Screen Resolution not changing. Using Dell Inspiron 1100.
 

I'm using Fedora Core 2. I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 notebook PC and Fedora does not change my screen resolution. I have changed it from a generic LCD to a Dell Laptop LCD.... It still keeps the literal size at 800X600... What do I do?

There's a problem with some versions of the Inspiron bios (A20 to A28) so that it doesn't allocate enough memory to the graphics card. There's two methods of fixing this:

Best method - If you've still got windows on you're laptop download the A29 bios from Dell which fixes this problem. There is also a CD image which contains the bios update in case windows is not available.

Other method - There is a patch which fixes this problem called the 845patch which is available as an rpm.

The bios update is recommended by everyone in preference to the 845patch.

There is a website at http://www.geocities.com/randomnumbergenerator2001/ which documents installing Red Hat 9 , Fedora 1, Mandrake and Debian but most of the information on it applies to any distro (I'm now using Gentoo). This is by far the best guide I have seen when it comes to linux on the dell inspiron 1100.

mattsmithuk is correct about the bios upgrade for 1100.
However, Fedora core 2 is supposed to have automatically taken care of the problem. (I am told that the 845 patch is built into new xfree86/xorg)
So I am a bit surprised by the fact that you are having this problem.

But I suppose the best thing to do would be to try the bios upgrade.
-AJ

Thanks! I tried upgrading my bios and it worked!! THANKS!!!!

hi lonleyfedoraguy and all.

i have a same laptop and up grade bios to A32. i install Fedora 3, but my display is about 1 inch smaller along each of the edge? any comment? have not try 845 patch yet.

btw, what is ur mem size, i only have 256.

thanks.

tom

with bios a32, it still wont work with 1024/768.
but it work now with 845patch for 16mb video mem!

correction!

somehow it works after disable the patch.