Live USB and 2 monitors [SOLVED]

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Spiderspoon
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Live USB and 2 monitors [SOLVED]

Post by Spiderspoon »

I have been preparing my desktop computer running Windows 11 to dual boot Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon.
I have live USBs for 20.2 Mate and xfce, and 20.3 Cinnamon.
They work fine on my ASUS laptop, which is running 20.3 Cinnamon anyway, and a Dell laptop running Windows 10.

When I tried them on my desktop with 2 monitors, they would not load. I tried compatibility mode on boot up and that version fitted the screen, though with poor resolution. What I got with normal boot up, option 1, was the desktop and nothing else. No menus. Only on right mouse click did I get anything.

So I had the bright idea that maybe it wasn't the computer at fault, but the 2 monitors. I turned one off, and that didn't help. So I disconnected it and it loaded on the one screen. So far so good. So while the computer was on, and Linux running, I reconnected the other monitor. Now I had Linux on both monitors.

So I pulled up that setting where you can organise your monitors how you want them. I'll sort that out later, because I have my primary screen on the right and the secondary one the left. That's the way I like it, but it appears to be not the default setup.

What is important now, is that I want to install Linux Mint 20.3 on to an empty drive on this computer. And it will need to work on 2 monitors. I may need assistance in setting it up to work without the above rigmarole. I guess I can disconnect the 2nd monitor while doing the installation and then reconnect once installed. I would then reboot the computer and see what happens.

If it doesn't cooperate with the installed version, I will need assistance with solving the problem.

Is there any point in testing this with the live USB? Or should I install it first and then fix it?

This computer will remain primarily a Windows computer, but with Linux as a boot option.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by SMG »

Spiderspoon wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:49 pmSo I had the bright idea that maybe it wasn't the computer at fault, but the 2 monitors. I turned one off, and that didn't help. So I disconnected it and it loaded on the one screen. So far so good. So while the computer was on, and Linux running, I reconnected the other monitor. Now I had Linux on both monitors.
Please give us information about your install by entering this command in a terminal: inxi -Fxxxz

I've been helping someone with UHD 750 graphics (11th-gen Intel) and we discovered what you just described was the only way to get the 5.13 or newer kernels to boot the computer. It would not boot at all if both monitors were attached; only if one was attached. The second one could be added and recognized after boot. (Just like what you described.) We're not yet sure exactly what the issue might be. RocketLake-S GT1 [UHD Graphics 750] not working on LinuxMint 20.3
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

Please give us information about your install by entering this command in a terminal: inxi -Fxxxz
I'm still only at the live USB stage. I haven't installed yet. I'm on a different computer at the moment, and when I get access to the desktop in question, I'll investigate the issue further.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

Well I had another go at it. I'm still at the live USB testing stage. So far, my steps are:
  • Boot with live USB
  • Disconnect 2nd monitor
  • Proper desktop is now displayed on 1st monitor
  • Reconnect 2nd monitor and Linux desktop moves to that monitor
  • Open Display in System Settings and swap things around to how I want it
I presume that once I install Linux on this computer I won't have to fiddle around with what shows on what screen, as it should remember the settings, I hope. But I do hope that I don't have to fiddle around with disconnecting and reconnecting the 2nd monitor every time I want to use Linux on this computer.

I'll have a go at installing it some time this week, and see what happens.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by SMG »

Spiderspoon wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:24 amI presume that once I install Linux on this computer I won't have to fiddle around with what shows on what screen, as it should remember the settings, I hope. But I do hope that I don't have to fiddle around with disconnecting and reconnecting the 2nd monitor every time I want to use Linux on this computer.
There is a Login Window app and a Display app where you can save settings for your monitors.

