[wplug] Dual monitors in Ubuntu Karmic Koala

[Patrick Weber]

I have run into a similar problem with a laptop running Karmic.

Karmic doesn't normally use the xorg.conf file.  Instead it likes to use xrandr.  This is great for dynamic situations like switching between laptop mode and docked mode.  Unfortunately this does not support any acceleration (at least not for my video card) so you don't get pretty screen effects or anything.

I installed the nvidia drivers to get the 3D acceleration.  The nvidia driver installs its own configuration utility which is pretty easy to use.  This DOES use the xorg.conf file.  I did run into all kinds of goofy problems with it not being able to write to the xorg.conf etc.  This worked great for a static situation, as in I can have either my desktop monitor working or the laptop screen working but it can't figure out how to switch automatically between the two.  Now every time I dock or undock I have to first go into the nvidia settings and set up the configuration I want, then dock or undock the machine.  Very frustrating.

Back to what you were after... the nvidia settings utility did a nice job configuring dual monitors (if you have nvidia hardware...).  I have not tried dual monitors without the nvidia driver.

-Pat




________________________________
From: Ben Beige <dariuscardren at gmail.com>
To: General user list <wplug at wplug.org>
Sent: Mon, February 1, 2010 10:18:48 AM
Subject: [wplug] Dual monitors in Ubuntu Karmic Koala

Greetings Everyone,
I'm getting off on a bad foot with my "new" Linux box. I am trying to
get dual monitors to work properly, in Xinarama. And it seems that
firstly I was having issues since there was no xorg.conf, a design
feature I am told, to allow for quick dynamic configuration of video.
I've tried with 2 different AGP Cards a Matrox G450, which I had
working in dual screen mode under Debian Etch not that long ago, and a
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 9600. The Matrox Mirrors the screens in X,
but only detects one "Unknown" monitor. And the Radeon mirrors when
not in X, and detects the monitor on the primary connection. I am
using 2 NEC 2010x monitors (20"LCDs). We have tried to build an
xorg.conf that would allow both displays to work and have little luck
beyond defining cards and monitors that X dose not seem to notice. Has
anyone had much luck with multiple monitors in Karmic? I can include
the config files we've created, or the defaults created by an X
-configure if needed.


Thanks,

Ben Beige
dariuscardren at gmail.com
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