Screen resolution not correct

[Paul Stevens]

Binary package hint: xorg

With 9.10rc screen resolution is 800x600 max but should be 1024x768. Output does not fill screen. System works fine with 9.04. Attempting to set the resolution at boot has no effect. Display Manager will not allow setting resolution above 800x600. Xorg.config on current install just worked with defaults and had not edited settings. Intel 830graphics.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Sat Oct 24 03:02:11 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release Candidate i386 (20091020.3)
Lsusb:
 Bus 003 Device 002: ID 054c:0069 Sony Corp. Memorystick MSC-U03 Reader
 Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
MachineType: Sony Corporation PCG-R505GL(UC)
Package: xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu7
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   3.3V 32-bit PC Card
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/hostname.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash -- vga=305
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-generic
RelatedPackageVersions:
 xserver-xorg 1:7.4+3ubuntu7
 libgl1-mesa-glx 7.6.0-1ubuntu4
 libdrm2 2.4.14-1ubuntu1
 xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.9.0-1ubuntu2
 xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.12.99+git20090929.7968e1fb-0ubuntu1
SourcePackage: xorg
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-generic i686
XorgConf: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/X11/xorg.conf'
XorgLogOld: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/var/log/Xorg.0.log.old'
dmi.bios.date: 07/08/02
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies LTD
dmi.bios.version: R0227C1
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 652L0000000011AFDA8EB9B4AA69
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Sony Corporation
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologiesLTD:bvrR0227C1:bd07/08/02:svnSonyCorporation:pnPCG-R505GL(UC):pvrR3045244:cvnSonyCorporation:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: PCG-R505GL(UC)
dmi.product.version: R3045244
dmi.sys.vendor: Sony Corporation
fglrx: Not loaded
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 architecture: i686kernel: 2.6.31-14-generic

[Paul Stevens (pstevens)]

Tried a clean install of 9.10 on the laptop. On first boot had no usable video after login. Rebooted in recovery tty mode and did an upgrade which appeared to install a newer kernel. On next reboot, I was able to get usable graphics but only at 800x600 as with live cd instead of expected 1024x768. Also full screen area is not used. I will attach Xorg.0.log file. No xorg.conf file present on system.

[Paul Stevens (pstevens)]

This problem seems to be based in Kernel Mode Select and the hardware involved. Bug report 288807 talks about some hardware issues with Sony laptops and that may be in effect here. I believe KMS is now on by default in Karmic for Intel devices.

To get the system fixed was fairly simple in the end and only requires updating Grub to turn off KMS. I am using Grub2 on this install.

On a live cd boot, use F6 to edit grub.
Remove “splash” and replace with “nomodeset”.
I included “--xdriver=intel” on my system as bootup seemed smoother with this added.
Splash does not work with nomodeset so it needs to be removed.

On an installed system, edit /etc/default/grub to remove splash and add the ‘nomodeset xdriver=intel” line and then update grub.

gksu gedit /etc/default/grub

Change the line:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash”

To this:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=” nomodeset xdriver=intel”

The “quiet” option may work but I did not use it. The “xdriver=intel” was correct for my system.

Then run:
Sudo update-grub

Note, I did not need to have any xorg.conf in the system to get it working. There did not seem to be any difference whether it was there or not.

It might be good to have a fallback “nomodeset” option as a standard part of the grub menu till KMS can develop a way to deal with this hardware.

[DrSQL (issnational)]

The last update from Ubuntu fixed the issue for me.

