Wrong resolution on initial install - Radeon 9600 Laptop LCD

[Richard Green]

Binary package hint: xorg

Initial install of Feisty Herd 4 on emachines M6810 showed problems with hardware detection in xorg:
  LCD is 1280x800, but X came up as 1024x768
  KCD backlight very dim on boot (Bug # 88691)
  Touchpad not fully functional (Bug #88692)

I had initiall reported this as a comment on #79016, but further investigation has shown that my problem was caused by improper detection of the monitor, not the graphics chipset.

The monitor was detected as a generic LCD:

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier "Generic Monitor"
        Option "DPMS"
        HorizSync 28-51
        VertRefresh 43-60
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier "Default Screen"
        Device "ATI Technologies Inc RV350 [Mobility Radeon 9600 M10]"
        Monitor "Generic Monitor"
        DefaultDepth 24
        SubSection "Display"
                Depth 1
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
        SubSection "Display"
                Depth 4
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
        SubSection "Display"
                Depth 8
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
        SubSection "Display"
                Depth 15
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
       SubSection "Display"
                Depth 16
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
        SubSection "Display"
                Depth 24
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
EndSection

[Niklas Vanhainen (niklas-vanhainen)]

Same problem here in herd 5. If I completely remove the xorg.conf file I get the correct resolution though (thanks to xorg 7.2 =). My monitor supports resolutions up to 1280x1024, but the installer only made 1024x768, 800x600 and 640x480 available by default.

Maybe you should just let xorg configure itself (except for keyboard layout, it chose US English instead of the system default Swedish) now that it can, it chose better default drivers for me too (nv instead of vesa)

[Richard Green (rtg-aapsc)]

OK, here's a herd 5 update:
  LiveCD, as well as initial install gave me 1024x768. xorg.conf is attached.
At a suggestion I read on another (nv, but similar) bug report, I switched to a text console, logged in as root, ran dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg, then rebooted. It came up in the proper 1280x800 resolution, and it even detected the touchpad. However, it didn't detect the radeon chip, but rather called it a 'generic video card', but that doesn't seem to matter, it's only an identifier, the driver and busid values are the same, and it works!
  Then, I saved that xorg.conf by renaming it, and restarted X as you suggested to let it do its own detection. It appears that the resolution is finer than 1024x768, but I don't think its 1280x800. X didn't create an xorg.conf, and the system settings/monitor&display applet refuses to launch.
  Also, the synaptic touchpad wasn't detected, so I'm back to no Vscroll area.

[Richard Green (rtg-aapsc)]

Here's the xorg.conf as produced by dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

could you attach /var/log/casper.log from the livecd-session?

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

'touchpad not detected' is bug #40503

[Richard Green (rtg-aapsc)]

OK, Here's a copy of casper.log from a live session
Kubuntu daily build 20070401 amd_64

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Is this issue still occurring on gutsy-beta (or newer)?

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Aha, on further review this is yet another dupe of 27667, which now has a fix posted.