Dual Monitor setup for desktop .....Don't delay, step on up!

Using applications, configuring, problems
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canbyte
Posts: 264
Joined: Sat 10 Jan 2009, 20:20
Location: Hamilton, Canada

#46 Post by canbyte »

Hi Monsie
I was able to copy the ldconfig file to the sbin directory so then running the nvidia driver now results in the following message.
ERROR: Unable to find the system utility `ld`; please make sure you have the
package 'binutils' installed. If you do have binutils installed,
then please check that `ld` is in your PATH
.

Actually, i cheated - i had devx on the other machine and copied ldconfig from there. I checked that machine for the binutils file to no avail. What to they mean by utility 'ld'? Searching on ld leads to 500 items in the other machine, 137 in the target machine so i guess maybe i'll have to install devx which i was hoping to avoid.

Ok, that's done, now, trying to run the driver results in the following message.
ERROR: You appear to be running an X server; please exit X before
installing. For further details, please see the section INSTALLING
THE NVIDIA DRIVER in the README available on the Linux driver
download page at www.nvidia.com.
On the Nvidia page at http://www.geforce.com/drivers/results/52240# it said
Installation instructions: Once you have downloaded the driver, change to the directory containing the driver package and install the driver by running, as root, sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-310.19.run

One of the last installation steps will offer to update your X configuration file. Either accept that offer, edit your X configuration file manually so that the NVIDIA X driver will be used, or run nvidia-xconfig
So, i exited X. Instructions for noobs like me

cd ..
dir

repeat until you see 'root' and 'mnt' listed
cd /mnt/home
dir

enter the command given above -
sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-310.19.run

This resulted in the following message (also recorded in /var/log/nvidia-installer-log) ....
Unable to find source tree for currently running kernel
Make sure they are installed & properly configured.
ie for Red Hat, ensure 'kernel-source' or ' kernel-deve1' RPM is installed
You may specify the path with --kernel-source--path' command line option
Oooph, this is waaay beyond my ken, even with Nvidia's help details page http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/L ... index.html
The FAQ and Problems section seem relevant but are written in geek!

I asked pfind to look up 'kernel' - 27 items returned, many in the /lib/modules/ directory but also many others. No file called kernel-source found or kernel-deve1 so maybe this whole quest is hopeless?????

Well, maybe I'll try the command
sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-310.19.run --kernel-source-/lib/modules/ or
sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-310.19.run --/lib/modules/kernel-source

to see if that works but how can it when there's no kernel-source file?? Will the real kernel please stand up!!! Otherwise, can someone clue me in to the proper syntax for what they're asking? Or whatever you think i should do.

edit - if i have to give up on installing the nvidia driver, it looks like i'll have to go back to this page
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=72405
although i suspect those aren't designed for dual screen but there is some discussion of kernel-source.

Thanks again.

User avatar
Monsie
Posts: 631
Joined: Thu 01 Dec 2011, 07:37
Location: Kamloops BC Canada

Dual Monitor setup for desktop .....Don't delay, step on up!

#47 Post by Monsie »

Hi canbyte,

You are on the right track... Just to confirm, you do have the devx package installed?

Yes, you also need the kernel source headers, so that the nVidia driver can build a module for the specific kernel of your Operating System. See the initial post by playdayz for the Lucid Puppy 5.2.8 thread over here and you will find a link to download the kernel source package.

Also, I know it's quite a bit of heavy reading, but you should try to go through the material you referenced that nVidia wrote on installing the driver for your video card... For instance, I found this in Chapter 8 Common Problems:
You can specify the location of the kernel source tree (or headers) when you install the NVIDIA driver using the --kernel-source-path command line option (see sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-310.19.run --advanced-options for details).
This may be very useful information for you. I think that once the nVidia installer can find everything it needs: linker, path to kernel source, etc. then the driver build and installation should go okay --knock on wood :wink:

Hope this helps,
Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

User avatar
canbyte
Posts: 264
Joined: Sat 10 Jan 2009, 20:20
Location: Hamilton, Canada

#48 Post by canbyte »

..... getting somewhere!

loaded kernel source sfs
loaded devx sfs (but didn't run)
ran in terminal the .run driver from nvidia
all seemed to go properly with no error messages.

but I only have one screen and never saw the nvidia control panel, so
looking above, I ran in terminal the /usr/bin/nvidia-xconfig file

got the following output:
Using X configuration file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf".
Backed up file '/etc/X11/xorg.conf' as '/etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup'
New X configuration file written to '/etc/X11/xorg.conf'

Script completed hit RETURN to close window.
but no nvidia control.

