Ubuntu detects disconnect of external monitor but does not allow first monitor to be moved back to left of desktop, making apps inaccessible

[Thomas Boutell]

I am running Ubuntu Hardy Herdon beta, laptop configuration with all updates.

I have a Dell Latitude D610. If I hook up an external monitor I get a cloned desktop. If I manually set the Virtual parameter in xorg.conf to 3080x1050, I begin to get the option of non-cloned, "one big desktop" behavior and I can drag the monitors around in the screen resolution capplet. I chose to put my laptop monitor on the right-hand side of the virtual desktop.

If I suspend the laptop, then restore it with the external monitor disconnected, the laptop display is still at the right hand side of a larger virtual desktop, even though the capplet "knows" that the external monitor is gone. I can no longer move the laptop around in the capplet, although it is correctly shown as being at right.

Although gnome applications seem to get hints to start up far enough to the right on the virtual desktop to appear reasonable on the one remaining display, applications like Firefox that remember their own previous position (?) still pop up on the left-hand side of the virtual desktop and since I can't reposition the remaining monitor in the capplet, I have no way of accessing them.

If Ubuntu "wants" to keep the big virtual desktop (presumably so that I can hotplug the external monitor back in at any time and find my windows are still there), then it should also continue to allow me to reposition the one remaining monitor inside that virtual desktop in the screen resolution capplet. Otherwise I'm stuck with the situation until I control-alt-backspace or otherwise kill the X server and log in again (which correctly recognizes just one monitor and a smaller desktop).

The workaround, presumably, is to put the laptop on the left hand side of my virtual desktop, although this doesn't match my work environment. I guess part 2 of the workaround is a longer power cord. (:

[Loffe (erik-eloff)]

I also have this problem when I connect the monitor and the laptop is suspended.

I have the panels on my left external screen, so when I wake up the computer my panels are out of sight :(

The workaround is to always resume with both screens connected, use gnome-display-properties to switch off the external screen.

I suggest that when a monitor "has gone missing" Ubuntu should resize the virtual desktop to fit the only monitor available.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

This may be a driver-specific issue. Could you please attach your /var/log/Xorg.0.log and the output of lspci -vvnn?

[Setting to xorg for now until we get this info]

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

We're closing this bug since it is has been some time with no response from the original reporter. However, if the issue still exists please feel free to reopen with the requested information. Also, if you could, please test against the latest development version of Ubuntu, since this confirms the bug is one we may be able to pass upstream for help.