Member Avatar for thauragar

Hey I don't want to sound like a total noobie so forgive me but here goes:

I'm really new to this - just installed Mandrake 9.2 a few days ago. So far so good, except I can't seem to change the screen resolution. It defaulted to 1280x1024 and that ran fine, but when i try to change it to a lower res (1024x768, 800x600, 640x480) it doesnt seem to respond. I've tried restarting and whatnot but nothing seems to have changed. I checked the etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file and it reflects the changed resolution i have configured but still no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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Dani AI

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A few practical diagnostic steps and fixes that address the gap between the edited XF86Config-4 and X still running at the same resolution (notes tied to , , and ):

First, confirm which config file X actually read and whether the server fell back to a generic driver. Check the X log (typical name on Mandrake/XFree86 era installs) for the config file used, loaded driver and any warnings/errors about modes:

less /var/log/XFree86.0.log
grep -i "Using config file" /var/log/XFree86.0.log
grep -i -E "(EE)|(WW)|mode|driver" /var/log/XFree86.0.log

If the log shows X used a different file than /etc/X11/XF86Config-4, edit the file the server actually reads (this explains ’s XF86Config suggestion). Also look for (EE) or (WW) lines about “no valid modes”, driver load failures, or a fallback to vesa/fbdev — those are the usual reasons the screen won’t change.

Second, check the config contents the server enforces. The important places are the Monitor (HorizSync / VertRefresh), the Device (which driver is selected), and the Screen -> Subsection "Display" (what Modes are listed). A minimal Display entry should list the modes in preferred-to-fallback order, for example:

Section "Screen"
  Subsection "Display"
    Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
  EndSubsection
EndSection

If X refuses those modes because the Monitor block has no or incorrect sync ranges, add correct HorizSync/VertRefresh values (from the monitor spec) or a conservative range that includes the desired modes.

Finally, practical remedies: back up XF86Config-4 before edits (good tip from ). If the driver is falling back to vesa, install the proper driver for the card or use the vendor installer. On some laptops the internal panel constrains usable modes, so that can limit choices. If generating a fresh config is preferred, run X -configure as root to produce a starting XF86Config and copy it into /etc/X11, then tweak Modes and Monitor entries.

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Member Avatar for hard candy

Desktop or laptop?

Member Avatar for mdknutz

Hey I don't want to sound like a total noobie so forgive me but here goes:

I'm really new to this - just installed Mandrake 9.2 a few days ago. So far so good, except I can't seem to change the screen resolution. It defaulted to 1280x1024 and that ran fine, but when i try to change it to a lower res (1024x768, 800x600, 640x480) it doesnt seem to respond. I've tried restarting and whatnot but nothing seems to have changed. I checked the etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file and it reflects the changed resolution i have configured but still no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I am having a similar problem in Mdk 10, I have tried modifying the XF86Config-4 file but it doesn't seem to make a difference, I have checked for errors in the dmesg and /var/log/ I can't find any problems there. I have tried all the gui's to make the changes and still nothing. The gui's (pick your favorite) seem to make a change in the XF86Config-4 but they are not effecting the resolution. I am continuing to experiment but it is frustrating to find that any "inappropriate" changes crash the Xserver and I have to restart X all over again. - One thing, before making any changes, make a back up of your XF86Config-4 so that you can always go back using the Ctrl+F2 screen. :rolleyes: One work around I am using, stuck in 1400x1024, I have increased the fonts in Gnome so that I can at least see text ;). I will post an update once I get this thing solved. - PS, my machine is a laptop, Dell D600.

Member Avatar for Member #2466

What video card are you all using?

Member Avatar for i686-linux

I really need to pick up on Mandrake, so I may be wrong, but on every other distro I have used, the proper file to edit is the XF86Config, not XF86Config-4. /etc/X11/XF86Config for example. Try that one, and tell how it works

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