If you have internet access in the live session, you could log into this forum and post the inxi info so we could see how Mint views the hardware. Open the System Reports app and click the System Information tab on the left to see the info on the right. Then click the Copy button so you can paste the results into a reply here on the forum.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

SMG wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 12:18 am Please give us information about your install by entering this command in a terminal: inxi -Fxxxz

Code: Select all

mint@mint:~$ inxi -Fxxxz
System:
  Kernel: 5.4.0-91-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 5.2.7 wm: muffin 5.2.0 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 
  Distro: Linux Mint 20.3 Una base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: Gigabyte product: B460MDS3H v: N/A serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Gigabyte model: B460M DS3H v: x.x serial: <filter> 
  UEFI: American Megatrends v: F5c date: 12/15/2020 
Battery:
  Device-1: hidpp_battery_0 model: Logitech Wireless Mouse M510 
  serial: <filter> charge: 55% (should be ignored) rechargeable: yes 
  status: Discharging 
  Device-2: hidpp_battery_1 model: Logitech K350 serial: <filter> 
  charge: 70% (should be ignored) rechargeable: yes status: Discharging 
CPU:
  Topology: 6-Core model: Intel Core i5-10400F bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: N/A L2 cache: 12.0 MiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 69597 
  Speed: 800 MHz min/max: 800/4300 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 800 2: 800 
  3: 801 4: 800 5: 800 6: 800 7: 800 8: 800 9: 800 10: 800 11: 800 12: 800 
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GK208B [GeForce GT 710] vendor: Micro-Star MSI 
  driver: nouveau v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:128b 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: modesetting 
  unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: NV106 v: 4.3 Mesa 21.0.3 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel vendor: Gigabyte driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
  bus ID: 00:1f.3 chip ID: 8086:a3f0 
  Device-2: NVIDIA GK208 HDMI/DP Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.1 chip ID: 10de:0e0f 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-91-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: Gigabyte driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 3000 bus ID: 04:00.0 
  chip ID: 10ec:8168 
  IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 4.55 TiB used: 156.6 MiB (0.0%) 
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: A-Data model: SX8200PNP size: 476.94 GiB 
  speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4 serial: <filter> rev: 32B3T8EA scheme: GPT 
  ID-2: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST2000DM008-2FR102 size: 1.82 TiB 
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s rotation: 7200 rpm serial: <filter> rev: 0001 temp: 34 C 
  scheme: GPT 
  ID-3: /dev/sdb model: SATA SSD size: 447.13 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s 
  serial: <filter> rev: 12.2 temp: 30 C scheme: MBR 
  ID-4: /dev/sdc vendor: Seagate model: ST2000DM001-1CH164 size: 1.82 TiB 
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s rotation: 7200 rpm serial: <filter> rev: CC24 temp: 31 C 
  scheme: MBR 
  ID-5: /dev/sdd type: USB model: General USB Flash Disk size: 7.47 GiB 
  serial: <filter> rev: 1.0 scheme: MBR 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 7.79 GiB used: 130.2 MiB (1.6%) fs: overlay source: ERR-102 
  ID-2: /var/log size: 5.22 GiB used: 26.4 MiB (0.5%) fs: ext4 
  dev: /dev/sdd3 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 16.8 C mobo: 16.8 C gpu: nouveau temp: 40 C 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:
  Processes: 270 Uptime: 8m Memory: 15.57 GiB used: 1.24 GiB (7.9%) 
  Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash 
  v: 5.0.17 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38 
mint@mint:~$
Last edited by SMG on Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added code tags to inxi output to preserve its formating.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

My live USB session hung up, so I am back in Windows for now.
Windows Volumes.jpg
So this is how my drives appear in Windows. I wish to install Linux in Disk 1 or F: This is 450GB SSD, currently formatted to NTFS.

Next I will return to Linux live USB and list the drives in terminal. This is to show me which drive to install Linux on to when I am doing the installation.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

I'm back in Linux again. The drive I wish to install on to must be sdb.

