Dual screens, laptop question...

[Cheesethief]

Hello everyone,

I have basically made my laptop into a desktop (it already was that since the battery port is unable to charge batteries, runs only on A/C). I hooked it up to a 19" Acer monitor that I have and extended the desktop onto it and turned off the laptop monitor.

The problem I am running into is that upon boot, the Acer monitor loses the Panel and I am basically stuck without it until I get into the monitor settings on the laptop and turn off the laptop monitor. After this, the panel reappears on the Acer. Now, my laptop is a tad difficult to get to and its own monitor is beginning to die.

So, I am wondering whether there is a way to make the Acer monitor the main and only monitor it uses? If that is not possible, I would at least like for it not to lose the panel upon boot...

Anyway, thanks in advance. I will probably not be able to reply here until late Saturday evening.

-Cheesethief

[viking777]

What kind of graphics card - AMD, Intel, Nvidia? and what kind of driver Open source or proprietary?

Until you give that information I will be very surprised if anybody else answers you.

[Cheesethief]

I believe this should answer most questions:

Code: Select all

System:    Host vaio Kernel 3.0.0-1-amd64 x86_64 (64 bit) Distro Linux Mint Debian Edition
CPU:       Dual core Intel Core2 Duo T8300 (-MCP-) cache 3072 KB flags (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 ssse3 vmx) bmips 9576.58
           Clock Speeds: (1) 800.00 MHz (2) 800.00 MHz
Graphics:  Card Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary) X.Org 1.10.4 Res: 1280x800@60.0hz, 1440x900@75.0hz
           GLX Renderer Mesa DRI Intel 965GM   GLX Version 2.1 Mesa 7.10.3 Direct Rendering Yes
Audio:     Card Intel 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller driver HDA Intel BusID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Version 1.0.24
Network:   Card-1 Realtek RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller driver r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI at port 4000 BusID: 06:00.0
           Card-2 Intel PRO/Wireless 4965 AG or AGN [Kedron] Network Connection driver iwl4965 v: in-tree: BusID: 02:00.0
Disks:     HDD Total Size: 250.1GB (7.6% used) 1: /dev/sda FUJITSU_MHY2250B 250.1GB
Partition: ID:/ size: 28G used: 18G (67%) fs: ext4
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 56.0C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes 129 Uptime 12 min Memory 377.2/2003.9MB Runlevel 2 Client Shell inxi 1.4.23


I did not install any other drivers when getting LMDE on here, so I am going to say open source for the graphics drivers.

[viking777]

Well Intel graphics, as far as I understand, (because I don't have any) are usually quite good with Linux, they have their own kernel drivers I believe. Sadly because I don't have any Intel systems I don't know how to control them (except for System Settings>Displays - which doesn't have much in it). There is a command line tool called xrandr which will do this for any graphics setup, the trouble with it is that it is quite complicated (see man xrandr) and I wouldn't feel able to advise you on its use.

I suggest you try googling for something like 'xrandr dual monitors', this is something I picked up from that:

http://intellinuxgraphics.org/dualhead.html

Or wait until somebody with more knowledge of this tool comes along. Sorry I can't be more help than that, I only have Nvidia graphics cards myself.