #Option     "XvMCSurfaces"       	# <i>
	Identifier  "Card0"
	Driver      "i810"
	VendorName  "Intel Corp."
	BoardName   "82865G Integrated Graphics Device"
	BusID       "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier 	"Screen0"
	Device     	"Card0"
	Monitor    	"Monitor0"
	DefaultDepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		1
		Modes		"1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		4
		Modes		"1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		8
		Modes		"1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		15
		Modes		"1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		16
		Modes		"1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		24
		Modes		"1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

mpapet · 07-26-2005, 02:03 PM

The bios trick is definitely worth publishing on a web page. Then submit the link to: http://tuxmobil.org/mylaptops.html

It's good to keep your config files on the web anyway.

If you aren't interested, I'll do it for you if you permit me to quote the posts verbatim.

bogal · 07-27-2005, 01:32 AM

Good idea - didn't even know of that website!
Anyway its submitted

bogal · 07-27-2005, 02:54 AM

Apparently that site is only for mobile computers! No use for a Dell desktop!

mpapet · 07-28-2005, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bogal
Apparently that site is only for mobile computers! No use for a Dell desktop!

Sorry, I thought it was a laptop.

It's still an important trick. I'm going to publish it unless you tell me otherwise.

Off topic, but there should be a site dedicated specifically to running linux on Dells.

Michael

bogal · 07-28-2005, 05:05 PM

reference this chat how you like - you have my permission! took me long enough to find out!