Code: Select all

mint@mint:~$ lsblk -f -m
NAME FSTYPE LABEL UUID                                 FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINT   SIZE OWNER GROUP MODE
loop0
     squash                                                  0   100% /rofs          2G root  disk  brw-rw----
sda                                                                                1.8T root  disk  brw-rw----
├─sda1
│                                                                                   16M root  disk  brw-rw----
└─sda2
     ntfs   Data  CA5427E85427D64B                                                 1.8T root  disk  brw-rw----
sdb                                                                              447.1G root  disk  brw-rw----
└─sdb1
     ntfs   450_GB_SSD_Linux
                  4C847B75847B5FFE                                               447.1G root  disk  brw-rw----
sdc                                                                                1.8T root  disk  brw-rw----
└─sdc1
     ntfs   1.8_TB_HDD
                  7688225B882219DF                                                 1.8T root  disk  brw-rw----
sdd  iso966 Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon 64-bit
│                 2022-01-04-15-01-47-00                                           7.5G root  disk  brw-rw----
├─sdd1
│    iso966 Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon 64-bit
│                 2022-01-04-15-01-47-00                     0   100% /cdrom       2.1G root  disk  brw-rw----
├─sdd2
│    vfat         54C5-9C6C                                                        3.9M root  disk  brw-rw----
└─sdd3
     ext4   writable
                  6ac784e4-d642-484d-af01-7ced88c5fb2c    4.9G     1% /var/log     5.4G root  disk  brw-rw----
sr0                                                                               1024M root  cdrom brw-rw----
nvme0n1
│                                                                                  477G root  disk  brw-rw----
├─nvme0n1p1
│    vfat         A84F-D2F4                                                        100M root  disk  brw-rw----
├─nvme0n1p2
│                                                                                   16M root  disk  brw-rw----
├─nvme0n1p3
│    ntfs   OS    925253DB5253C2A1                                               476.3G root  disk  brw-rw----
└─nvme0n1p4
     ntfs         34B28EC9B28E8F54                                                 570M root  disk  brw-rw----
mint@mint:~$
Last edited by SMG on Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added code tags to the multi-line terminal output. Code tags retain the formatting of the output making it easier to read.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

SMG wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 10:33 am Open the System Reports app and click the System Information tab on the left to see the info on the right. Then click the Copy button so you can paste the results into a reply here on the forum.

Code: Select all

System:    Kernel: 5.4.0-91-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 5.2.7 
           wm: muffin dm: LightDM Distro: Linux Mint 20.3 Una base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:   Type: Desktop System: Gigabyte product: B460MDS3H v: N/A serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Gigabyte model: B460M DS3H v: x.x serial: <filter> UEFI: American Megatrends 
           v: F5c date: 12/15/2020 
Battery:   Device-1: hidpp_battery_0 model: Logitech Wireless Mouse M510 serial: <filter> 
           charge: 55% (should be ignored) status: Discharging 
           Device-2: hidpp_battery_1 model: Logitech K350 serial: <filter> 
           charge: 70% (should be ignored) status: Discharging 
CPU:       Topology: 6-Core model: Intel Core i5-10400F bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: N/A 
           L2 cache: 12.0 MiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 69597 
           Speed: 4061 MHz min/max: 800/4300 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 4066 2: 4004 3: 4098 
           4: 3999 5: 4041 6: 4024 7: 4091 8: 4064 9: 4087 10: 4073 11: 4098 12: 4060 
Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA GK208B [GeForce GT 710] vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: nouveau 
           v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:128b 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
           resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: NV106 v: 4.3 Mesa 21.0.3 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel vendor: Gigabyte driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3 
           chip ID: 8086:a3f0 
           Device-2: NVIDIA GK208 HDMI/DP Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel 
           v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.1 chip ID: 10de:0e0f 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-91-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Gigabyte 
           driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 3000 bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
           IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 4.55 TiB used: 177.4 MiB (0.0%) 
           ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: A-Data model: SX8200PNP size: 476.94 GiB speed: 31.6 Gb/s 
           lanes: 4 serial: <filter> 
           ID-2: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST2000DM008-2FR102 size: 1.82 TiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s 
           serial: <filter> temp: 40 C 
           ID-3: /dev/sdb model: SATA SSD size: 447.13 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
           temp: 30 C 
           ID-4: /dev/sdc vendor: Seagate model: ST2000DM001-1CH164 size: 1.82 TiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s 
           serial: <filter> temp: 37 C 
           ID-5: /dev/sdd type: USB model: General USB Flash Disk size: 7.47 GiB serial: <filter> 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 7.79 GiB used: 150.4 MiB (1.9%) fs: overlay source: ERR-102 
           ID-2: /var/log size: 5.22 GiB used: 27.0 MiB (0.5%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdd3 
USB:       Hub: 1-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 12 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0002 
           Device-1: 1-5:2 info: Intenso GmbG Micro Line (4GB) type: Mass Storage 
           driver: usb-storage rev: 2.0 chip ID: 8644:800b 
           Hub: 1-9:3 info: Genesys Logic Hub ports: 4 rev: 2.0 chip ID: 05e3:0608 
           Device-2: 1-11:4 info: Logitech Unifying Receiver type: Keyboard,Mouse,HID 
           driver: logitech-djreceiver,usbhid rev: 2.0 chip ID: 046d:c52b 
           Device-3: 1-12:5 info: Canon PIXMA TS6250 type: <vendor specific> driver: usblp 
           rev: 2.0 chip ID: 04a9:1856 
           Hub: 2-0:1 info: Full speed (or root) Hub ports: 8 rev: 3.0 chip ID: 1d6b:0003 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 44.0 C mobo: 16.8 C gpu: nouveau temp: 44 C 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:     Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           1: deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 20.3 _Una_ - Release amd64 20220104]/ focal contrib main
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
           1: deb http: //packages.linuxmint.com una main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
           2: deb http: //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
           3: deb http: //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
           4: deb http: //archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
           5: deb http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
           6: deb http: //archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
Info:      Processes: 276 Uptime: 21m Memory: 15.57 GiB used: 1.62 GiB (10.4%) Init: systemd 
           v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Client: Unknown python3.8 client 
           inxi: 3.0.38 
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by SMG »

