Display configuration gets applied only after I log in

[teo1978]

This isn't new, this idiocy has annoyed me ever since I've been using Ubuntu; however, after upgrading to 20.04 I'm disappointed to see that it still hasn't been fixed.

I use a laptop and I have an external monitor that I keep connected most of the time.

So, I have it set up to use the external screen as the only display.

However, when I boot and the login screen shows up, a different configuration, which I guess is the default, is applied, with the laptop's built-in display as the main display and the external screen as the secondary one in extended desktop configuration. Therefore the login screen shows up on the builtin display.

Only after I log in, my configuration gets applied and the builtin displey turns off and the external one becomes the only one.

It's not a huge deal since the laptop screen is kind of in front of me anyway so I can see it, but it's not ideal and it's stupid. Also, it implies that when I do log in, I have that few seconds of all-black screens while the displays adjust, which is irritating considered they would have had plenty of time to do that before I logged in.

I guess the display configuration is somehow stored as associated to the user, and I understand that theoretically different users may have different configurations.

However, that's no excuse. As an administrator, I should be able to choose a configuration that gets applied from the beginning before anybody logs in. Also, given that I am the ONLY user (which is a pretty common scenario on Desktop), it should be the default that my configuration be the global configuration (with the possibility to choose differently).

Probably a good solution would be to have, in the Displays settings, an option such as "apply this configuration globally" (or whatever better phrasing), meaning it would be applied before login.

Obviously that doesn't mean that, if the saved configuration is not applicable to the current situation at startup (e.g. I have set it up to use only the external monitor but there is no external monitor connected right now), it shouldn't automatically switch to a different workable setting. I think it already does that if that happens after login, so that would be no different before login.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu14
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-40.44-generic 5.4.44
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-40-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0000.01.00.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0000:01:00.0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 340.108 Wed Dec 11 11:06:58 PST 2019
 GCC version: gcc version 9.3.0 (Ubuntu 9.3.0-10ubuntu2)
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.3
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sun Jul 12 21:04:20 2020
DistUpgraded: 2020-07-12 20:55:12,554 ERROR got error from PostInstallScript ./xorg_fix_proprietary.py (g-exec-error-quark: Failed to execute child process “./xorg_fix_proprietary.py” (No such file or directory) (8))
DistroCodename: focal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-340, 340.108, 5.3.0-62-generic, x86_64: installed
 nvidia-340, 340.108, 5.4.0-40-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: No
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [1025:0647]
 NVIDIA Corporation GF117M [GeForce 610M/710M/810M/820M / GT 620M/625M/630M/720M] [10de:1140] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] GeForce 710M [1025:0691]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-10-11 (2466 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" - Release amd64 (20130424)
MachineType: Acer Aspire V3-571G
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.4.0-40-generic root=UUID=5830b30e-69e8-4bb4-8a2b-bc2b43c7414a ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to focal on 2020-07-12 (0 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 10/15/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: Acer
dmi.bios.version: V2.07
dmi.board.asset.tag: Type2 - Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: VA50_HC_CR
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: Type2 - Board Version
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: V2.07
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAcer:bvrV2.07:bd10/15/2012:svnAcer:pnAspireV3-571G:pvrV2.07:rvnAcer:rnVA50_HC_CR:rvrType2-BoardVersion:cvnAcer:ct10:cvrV2.07:
dmi.product.family: Type1Family
dmi.product.name: Aspire V3-571G
dmi.product.sku: Aspire V3-_0648_V2.07
dmi.product.version: V2.07
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.14.1+20.04.20200211-0ubuntu1
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.101-2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 20.0.8-0ubuntu1~20.04.1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 20.0.8-0ubuntu1~20.04.1
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers-* N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.20.8-2ubuntu2.1
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.6-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:19.1.0-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20200226-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.16-1
xserver.bootTime: Sun Jul 12 20:59:51 2020
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:
 modeset(G0): eglGetDisplay() failed
 modeset(G0): glamor initialization failed
 NVIDIA(0): Failed to initiate mode change.
 NVIDIA(0): Failed to complete mode change
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.version: 2:1.20.8-2ubuntu2.1

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. This particular bug has already been reported and is a duplicate of bug 1760849, so it is being marked as such. Please look at the other bug report to see if there is any missing information that you can provide, or to see if there is a workaround for the bug. Additionally, any further discussion regarding the bug should occur in the other report. Feel free to continue to report any other bugs you may find.