Thanks,

On Mon, 2009-11-16 at 00:39 +0000, Paul Stevens wrote:
> This problem seems to be based in Kernel Mode Select and the hardware
> involved. Bug report 288807 talks about some hardware issues with Sony
> laptops and that may be in effect here. I believe KMS is now on by
> default in Karmic for Intel devices.
>
> To get the system fixed was fairly simple in the end and only requires
> updating Grub to turn off KMS. I am using Grub2 on this install.
>
> On a live cd boot, use F6 to edit grub.
> Remove “splash” and replace with “nomodeset”.
> I included “--xdriver=intel” on my system as bootup seemed smoother with this added.
> Splash does not work with nomodeset so it needs to be removed.
>
> On an installed system, edit /etc/default/grub to remove splash and add
> the ‘nomodeset xdriver=intel” line and then update grub.
>
> gksu gedit /etc/default/grub
>
> Change the line:
> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash”
>
> To this:
> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=” nomodeset xdriver=intel”
>
> The “quiet” option may work but I did not use it. The “xdriver=intel”
> was correct for my system.
>
> Then run:
> Sudo update-grub
>
> Note, I did not need to have any xorg.conf in the system to get it
> working. There did not seem to be any difference whether it was there or
> not.
>
> It might be good to have a fallback “nomodeset” option as a standard
> part of the grub menu till KMS can develop a way to deal with this
> hardware.
>

[Alex Emelianov (aemelianov)]

Latest update (as of Nov 15,2009) did not fix the problem. Setting kernel parameters to as described by Paul (nomodeset xdriver=intel) works, I am running in native resolution now.
Thank you

[Filofel (filofel)]

Same problem here,
nomodeset xdriver=intel
solved it too (thanks Paul).
Machine is an HP Compaq DC7700 desktop with an Intel 945Q, and problem occurred at the first reboot immediately after today's Jaunty to Koala (online) upgrade.

[HappyCamper (colin-conway)]

Paul's solutions worked for me as well on my old Vaio. I'm using GRUB V1, so I had to make the change to the current (first in my case) entry in /boot/grub/menu.lst, and didn't need to run 'sudo update-grub'.

I tried with 'quiet splash' in there as well, just kept the screen blank until near the end of the boot period when it went to the funky new Ubunst loading screen. Without it the booting information text is displayed.

Thanks =)

[Douwe Zwiers (douwe28jan)]

Editing the grub file doesn't work for me.
The first time i changed it into "nomodeset xdriver=intel"
And after i restarted ubuntu started loading but you could see the text and once that was done the screen just turned black.
The second time i changed it just into "quiet splash xdriver=intel and nothing happened.

[Douwe Zwiers (douwe28jan)]

Oh wait i tried again and it's working now thanks!

[Filofel (filofel)]

Looks like this bug has been fixed at some point:
I upgraded Grub to Grub 2 (Karmic), and Grub 2 didn't propagate the
nomodeset xdriver=intel
parms that were on the Grub 1 line.
But nevertheless, the video restarted just fine.
So for me, this has been corrected by some patch that appeared between Nov 16th 2009 and now.

Thanks to the maintainers!

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

[This is an automatic notification.]

Hi Paul,

This bug was reported against an earlier version of Ubuntu, can you
test if it still occurs on Lucid?

Please note we also provide technical support for older versions of
Ubuntu, but not in the bug tracker. Instead, to raise the issue through
normal support channels, please see:

    http://www.ubuntu.com/support

If you are the original reporter and can still reproduce the issue on
Lucid, please run the following command to refresh the report:

  apport-collect 459547

If you are not the original reporter, please file a new bug report, so
we can work with you as the original reporter instead (you can reference
bug 459547 in your report if you think it may be related):

  ubuntu-bug xorg

If by chance you can no longer reproduce the issue on Lucid or if you
feel it is no longer relevant, please mark the bug report 'Fix Released'
or 'Invalid' as appropriate, at the following URL:

  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/459547

[Paul Stevens (pstevens)]

Fix released. Lucid,10.4, has fixed this issue.

Unfortunately I don't like the way Lucid looks or how some of the new items work :(

[DrSQL (issnational)]

I had this issue, and the solution is to change the resolution in your monitors.xml file. I don't remember the exact path, but it is in a .settings directory within your home directory. There is a resolution line in the file that you should change to the desired resolution.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xorg-server (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]