Spiderspoon wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:15 am My live USB session hung up, so I am back in Windows for now.
You need to be using a different ISO on your usb. Please use the Linux Mint 20.3 "Una" - Cinnamon (Edge, 64-bit) ISO. It has the 5.13 kernel which your newer hardware needs. The ISO you currently have is using the 5.4 kernel which is too old for your hardware.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

Thanks for that. I was just starting the installation and I have questions about that. I will quit the installation and download the new ISO. I will do that on my Linux laptop. I think it's easier to verify the ISO on Linux than Windows.

Meanwhile, I am having problems with my installation, so I will head over to that topic and look for answers there. Failing that, I will post a new topic.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

SMG wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:24 pm You need to be using a different ISO on your usb. Please use the Linux Mint 20.3 "Una" - Cinnamon (Edge, 64-bit) ISO. It has the 5.13 kernel which your newer hardware needs. The ISO you currently have is using the 5.4 kernel which is too old for your hardware.
So I've gone to that web page and it says under Integrity and Authenticity, that I should download those 2 files. I already have them saved on my hard drive. Should I download these files for each new ISO? Just to play safe though, I will download them again and overwrite the old files.

i just had a look at the kernel numbers. They are not proper decimal numbers. 5.4 should be denoted 5.04, because that comes before 5.13. Under the current system, the numbers are five point four and five point thirteen, which is not how I was taught maths.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by SMG »

Spiderspoon wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:35 pmi just had a look at the kernel numbers. They are not proper decimal numbers.
One does not do math with the kernel designations. It is a naming convention which correlates to the software release.

4 comes before 13 numerically therefore the 5.4 kernel came out before the 5.13 kernel was released. Both of those releases are part of the "5" branch of kernels.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

SMG wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:55 pm One does not do math with the kernel designations. It is a naming convention which correlates to the software release.

4 comes before 13 numerically therefore the 5.4 kernel came out before the 5.13 kernel was released. Both of those releases are part of the "5" branch of kernels.
OK

Now to more important issues. I have just installed Mint 20.3 Edge to sdc, which is an SSD. I had another HDD which was unused, so I installed GParted and formatted that drive to ext4 so I could use that for TimeShift. My source for how to install was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZGK0w5EAmE&t=1199s

I am back to the problem of 2 monitors. When I restart, only the primary monitor works, so I have to go into System Settings/Display and click on a couple of buttons and then the other monitor lights up. The good thing though, is that I don't have to unplug and reconnect the monitor to get it to work.

