Hello,

I'm having immense trouble getting anything other than GNOMEs GUI to work at a usable monitor resolution and am now somewhat confused with the whole issue of the X-Server and how to set up/change monitor settings under KDE, Fluxbox etc. etc.

I'm using an Nvidia graphics card to drive a 19" Iiyama Vision Master Pro 455 monitor which is capable of resolutions up to a maximum of 1600 x 1200 at something like 65 hz (sadly I left the manual at work so I'm guessing that the refresh rate being 65 Hz but it's around that figure)

Anyway I wish to use it at a resolution of 1280 x 1024 at 85 hz which is my preferred setup.

Now setting this up in GNOME was no problem as there's the handy Applications > Desktop Preferences > Screen Resolution applet which lets me select both the resolution and refresh rate. Excellent ! I'm happy and my X server and GUI look truly beautiful.

However.... when I tried using KDE/XFCE etc. it's apparent that the X server is being started using the maximum 1600 x 1200, minimum refresh rate setting and the desktop is unusable due to everything being too small to see (even after some tweaking of icon sizes and fonts etc.)

My next step was then to try using the KDE Control Centre > Peripherals dialogue to select a different resolution and refresh rate but this was a disaster..... My xf86config file was overwritten and startx resulted in a black screen.

I therefore ran xfree86setup, did a quick vi to map my uk keyboard and wheel mouse, and I'm now back in GNOME at the desired resolution etc. etc. A quick xwmconfig and I tried KDE again but it's back to using the maximum 1600 x 1200 resolution.. Boo !

So I'm wondering if my understanding of the X server/GUI part of GNU/Linux is correct ?

My understanding is that the xf86config file contains details of the capabilities of the attached devices. As far as the monitor settings go I would then expect each window manager (GNOME/KDE/XFCE etc.) to be able to select a suitable combination of resolution and refresh rate and for each Window Manager to potentially use a different combination. Is this correct ?

If anyone can tell me how to adjust my monitor settings in KDE/XFCE/Fluxbox etc. I'd be most grateful as I'd like to try all the available window managers (I'm on a Linux learning curve here !) but the only one I can set up to my satisfaction is GNOME.

Thanks goodness for the command line !!!

Thankyou.

P.S. I have also tried using Ctrl&Alt&+/Ctrl&Alt&- in KDE and XFCE but this doesn't really help. I suspect that the problem may be that I have to add some more detail to my xf86config file to describe my desired monitor mode so, in case it's of use, here's my xf86config file:

<paste>

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "XFree86 Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
ModulePath "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "record"
Load "extmod"
Load "dbe"
Load "dri"
Load "glx"
Load "xtrap"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "speedo"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "keyboard"
Option "XkbLayout" "uk"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
#DisplaySize 360 270 # mm
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "IVM"
ModelName "MM904U"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "SWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "HWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "ShowCache" # [<bool>]
#Option "ShadowFB" # [<bool>]
#Option "UseFBDev" # [<bool>]
#Option "Rotate" # [<str>]
#Option "VideoKey" # <i>
#Option "FlatPanel" # [<bool>]
#Option "FPDither" # [<bool>]
#Option "CrtcNumber" # <i>
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "nv"
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "NV11 [GeForce2 MX/MX 400]"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

</paste>

Please ignore this reply as I managed to send the last reply twice, couldn't delete the second copy, so had to edit it. My apologies.

Raptor, the problem lies in the Section "Monitor" and Section "Screeen" in the XF86Config file.

You can edit the XF86Config file or run " xfree86setup"

to edit the file :
as root type " vi /etc/X11R6/XFConfig "

Section "Monitor"
add the appropriate HorizSync and VertRefresh according to ur monitor documentation ...here's mine :


Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "PHILIPS 107T"
DisplaySize 310 230
HorizSync 30.0 - 71.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
Option "dpms"
EndSection


Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

i choose only 1 SubSection and delete the rest , because i just want the Xserver use the true color ( Depth 24 ) and the maximum resolution is "1024x768", if it fails the Xserver will try using 800x600 and so on.

If u configured those properly u'll get ur desire resolution, optimal refresh rate. My monitor tells me that the frequency is 85Hz since it's the optimal frequency for 1024x768.


Hope it helps !!

Cheers glennardo.

I also used a "Virtual 1280 1024 " setting in my display subsection and this along with your advice seems to have done the trick.

Still, I do think it would be nice if you could set up the XF86Config file so that all available modes are listed, and that each window manager would then feature an applet in which you could select your chosen combination for that window manager (and that window manager only). I'm definitely in favour of the GNOME applets behaviour here.

Thanks anyway as I can now see the KDE and XFCE desktops in a usable form !

I had problems with configuring my monitor. In the end I used the 'xf86config' command. You have to do this before starting x whilst logged in as root. This allows you to set up your monitor & video card from a simple text dialog.
This is what I love about slackware. The easy looking way (the gui) is hard because it causes problems but the hard looking way is easy in the end becuase it works & gets the job done.

Hello,

After getting a new monitor about a month after installing Slackware I'd already tried using xf86config and XF86Setup but in both cases the /etc/XF86Config file it created didn't work properly - which is why I was having all the trouble in the first place. The problem being that it set up the monitor to be used at its maximum resolution and minimum refresh rate which isn't quie what I wanted.

As I'd said in a previous post GNOME gives you an applet which allows you to to select your desired resolution and refresh rate from the list of supported modes and I was expecting the other window managers (KDE/XFCE/Fluxbox etc.) to have similar applets.

But after a lot of head scratching I worked out that they'll actually use the maximum available setting from your config file so having worked that out I then edited my /etc/X11/XF86Config file by hand and it all works well.

So at least I;ve learnt something and I'll not have the same problems again

But I still don't know why using KDEs > Settings > Control Panel > Preferences applet to set my desired resolution and refresh rate should cause KDE to write an unusable XF86Config file ? Oh well.....

Yours glad he's taken the Slackware path to Linux knowledge and learning more every day