Netbook screen resolution too low for Mint

[Helmut]

Question: Is there a way to reduce the required screen resolution needed to display Mint Screens?

On my Toshiba NB250 Netbook, the highest screen resolution is 1024 x 600. Installed is Tara Mate 32bit.
If the left mouse-button is pressed and held down whilst "ALT" is pressed, I can move the oversized windows around a bit, but not always sufficiently because many windows have too large vertical resolution for them to be displayed. This creates a serious practical problem, which makes Mint practically unusable on machines running at 1024 x 600 or lower.

Why is Mint unusable on screens with 1024 x 600 or lower?
With the initial update-manager screen being displayed, being the first instance of the update mgr screen after install, I can move it up over the top of the screen all the way it will go, but the selection buttons on the bottom of the initial screen (immediately after install) remain hidden because it will not go upwards enough to reveal the bottom part of that screen, where the hidden buttons are. Therefore it is and remains fully impossible to setup automatric updates, and the installation is therfore practically worthless. Other screens, such as adding languages are also a problem.

[Lord Boltar]

First, lets see how to get to know the list of displays attached to Linux
Open the terminal and type in

xrandr

you should see something similar below – it will list all your setting your monitor is currently capable of – this is from my laptop

Code: Select all

Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
eDP-1-1 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 344mm x 193mm
   1920x1080     60.01*+  60.01    59.97    59.96    59.93  
   1680x1050     59.95    59.88  
   1600x1024     60.17  
   1400x1050     59.98  
   1600x900      59.99    59.94    59.95    59.82  
   1280x1024     60.02  
   1440x900      59.89  
   1400x900      59.96    59.88  
   1280x960      60.00  
   1440x810      60.00    59.97  
   1368x768      59.88    59.85  
   1360x768      59.80    59.96  
   1280x800      59.99    59.97    59.81    59.91  
   1152x864      60.00  
   1280x720      60.00    59.99    59.86    59.74  
   1024x768      60.04    60.00  
   960x720       60.00  
   928x696       60.05  
   896x672       60.01  
   1024x576      59.95    59.96    59.90    59.82  
   960x600       59.93    60.00  
   960x540       59.96    59.99    59.63    59.82  
   800x600       60.00    60.32    56.25  
   840x525       60.01    59.88  
   864x486       59.92    59.57  
   800x512       60.17  
   700x525       59.98  
   800x450       59.95    59.82  
   640x512       60.02  
   720x450       59.89  
   700x450       59.96    59.88  
   640x480       60.00    59.94  
   720x405       59.51    58.99  
   684x384       59.88    59.85  
   680x384       59.80    59.96  
   640x400       59.88    59.98  
   576x432       60.06  
   640x360       59.86    59.83    59.84    59.32  
   512x384       60.00  
   512x288       60.00    59.92  
   480x270       59.63    59.82  
   400x300       60.32    56.34  
   432x243       59.92    59.57  
   320x240       60.05  
   360x202       59.51    59.13  
   320x180       59.84    59.32  
HDMI-1-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-1-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Please post your results

[Helmut]

This was displayed:

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Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1024 x 600, maximum 4096 x 4096
VGA-1 disconnected primary (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
LVDS-1 connected 1024x600+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 222mm x 125mm
   1024x600      60.01*+
   1024x576      59.95    59.96    59.90    59.82  
   960x600       59.93    60.00  
   960x540       59.96    59.99    59.63    59.82  
   800x600       60.00    60.32    56.25  
   840x525       60.01    59.88  
   864x486       59.92    59.57  
   800x512       60.17  
   700x525       59.98  
   800x450       59.95    59.82  
   640x512       60.02  
   720x450       59.89  
   700x450       59.96    59.88  
   640x480       60.00    59.94  
   720x405       59.51    58.99  
   684x384       59.88    59.85  
   680x384       59.80    59.96  
   640x400       59.88    59.98  
   576x432       60.06  
   640x360       59.86    59.83    59.84    59.32  
   512x384       60.00  
   512x288       60.00    59.92  
   480x270       59.63    59.82  
   400x300       60.32    56.34  
   432x243       59.92    59.57  
   320x240       60.05  
   360x202       59.51    59.13  
   320x180       59.84    59.32  
DVI-D-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
lisa@lisa-PC:~$

An example to give you an idea of the impact of this problem: After Mint install, on the very first instance of the update -manager, there are buttons on the bottom of that update-screen needed to be pressed in order to activate any future updates. These buttons are invisible to the user. If the user would then press ALT and push that update screen upwards all the way it will go, those buttons will always remain invisible because they still remain too far under the displayable area, even if the panel is moved out of the way, hence updates can never be switched on and the install is not much use.

