Low resolutions after installing the Nvidia binary driver

Superganja23 · 09-28-2008, 09:46 PM

I just installed a fresh copy of ubuntu 8.04 and installed the restricted drivers for nvidia gfx cards. Unfortunatley my screen resolution is stuck at 800*600 when I know the maximum resolution is 1440*900. I've tried this tutorial https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Fi...nary%20drivers) but it was no use.

http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/l196wtq.jhtml Thats my monitor and I have a geforce 7350LE

When I go into my xorg config file this is all that's there at the moment:

Code:

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"kbd"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
	Option		"UseFBDev"		"true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
        HorizSync          30- 83 
        VertRefresh        56- 75
SubSection "Display"
                Depth           24
                Modes           "1440x900" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection

EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
	Device		"Configured Video Device"
	Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
EndSection

I have no idea whats going on, any links or helpful suggestion would be appreciated!

Thanks

pinniped · 09-28-2008, 10:15 PM

Do the Horizontal Sync and Vertical Refresh values in your "Monitor" section match your screen's capability?

I also find this option a bit strange:
Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false"

That is usually employed if the screen does report an EDID string but gives bad values; otherwise it's more convenient to use information which is actually supplied by the screen. You can just put a '#' at the start of the line to comment out that option or else change it to "true".

For more clues, look at the log /var/log/Xorg.0.log

tommcd · 09-29-2008, 08:09 AM

How did you install the nvidia driver? In your "device" section in xorg.conf it does not have nvidia as the driver. Here is that section from my xorg.conf

Code:

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Open a terminal and run glxgears. Does it work? Also run glxinfo | grep -i direct. It should answer yes.

For your video card you should install the nvidia-glx-new driver from synaptic. Then run sudo nvidia-xconfig from terminal. Then restart X. I think installing the specific driver from synaptic is more reliable than using system > administration > hardware drivers, and hoping it installs the correct driver.

Superganja23 · 09-29-2008, 10:27 AM

ok major wtf...

I just reinstalled ubuntu, same cd, same options and everything and now my screen resolution is working fine! I just don't get how reinstalling the os would drastically change the settings this way.

anyways here's my new xorg.conf file (i haven't installed the restricted binary drivers yet)

Code:

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"kbd"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
	Device		"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
EndSection

I ran glxgears as well now, it shows up but the frame rate is still slow. Hopefully that will get fixed when I install the binary drivers.

Also when I ran the command glxinfo | grep -i direct i got:

direct rendering: No (If you want to find out why, try setting LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose)
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect

Again let me install the binary drivers and see what happens!

Edit:

Glxgears running perfectly, at 2000 fps. Direct rendering is enabled. and my xorg.conf file looks like this:

Code:

 Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
	Driver		"nvidia"
	Option		"NoLogo"	"True"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
	Device		"Configured Video Device"
	Defaultdepth	24
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
  screen "Default Screen"
EndSection
Section "Module"
	Load		"glx"
EndSection

So now the question that remains is, what the heck did the reinstall do differently than the first time i went through it?

itsjustme · 09-30-2008, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinniped

Do the Horizontal Sync and Vertical Refresh values in your "Monitor" section match your screen's capability?

Super..., well, I was gonna agree with pinniped, these kinds of issues are usually related to getting the correct refresh rates for your monitor, but I see your's match, from the link you posted. But, I also checked my xorg.conf and discovered that it somehow already knows about my BenQ monitor, and there's no listing of refresh rates to be found. And I'm running at 1920x1200.

Code:

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "BenQ 241W"
        Option          "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Device          "Intel Corporation Integrated Graphics Controller"
        Monitor         "BenQ 241W"
        DefaultDepth    24
        SubSection "Display"
                Modes           "1920x1200" "1680x1680" "1600x1200" "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480" "640x350"
        EndSubSection
EndSection

[insert scratching head smiley here]

Edit: Oh... well, I was responding to your first post. I see in your second that some weirdness happened and all is well.
;-)