screen ratio issue SiS 771/671

[pybiru]

Hi,

I've just installed linuxmint for the first time(13, Maya). It's on an Advent laptop, I'm trying to plug a larger monitor into my laptop so I can work from the larger screen.

However when I go to "Monitors" setting, it only lets me select "1024x768, 800x600 or 640x480". The large monitor I'm trying to use is 1680x1050, how or what do I need to do in order to be able to gain this option?

Any help/ advice is most apprieated.

[xenopeek]

Moved here by moderator

To give us some information about your graphics card, please open a terminal and run the following command. Post the output here.

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inxi -SGxc 0

Most likely you have a AMD or Nvidia graphics card, and will need to install its proprietary graphics card driver.

Kindly also share which Linux Mint desktop you are using (MATE / Cinnamon / KDE / Xfce).

[pybiru]

Thanks a lot for reply Vincent. Sorry should have mentioned it's MATE. Here's the output:

System: Host: phil Kernel: 3.2.0-23-generic i686 (32 bit, gcc: 4.6.3) Desktop: N/A Distro: Linux Mint 13 Maya
Graphics: Card: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 771/671 PCIE VGA Display Adapter bus-ID: 01:00.0
X.Org: 1.11.3 drivers: vesa (unloaded: sis,fbdev) Resolution: 1024x768@61.0hz
GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 0x300) GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 8.0.2 Direct Rendering: Yes

[xenopeek]

I've updated the title of the topic to include the graphics card you have. The problem is you are running with a vesa driver, instead of a driver specific for your graphics card. It seems you need to install a different graphics card driver to be able to use the 2nd display properly. The website http://ajoliveira.com/ajoliveira/uk/software/xorg.php looks to explains how to do that and has the needed programs for download.

As always when messing with the innards of the system, please backup any personal documents before attempting to do this. As a reassurance, if it doesn't work and your system refuses to boot, we'll be able to solve that from the recovery mode. But better safe than sorry.

Summarizing the steps specific for Maya 32 bit, start with downloading this file: http://ajoliveira.com/ajoliveira/gen/bi ... .04.tar.gz

Then to install, open a terminal on the directory where you have downloaded the files (in your file manager you can do that from the menu File > Open in Terminal) and run each of the following four commands in the order shown:

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gzip -dc sis_driver_32-bit_12.04.tar.gz | tar -xf -
sudo cp 32-bit/*.so /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers
sudo cp 32-bit/*.la /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers
sudo cp 32-bit/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf

The first sudo command will ask for your password, but will not show any feedback when typing your password. Just so you know the keyboard didn't suddenly break Upon reboot you should be using the sis671 driver instead of vesa, you can check by running the inxi command again I shared.

Note that the sis671 driver only does 2d graphics, and you won't have hardware accelerated 3d graphics capability. This probably means you won't be able to run Compiz, if you were intending to do so. The current Cinnamon version will also not work, though the next version will hopefully also work with 2d graphics only.

[pybiru]

Excellent, that has fixed the screen ratio on my laptop. Thanks a million Vincent! I now have 1280x800 so looks much better and it works OK with large monitor.

Although I'm delighted with this and can work with what I have now, when the large monitor is plugged in is there a way for it to pick up the 1680x1050? The idea is just so I don't have to keep resizing windows when I bring out the gimp.

Also, if my driver only does 2D, is it possible for me to buy and install better ones? Is that do-able?

Many thanks again for the great help!

[xenopeek]

This may the best you can do with the SiS chip. Perhaps xrandr can help. With xrandr you can tell the display driver that your display supports a higher resolution, even though the display driver wasn't able to determine this itself. Worth a shot. I have the steps here: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=76085&p=444558#p444558. You will have to adapt this to your situation and to your desired resolution.

Perhaps the easiest first step is to run the command:

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xrandr

with the external monitor disconnected, and run it again with it connected. Share the output of both here and we'll be able to give you some more directions.

As for replacing your graphics card, that is highly unusual in laptops. Mostly the graphics chip is soldered onto the motherboard. There are external graphics card, but the price of those is such that buying a new laptop would be a better option. Let's give xrandr a try first.

[pybiru]

Ah no problem, I'll leave the graphics card alone, if it was easy to replace I'd of gone ahead but not to worry.

I ran "xrandr" in terminal, it gave the same output on both occasions...

Without monitor plugged in...

xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 640 x 480, current 1280 x 800, maximum 1280 x 800
default connected 1280x800+0+0 0mm x 0mm
1280x800 60.0*
1024x768 75.0 70.0 60.0
800x600 75.0 72.0 60.0 56.0
640x480 75.0 73.0 60.0


with large monitor plugged in...

xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 640 x 480, current 1280 x 800, maximum 1280 x 800
default connected 1280x800+0+0 0mm x 0mm
1280x800 60.0*
1024x768 75.0 70.0 60.0
800x600 75.0 72.0 60.0 56.0
640x480 75.0 73.0 60.0


Should I have installed dccprobe mentioned in the steps above the other post?
sudo apt-get install xresprobe
sudo ddcprobe


Thanks again for all the advice/ help.

[xenopeek]

I had hoped xrandr would show the external monitor and the builtin screen as two separate interfaces (it normally does that). Seems like SiS doesn't support that.

With the external monitor connected, you could try the following and see if it works anyway:

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xrandr --newmode "1680x1050_60.00"  147.14  1680 1784 1968 2256  1050 1051 1054 1087  -HSync +Vsync
xrandr --addmode "Screen 0" "1680x1050_60.00"
xrandr --output "Screen 0" --mode "1680x1050_60.00"

Please check your monitor specs and what refresh rate it supports in 1680 x 1050 mode. The above example uses 60 Hz refresh rate; but you should make sure it matches with what your monitor supports.

[pybiru]

I ran the first line and just got back the following...

xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default

Not to worry anyway, I'm far better off then when I started so can work with what I have for the moment. Maybe save up for a new laptop for the end of next year with a better graphics card haha.

Thanks a million for the great help.

[xenopeek]

It showed "xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default" as you just ran xrandr earlier also. Perhaps ignore it. Try the first two commands; the output of the second command is more relevant.

[pybiru]

I ran just the second command and got the following...

xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
xrandr: cannot find output "Screen 0"

[xenopeek]

Perhaps try:

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xrandr --newmode "1680x1050_60.00"  147.14  1680 1784 1968 2256  1050 1051 1054 1087  -HSync +Vsync
xrandr --addmode default "1680x1050_60.00"
xrandr --output default --mode "1680x1050_60.00"

[pybiru]

after the first command I get...
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default

second command...
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default

third command...
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
xrandr: Configure crtc 0 failed

I can now see the option for the higher resolution when I go to "Monitors -> Resolution", but when I select the higher resolution it says...
could not set the configuration for CRTC 327

[xenopeek]

Blast Then I'm out of ideas. At least we got the resolution up, but I'm stuck as to how to improve it further for the external monitor.

[pybiru]

Ha, ah no problem. It's miles better then when I started anyway so thanks a million for all the help. I can live with it now