[Lord Boltar]

Now to set the resolution 1280x800 or whatever resolution you desire on , I would execute the following

First you want to run the CVT Tool

In terminal type in cvt 1280x800 or whatever resolution you desire

You should see an output similar to this

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# 1280x800 59.81 Hz (CVT 1.02MA) hsync: 49.70 kHz; pclk: 83.50 MHz
Modeline "1280x800_60.00"   83.50  1280 1352 1480 1680  800 803 809 831 -hsync +vsync

Next type in xrandr –newmode then copy and paste everything from above so it looks like below

xrandr --newmode "1280x800_60.00" 83.50 1280 1352 1480 1680 800 803 809 831 -hsync +vsync

Next you have to add the desired mode

xrandr --addmode "1280x800_60.00"

xrandr --output --mode "1280x800_60.00"
First command creates a new mode with resolution 1280x800
Second command makes it available for use, with display (VGA-0 may be needed depends on your xrandr output)
Third command selects the newly added mode as the display resolution for the specified display
Thats it. Enjoy

[Neil Edmond]

With all due respect Lord Boltar, I doubt all of that will do any good on a Netbook with a max screen resolution of 1024 X 600. LCD displays do OK at scaling down to lower than native rez, but I've never seen one that will scale up to a higher resolution. Helmut might be better served by adjusting DPI settings within Mint.

[gm10]

With all due respect Lord Boltar, I doubt all of that will do any good on a Netbook with a max screen resolution of 1024 X 600. LCD displays do OK at scaling down to lower than native rez, but I've never seen one that will scale up to a higher resolution. Helmut might be better served by adjusting DPI settings within Mint.

+1

And generally to the question in the thread: The Mint-specific tools come with fairly random and large minimum sizes configured - usually without any technical need for that, either. 768 is the minimum screen height you'll need. Unless you really want Mint and its tools there may be better distributions out there for low resolution screens.

The suggested DPI scaling is one possibility but it will make everything smaller. You could also go and patch all the Mint-specific tools to remove the excessive minimum sizes but that's effort, too.

[gm10]

PS: Here's a quick patch to Update Manager to work at your resolution:

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sudo sed -i 's/360/160/' /usr/share/linuxmint/mintupdate/main.ui
mintupdate

You'll be able to reduce the height enough to comfortably fit on your screen now. It's how it should be by default but oh well...

I'll let you figure out how to fix the other tools yourself.

[Pierre]

then after that quick fix, try using:
- Menu - Control Center - Hardware - Displays:
check what Resolution is now being used,, and then see what adjustment(s) can be made.

[Helmut]

Thank all of you folks very much!

I've got it working now, don't know how I did it, but the fundamental underlying problem of Mint tools coming with random and too large sizes remains, and negates the usability of Mint running on netbooks. This is a pity and totally unnecessary! It definitely should be on the To Do list for being fixed!
After a fix, we could then, and only then mark this thread as solved...


@ Pierre:
The display of the netbook is and was set to 1024 x 600 which is the highest possible, and bespoke problem already happens at that setting. Any lower res setting only makes it worse.

[Moem]

the fundamental underlying problem of Mint tools coming with random and too large sizes remains, and negates the usability of Mint running on netbooks. This is a pity and totally unnecessary!

True, but it's on the other hand not fully unexpected. After all, the installation requirements state a minimum resolution of 1024×768. And there aren't all that many netbooks on the market anymore anyway...

[Helmut]

@ moem
There are a lot of netbooks around, and also quite a few folks that use them instead of tablets, because they don't like smudging the screen on top of a plethora of nonsenseual and similarly meaningless-looking colourful pictures...

1024 x 600 was the typical resolution of 10 inch netbooks, the most popular size. What's wrong with limiting the vertical resolution of Mint tools to say 576?

[gm10]

Which Mint tools are there actually that are too big? Except for Update Manager the only other one that comes to mind is Software Manager. So unless I missed one, to fully resolve this issue, here's all you need to make Mint tools fully compatible with every resolution from 640x480 or higher:

Software Manager:

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sudo sed -i 's/180/0/' /usr/share/linuxmint/mintinstall/mintinstall.glade
sudo sed -i '/self.load_featured/s/./#/' /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintinstall/mintinstall.py

Update Manager:

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sudo sed -i 's/360/160/' /usr/share/linuxmint/mintupdate/main.ui

Should an update to one of these tools revert the change just run the respective patch again.

[raspu]

I have an Asus netbook with the same screen resolution as yours, in fact I am writing this message on it. The only programmes I have to use the Alt+click and drag trick with to move the windows around are Software Manager and Update Manager. I don't find it so cumbersome (but I'd like to be able to redimension the windows so that I didn't need to do that).

[gm10]

(but I'd like to be able to redimension the windows so that I didn't need to do that).

See my post above yours then, at least for Mint 19 and I believe also Mint 18.3.

[Moem]

@ moem
There are a lot of netbooks around, and also quite a few folks that use them instead of tablets, because they don't like smudging the screen (...)

I know. I have one, it's lovely for travelling. It's great having a real keyboard. I don't mind the alt-drag routine, after all it's just the Updater and the Software Manager that are too big on my system.