(Note: I was using an NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT graphics card and a 19" HP L1906 monitor when I had this problem, so results may be best if your stats are similar.)
Problem: You have Kubuntu (or any other 'buntu) installed but you seem to be stuck at a less than optimal resolution for your monitor. Going into System Settings to fix it doesn't present you with an option for a higher resolution.
Resolution: Reconfigure xorg. Go to a terminal/konsole and type: sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg. You can also do this from Recovery Mode if you wish. One of the first things it will ask you is what drivers you wish to use; this will be different depending on things like your video card but for me I found that I had to use nvidia, and not nv or vesa. So choose that (or whatever driver you need) and then follow along with the reconfiguration, choosing defaults or leaving things blank unless there is something specific you need to change.
Towards the end you will get to a point where it asks you what kinds of screen resolutions you want to use. Choose the ones you want to use by arrowing down to them and pressing spacebar to select them. Press enter to continue with the configuration until it's done. Reboot your computer (sudo reboot works) and when you get back in you should be able to choose the resolution you want from System Settings->Display. You might have to change some more settings after that (so it's set at 60Hz, for example, if your monitor is optimized for 1280x1024 and 60Hz) but it should work.
If you are using an Nvidia card you may notice that the "wait cursor" flickers when something is loading. As far as I am aware, this can be fixed by downloading newer drivers direct from Nvidia. I'm afraid I can't help with that though, because I decided it didn't irritate me enough to go bother myself with that yet. If you do need help you can probably find it on Ubuntu Forums or LinuxQuestions.
Showing posts with label screen resolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label screen resolution. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2007
The LiveCD gets me a bunch of lines on my monitor!
Okay here we go, jumping into the Help Posts now.
Problem: You have a fairly big and likely flat-screen monitor; you probably use a high resolution like 1280x1024 or higher. You put the 'buntu LiveCD into your computer. Once it boots up you suddenly get a bunch of multicolored lines on your monitor and often a message, for example: "Input Signal Out of Range: Change Settings to 1280x1024 60Hz". Then the screen goes blank.
Solution: When you first put in the LiveCD, you have the option to boot under a different screen resolution. I believe it's F4. It will tell you at the bottom of the screen. If you press it, a bunch of options for resolutions come up. Choose something that you know works, for example, 1024x768 at 30Hz. Then boot it up.
This should at least get you into Kubuntu and allow you to install it. It might be a little difficult because the mouse cursor may not show up, but you can see stuff happening when you mouse over things, so what I did was position it on top of the "K" in the bottom left hand corner and go straight up from that to get to the "Install" button.
Don't worry-- you will have a cursor and be able to change your resolution to something more suitable later. For now the important thing is to get Kubuntu installed.
If you are still having problems, boot into recovery mode (you can get there by pressing Escape just as your computer is booting up: this will get you into the Grub menu and you can choose recovery mode) and try reconfiguring xorg. To do that, type this at the prompt: dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg. This will present you with a lot of options that might seem kind of scary at first but just pick defaults for basically everything, except for towards the beginning when it asks you what kind of driver you wish to use. Pick something that sounds like it will be compatible with your video card: for example, I picked "nvidia". Then after you finish up, reboot and you should be basically set up. (You can try experimenting with different drivers if you need to, or ask for help at Ubuntu Forums.)
Problem: You have a fairly big and likely flat-screen monitor; you probably use a high resolution like 1280x1024 or higher. You put the 'buntu LiveCD into your computer. Once it boots up you suddenly get a bunch of multicolored lines on your monitor and often a message, for example: "Input Signal Out of Range: Change Settings to 1280x1024 60Hz". Then the screen goes blank.
Solution: When you first put in the LiveCD, you have the option to boot under a different screen resolution. I believe it's F4. It will tell you at the bottom of the screen. If you press it, a bunch of options for resolutions come up. Choose something that you know works, for example, 1024x768 at 30Hz. Then boot it up.
This should at least get you into Kubuntu and allow you to install it. It might be a little difficult because the mouse cursor may not show up, but you can see stuff happening when you mouse over things, so what I did was position it on top of the "K" in the bottom left hand corner and go straight up from that to get to the "Install" button.
Don't worry-- you will have a cursor and be able to change your resolution to something more suitable later. For now the important thing is to get Kubuntu installed.
If you are still having problems, boot into recovery mode (you can get there by pressing Escape just as your computer is booting up: this will get you into the Grub menu and you can choose recovery mode) and try reconfiguring xorg. To do that, type this at the prompt: dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg. This will present you with a lot of options that might seem kind of scary at first but just pick defaults for basically everything, except for towards the beginning when it asks you what kind of driver you wish to use. Pick something that sounds like it will be compatible with your video card: for example, I picked "nvidia". Then after you finish up, reboot and you should be basically set up. (You can try experimenting with different drivers if you need to, or ask for help at Ubuntu Forums.)
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