Next job is to make it work without the above fiddle.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by SMG »

Spiderspoon wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:56 pmI am back to the problem of 2 monitors. When I restart, only the primary monitor works, so I have to go into System Settings/Display and click on a couple of buttons and then the other monitor lights up.
Please let us know what buttons you are pressing. I'm hoping that will give us a clue as to what might be happening so we can recommend a solution.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

SMG wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 10:29 am Please let us know what buttons you are pressing. I'm hoping that will give us a clue as to what might be happening so we can recommend a solution.
OK. I'll run you through it step by step. I am typing this on a Windows laptop, observing what happens on the dual boot Linux and Windows desktop PC.

I've booted Linux and logged in. It is displayed on the right monitor, which is my preferred one. It is 24" and secondary one, on the left, is 22".

When I am up and running on the 2 screens, I will copy and paste the output from xrandr in terminal.

Open Display. Shows LG 22" (DVI-D-1) on the left and Samsung 24" (HDMI-1) on the right. Note those monitor identifiers, as I will refer to that later.

Next I clicked on Apply and then Keep this configuration. I can then close Display and all is good, except that I shouldn't have to do this step every time I boot up Linux on this computer.

I will post this now, and continue on the PC so I can show you some stuff in terminal.
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Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon on 256 GB USB flash drive. Dell Inspiron 13-7378 laptop. 16 GB RAM. Windows 10.
Spiderspoon
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

Another problem is that the computer doesn't seem to like the NVIDIA driver which is recommended.
I am currently using the 2nd option, which was how it was with installation.
Driver Manager.png
I should be using the recommended one, at the top of the list, but when I do, I get an error message and the screen resolution is very poor. I might reboot and see if I can supply the error message and resolution. So I will Apply Changes and reboot and see what happens.
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon, MATE & Xfce. Desktop computer 16 GB RAM. Windows 11. 22" & 24" monitors.
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon on 256 GB USB flash drive. Dell Inspiron 13-7378 laptop. 16 GB RAM. Windows 10.
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

Surprise surprise! All good this time.

Now for xrandr

Code: Select all

john@Linux-Desktop:~$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 3840 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
VGA-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-D-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
   1680x1050     59.95  
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02  
   1152x864      75.00  
   1024x768      75.03    60.00  
   800x600       75.00    60.32  
   640x480       75.00    59.94  
HDMI-0 connected primary 1920x1080+1920+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 531mm x 299mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+  59.94    50.00  
   1680x1050     59.95  
   1600x900      60.00  
   1440x900      59.89  
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02  
   1280x800      59.81  
   1280x720      60.00    59.94    50.00  
   1152x864      75.00  
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00  
   800x600       75.00    72.19    60.32    56.25  
   720x576       50.00  
   720x480       59.94  
   640x480       75.00    72.81    59.94  
john@Linux-Desktop:~$ 
So now the monitor identifiers are DVI-D-0 and HDMI-0. I don't know why they changed from 1 to 0.

From a YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhiLWxJgiAo, I made a config file 10-monitors.conf at /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d which reads

Code: Select all


Section "Monitor"
### Monitor Identity - This is the Samsung Monitor on the right
    Identifier    "HDMI-0" 

### Setting Resolution and Modes
## Modeline is usually not required, but you can force resolution with it    
##    Modeline "1920x1080" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118
    Option "PreferredMode" "1920x1080"
    Option        "TargetRefresh" "60"

### Positioning the Monitor
## Basic
    Option "RightOf" "DVI-D-0"    
## Advanced
    Option        "Position" "1921 0"

## Disable a Monitor
##   Option        "Disable" "true"

EndSection 

Section "Monitor"
### Monitor Identity - This is the LG Monitor on the left
    Identifier    "DVI-D-0"

### Setting Resolution and Modes
## Modeline is usually not required, but you can force resolution with it    
##    Modeline "1920x1080" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118
    Option "PreferredMode" "1920x1080"
    Option        "TargetRefresh" "60"

### Positioning the Monitor
## Basic
    Option "LeftOf" "HDMI-0"
## Advanced
    Option        "Position" "0 0"

## Disable a Monitor
##   Option        "Disable" "true"

EndSection
I can delete some code which is commented out, but for now, that is how it reads. That video was to set up one monitor above another, which is different to my setup. I have 2 monitors side by side on a desk. Do you know anything about this config file?

