laptop screen resolution

Hi all

Im a complete noob to Linux but i have download madrake 10.1. I have installed it today on my laptop. I am writing this from soneone else's computr so i cant give exact dtails about the specs but here goes.

It is a laptop bought from novatech and the graphics is what i am having a problem with. At first i couldnt find the right setting because i cant actually find out what my graphics card is. I know it is an built in SIS card with about 20 numbers after it. No actual name.

Anyway by chance i finally got it working and i am into the dektop, only thing is it looks like i am looking through a square letter box....desktop is in the middle of the screen and all around that is blackness.

Its starting to drive me a bit crazy, really want to get into linux so any help to let me know where i am going wrong would be most appreiciated.

thanks

jimi

If you press ctrl+alt+backspace you will go to a command line screen. Then do the command xorgconfig, and set it to generic, choose how much memory it has, and max resolution or screen. Then do startx ( or restart) and it should be OK

i have done what you said but there was a lot of options in between and as i said i am a noob :) i have done as best i can and it is still like im looking at my desktop through a letter box

also when i do the cntrl alt +/backspace thing, when it gets to the res that fills my screen i just get horrible flashy black n white horizontal lines