Matrox Millennium G200 AGP fails 1024x768 resolution

[whitelightme]

When Ubuntu is loading it sets automatically 800x600 (24 bit) resolution because 1024x768 fails, but trying GParted Live CD (v0.3) it works normally with 1024x768 (24 bit) resolution. So, i think this is a bug that could be easily solved.
If more info are needed, feel free to ask!
[lspci]
00:00.0 Host bridge: ALi Corporation M1541 (rev 04)
     Subsystem: ALi Corporation ALI M1541 Aladdin V/V+ AGP System Controller
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. MGA G200 AGP (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
     Subsystem: Matrox Graphics, Inc. Millennium G200 AGP

[Erik Andrén (erik-andren)]

Please attach (not paste) the output of:

sudo lspci -vvvx
dmesg
/var/log/Xorg.log
/etc/X11/xorg.conf

[Erik Andrén (erik-andren)]

Also, which version of ubuntu are you using?

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

Here are the attachs...
I'm using Xubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn).

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

I didn't have Xorg.log file (i couldn't find it in the path you said)

[Erik Andrén (erik-andren)]

Yeah, the xorg.0.log file is correct.
Would it be possible for you to grab the xorg.0.log file from GParted live cd and post it here?

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

Can you please tell me how i could grab it?
Thanks in advance.

[Erik Andrén (erik-andren)]

I haven't used GParted myself. If you are able to get access to a terminal, copy the /var/log/Xorg.0.log file to a harddrive or an usbdrive.

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Erik, here's the Xorg.0.log file used by GParted, so you can compare it with the other one.

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

Any news for this bug?

[Michael Nagel (nailor)]

if you marked the corresponding xserver-xorg-video-*** package as affected you'd probably get more attention from the relevant people.

regards,
michael

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi there,
i recently tried the latest GParted Livecd, and i took a look at the screen resolution: it was 800x600 :-/

I would not that maybe i was mistaking when i said GParted is able to load 1024x768 (and ubuntu's not) :-/
Sorry, i was not sure, simply the screen resolution seemed better than a simple 800x600.
But maybe i was wrong :-/ Is there any way to check out if mga driver can effectively work at 1024x768, anyway? 'Cause 800x600 is pretty bad :(
Greetings.

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

I forgot: the bug's title is wrong. it says 1074x768 instead of 1024x768. If anyone could fix it, thanks.

[Peter Cordes (peter-cordes)]

Ubuntu can't detect what resolutions your monitor supports, and the Monitor section of your xorg.conf doesn't list any.

 I would mark this "invalid", but one could consider it a bug that Ubuntu doesn't have a better way to deal with situations where it can't autodetect things. I don't think there's anything wrong with editing a text config file, or using
 sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
but if there is a tool to do it better, Ubuntu should use that.

(The monitor resolution detection stuff is here in your log file:
(II) MGA(0): I2C Monitor info: (nil)
(II) MGA(0): end of I2C Monitor info
(--) MGA(0): No DDC signal

DDC is the signaling method for computers to ask monitors about themselves, etc.

 Since Xorg can't get any info from the monitor, it falls back on very conservative defaults for horizontal and vertical refresh rate limits, which only allow up to 800x600 resolutions. Your log says your vid card has 8MB of RAM, so your card definitely supports 1024x768. If your monitor does too, go look up its specs (hsync and vsync, aka horizontal and vertical refresh range, or whatever.)

on my system, my Xorg.0.log has lines like
...
(II) intel(0): Printing DDC gathered Modelines:
(II) intel(0): Modeline "1680x1050"x0.0 146.25 1680 1784 1960 2240 1050 1053 1059 1089 -hsync +vsync (65.3 kHz)
(II) intel(0): Modeline "800x600"x0.0 40.00 800 840 968 1056 600 601 605 628 +hsync +vsync (37.9 kHz)
...

 Here's an example "Monitor" section:

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier "opti"
        Option "DPMS"
        DisplaySize 320 240
        # 32x24 cm
        HorizSync 30-70
        VertRefresh 50-120
EndSection

HorizSync is in khz, VertRefresh is in Hz.

google for more info if you need it. It's only in the last couple years that you didn't always have to put your refresh rates in your xorg.conf (or previously /etc/X11/XF86Config). There is a ton of old and new info about configuring X...

[whitelightme (inspheration-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Peter,
first of all thanks for your clear explanation, and sorry for my bad english but it's not my native language.
I have to say that, yes, the monitor CAN support 1024x768 as i was using that in Windows. As far as i have understood from your explanation, the problem is the monitor and i think you're right. The monitor as always been "unrecognizable" (Unknown monitor) also by Windows. This issue has always been known also by the original producer (Olidata) and they said to Ignore/Force this thing; just setting the monitor as "Plug&Play compatible" in the monitor's settings, to make it working properly. A part from this, it always worked fine, also with 1024x768.
So it'll be very good if there's any way to make it working also in Linux/Ubuntu at 1024x768.
As far as i have understood the issue can be solved by looking for specs, as they're not detected by the system automatically.
The monitor is an "Olidata MR1502" (15''). But i can't find it's specs over Google :( Maybe could you try it for me, please?
Can i give you any other useful info in any way? Let me know, feel free to ask. :)
Thanks again for your support.

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Is this symptom reproducible in 8.10 RC or later?

[Brian Kemp (brian-kemp)]

Ubuntu 8.04: usplash displays at 800x600; xorg (when gdm comes up) correctly uses 1280x1024 which is what my monitor supports.

Can test 8.10 later tonight.

x.org.log attached.

[Brian Kemp (brian-kemp)]

Xorg.0.log from LiveCD, 8.10.

(Please ignore the kill messages--didn't have enough RAM on this box until I enabled swap).

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

The issue that X fails with old monitors that don't provide proper EDID is covered by bug 194760. I'll mark this as a dupe of this bug.

The need for a GUI tool for manually setting up xorg.conf is covered by bug 240916.