I will post this now and reboot the computer and see what happens. I did not have a problem this time with the NVIDIA driver and both monitors started up properly. So I will try it again.
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon, MATE & Xfce. Desktop computer 16 GB RAM. Windows 11. 22" & 24" monitors.
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon on 256 GB USB flash drive. Dell Inspiron 13-7378 laptop. 16 GB RAM. Windows 10.
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SMG
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Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by SMG »

Spiderspoon wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:14 amOpen Display. Shows LG 22" (DVI-D-1) on the left and Samsung 24" (HDMI-1) on the right. Note those monitor identifiers, as I will refer to that later.

Next I clicked on Apply and then Keep this configuration. I can then close Display and all is good, except that I shouldn't have to do this step every time I boot up Linux on this computer.
When you click Apply, that is supposed to save a file on your computer with that information. That file is supposed to be read the next time you log in.

If you open the Display app and the monitors are where you want them to be (LG on left and Samsung on right), then why are you clicking Apply? You should only be clicking Apply if you make a change to what comes up so you can Apply the change. :?

Are you wanting the login screen to be on a different screen? If so, you need to make that change in the Login Window app on the Settings (far right) tab. The option "Monitor" is set to Auto by default. You can make a change there if you want something other than Auto.
Spiderspoon wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:24 am Another problem is that the computer doesn't seem to like the NVIDIA driver which is recommended.
I am currently using the 2nd option, which was how it was with installation.
Driver Manager.png
I should be using the recommended one, at the top of the list, but when I do, I get an error message and the screen resolution is very poor. I might reboot and see if I can supply the error message and resolution. So I will Apply Changes and reboot and see what happens.
I think that problem is similar to the one in this topic [SOLVED] NVIDIA driver failing sometimes on boot ("no hardware acceleration"). Let us know if the fix roblm recommends in the second post addresses the issue for you.

Spiderspoon wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:42 amFrom a YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhiLWxJgiAo, I made a config file 10-monitors.conf at /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d which reads
Please explain the problem you are trying to solve with the file. I do not understand what you are trying to accomplish.

One normally uses the system xorg.conf.d file and does not create a custom file. One only creates a custom file to override the system file if there is a problem. What is the problem?

The xrandr information indicates both monitors came up and are running at their preferred resolutions.

Code: Select all

DVI-D-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
HDMI-0 connected primary 1920x1080+1920+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 531mm x 299mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+  59.94    50.00
Image
A woman typing on a laptop with LM20.3 Cinnamon.
Spiderspoon
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Posts: 275
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Location: Dapto NSW

Re: Live USB and 2 monitors

Post by Spiderspoon »

SMG wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:19 pm
Spiderspoon wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:42 amFrom a YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhiLWxJgiAo, I made a config file 10-monitors.conf at /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d which reads
Please explain the problem you are trying to solve with the file. I do not understand what you are trying to accomplish.

One normally uses the system xorg.conf.d file and does not create a custom file. One only creates a custom file to override the system file if there is a problem. What is the problem?

The xrandr information indicates both monitors came up and are running at their preferred resolutions.

Code: Select all

DVI-D-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
HDMI-0 connected primary 1920x1080+1920+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 531mm x 299mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+  59.94    50.00
The problem was that the left screen was not coming on. It's working now. The point of that config file was to solve something else. But I needed to do something to fix my problem. If I were to move that config file to a text folder, then it wouldn't be read by the system and I could see what happens. I will reboot now and see what happens.
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon, MATE & Xfce. Desktop computer 16 GB RAM. Windows 11. 22" & 24" monitors.
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon on 256 GB USB flash drive. Dell Inspiron 13-7378 laptop. 16 GB RAM. Windows 10.
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