Virtual desktop size wrong - Fedora - Mandrake 10.0

[Nerderello]

I'm writing this in case it helps somebody else with the same problem.

My PC had three distributions on it - Fedora Core 1 (now Core 2), Mandrake 9.2, and Slackware 9.1.

This setup worked well, until my Eizo monitor failed. I replaced it with a cheap Acer monitor.
This was when my problems started. Mandrake and Slackware continued to work fine, but Fedora
(both core 1 and 2) displayed an odd behaviour.

It was like have a small window onto my desktop. I could see the edges of the desktop by moving
my mouse to the edges of the screen, the desktop would then scroll across my screen. I had a
640 by 480 window onto my normal 1024 by 768 desktop (I had, previously, noted this behaviour, with my old monitor, with Mandrake 10.0, before I put 9.2 back).

I hadn't changed the graphics card, a cheap and chearful Radeon 7000, which, apparently, has the
ability to drive two monitors at the same time. Something I've never done, or wanted to do.

I looked into the X log (/var/log/Xfree86.0.log or /var/log/Xorg.0.log in Core 2) and noticed
that X was looking at the secondary (Clone) monitor - which doesn't exist! - first, followed by the primary monitor - which does exist. X looked into /etc/X11/XF86Config and found that I hadn't made any definitions for this secondary (phantom) monitor, so used the defaults - Horizontal Synch 28-33kHz and Vertical Refresh 43-72Hz. This meant that the best screen size that can be used is 640 x 480.

So, as far as I can see, the screen defination for the non-existant scondary (Clone) monitor -
640 x 480 - was forced upon the primary (real) monitor.

So, this is what I did.

In the Device section of /etc/X11/XF86Config file I added the following :-

Option "CloneHSync" "30.0-72.0"
Option "CloneVRefresh" "50.0-160.0"

These figures (30.0-72.0 and 50.0-160.0) were taken from the HorizSync and VertRefresh lines in the Monitor section of the /etc/X11/XF86Config file. [b[ I originally got these numbers from my monitor's manual, they may well be different for your monitor [/b].

This seemed to work a treat. I got my usual 1024 by 768 desktop filling my monitor's screen. I say "seemed" because whenever I logged off (from either Gnome or KDE) I wasn't put back to gdm, but either a blank screen or (with Fedora Core 2) a message saying the my normal greeter had crashed.

So, I added a Screen and Monitor section to the /etc/X11/XF86Config file, even though I don't have such a thing! And now it all works well.

Here are the relevant bits from my own /etc/X11/XF86Config file :-

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "single head configuration"
	Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
	InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

As you see, I'm only using one screen.

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "Monitor1"
	VendorName   "Acer"
	ModelName    "AC713"
	HorizSync    30.0 - 72.0
	VertRefresh  50.0 - 160.0
	Option	    "dpms"      #Display Power Management System
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "Screen0"
	Device     "Card0"
	Monitor    "Monitor1"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth     8
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth     15
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth     16
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth     24
		Modes    "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

This (above) is the definition for the real monitor.

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Monitor2"
	HorizSync	30.0 - 72.0
	VertRefresh	50.0 - 160.0
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "Screen 2"
	Device		"Card0"
	Monitor		"Monitor2"
	DefaultDepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth	24
		Modes	"1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
	EndSubsection
EndSection

While this (above) is the non-existent sceondary monitor.

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "Card0"
	Driver      "radeon"
	VendorName  "ATI Technologies Inc"
	BoardName   "ATI Radeon 7000"
	Option	    "CloneHSync" "30.0-72.0"
	Option	    "CloneVRefresh" "50.0-160.0"
	BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

And this (above) shows the Clone's horizontal synch and vertical refresh lines, that match those in the monitor section.

Hope that this helps.

have fun

Nerderello

[jeremy1701]

This is excellent. Maybe it should go under the tutorials section?

Jeremy

[Nerderello]

thank you.

I have submitted it as a possible bug (probably more like an under-documented feature).

have fun

Nerderello

[jasonlambert]

ive stick'ied it as it looks fairly informative

[sys1wcb]

Thanks so much for this!
I had a similar problem when using my ThinkPad in a docking station connected to a KVM switch to my desktop monitor. X would only work properly if it thought I had a generic 1024x768 monitor. I can now run higher resolutions docked and undocked.
Scouring the XFree doc was of no help, but you provided the solution.

Bill

The relevant sections of my XF86Config follow:

Section "Device"
Option "CloneHSync" "30.0-97.0"
Option "CloneVRefresh" "50.0-180.0"
# no known options
#BusID
Identifier "ATI Radeon Mobility 9000"
Driver "radeon"
VendorName "ATI Radeon Mobility 9000"
BoardName "ATI Radeon Mobility M9"
EndSection

# undocked LCD
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "LCD Panel 1400x1050"
HorizSync 31.5 - 90.0
VertRefresh 59.0 - 75.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

# undocked LCD
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "ATI Radeon Mobility 9000"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

#ViewSonic - docked
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "ViewSonic PF790"
HorizSync 30.0 - 97.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 180.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection

#ViewSonic - docked
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "ATI Radeon Mobility 9000"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

[Loading]

Hm. had same problem with Radeon 7000.
However I've fixed it in the other way.
Radeon driver has an option called "Monitor Layout" (http://www.xfree86.org/current/radeon.4.html). I have changed it to "CRT, NONE". And it was ok ever since

Could you post your full XF86Config file? I'm working here to get my tvout working properly. Perhaps it could help me. I feel a lack of any information.

[Nerderello]

Loading,
please realise that I am now using Fedora Core 3 which means that I use the xorg X software.

Also, I put this in as a bug, and got back that there was no problem and that I should just re-run the X configuration program.

Here's my config file, hope it helps (ps, have you looked at "man radeon" to see if that heps?)

# Xorg configuration created by system-config-display

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "single head configuration"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"

RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
FontPath "unix/:7100"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "GLcore"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "glx"
Load "fbdevhw"
Load "record"
Load "dri"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbLayout" "gb"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "Acer"
ModelName "AC713"
HorizSync 30.0 - 72.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "dpms" #Display Power Management System
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor2"
HorizSync 30.0 - 72.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "radeon"
VendorName "ATI Technologies Inc"
BoardName "ATI Radeon 7000"
Option "CloneHSync" "30.0-72.0"
Option "CloneVRefresh" "50.0-160.0"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen 2"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor2"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection
EndSection