I wonder if this is the problem -
the left monitor is a small unit that can only display 1024 x 768
so it only shows an error message - 'cannot display this video mode'

the right unit is larger and probably using the next higher resolution

the xorg.conf file isn't listing the usual settings section so I can't change the settings manually.


I know the nvidia card works ok because it displays properly under Windows XP

So where are the settings? Or how to bring up the nvidia control panel? Shouldn't there be a menu item to click on?

edit - trying to add ' Option "Xinerama" "True"' to xorg.conf as outlined in chapt 13 of the nvidia manual. No luck, still the same result.

Thanks again.
Last edited by canbyte on Tue 12 Mar 2013, 05:42, edited 1 time in total.

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Billtoo
Posts: 3720
Joined: Tue 07 Apr 2009, 13:47
Location: Ontario Canada

#49 Post by Billtoo »

canbyte wrote: So where are the settings? Or how to bring up the nvidia control panel? Shouldn't there be a menu item to click on?
enter nvidia-settings in the terminal.
Attachments
nvidia-settings.jpg
(87.6 KiB) Downloaded 1257 times

User avatar
canbyte
Posts: 264
Joined: Sat 10 Jan 2009, 20:20
Location: Hamilton, Canada

#50 Post by canbyte »

Thanks Billtoo. I should have thought of that. Unfortunately, it's getting stuck and giving the following message.

You do not appear to be using the NVIDIA X driver. Please edit your X configuration file (just run `nvidia-xconfig` as root), and restart the X server.
After running the nvidia-xconfig file in terminal, I get the following message.
Using X configuration file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf".

VALIDATION ERROR: Data incomplete in file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
At least one Device section is required.

Backed up file '/etc/X11/xorg.conf' as
'/etc/X11/xorg.conf.nvidia-xconfig-original'
Backed up file '/etc/X11/xorg.conf' as '/etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup'
New X configuration file written to '/etc/X11/xorg.conf'

Script completed hit RETURN to close window.
Not sure what to do since the korg.conf file doesn't have the settings section auto written as usual. So yes, there's no Device section or anything else. Am I supposed to just paste in something like on the previous page (post 30)? I went back to Monsie's pets on the previous page but no luck there either.

So near and yet so far!!

User avatar
canbyte
Posts: 264
Joined: Sat 10 Jan 2009, 20:20
Location: Hamilton, Canada

#51 Post by canbyte »

Success at last - even if i don't quite understand why!!

All i did was to exit to prompt, run xorgwizard/ probe and set the display to a resolution that the smaller display would accept. Then restarted x (xwin) and it just started with the display across both screens. Since I'd been fooling around with some commands like Monsie suggested on previous page, who knows if that triggered anything!

Now, when I open /etc/x11/xorg.conf I see that all of a sudden, Puppy has written the normal details that make everything work.

For the record, here they are:
#everything past here is auto-generated by Puppy's Xorg Wizard...


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "X.org Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
#Screen 1 "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
Option "XkbLayout" "us" #xkeymap0
# Option "XkbLayout" "dvorak" #xkeymap0
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2" #mouse0protocol
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
#Option "Emulate3Buttons"
#Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" #scrollwheel
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 31.5-48.5
VertRefresh 40-70
#UseModes "Modes0" #monitor0usemodes
Option "PreferredMode" "1024x768"
EndSection

Section "Modes"
Identifier "Modes0"
#modes0modeline0
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "nvidia" #card0driver
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "G98 [GeForce 8400 GS]"
BusID "PCI:6:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "SWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "ColorKey" # <i>
#Option "CacheLines" # <i>
#Option "Dac6Bit" # [<bool>]
#Option "DRI" # [<bool>]
#Option "NoDDC" # [<bool>]
#Option "ShowCache" # [<bool>]
#Option "XvMCSurfaces" # <i>
#Option "PageFlip" # [<bool>]
Identifier "Card1"
Driver "intel"
VendorName "Intel Corporation"
BoardName "82915G/GV/910GL Integrated Graphics Controller"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 16
#Option "metamodes" "1024x768_60 +0+0" #METAMODES_0
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "Card1"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 16
#Option "metamodes" "1024x768_60 +0+0" #METAMODES_1
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubsection
EndSection

#PuppyHardwareProfile=NVIDIA
There's lots i don't understand such as why it mentions the onboard intel graphics which is supposed to be disabled in favour of the nvidia card and why this is quite different than my other machine per post 30 on the previous page. Anyway it works so I'm a happy camper.

Recap: Getting the nvidia GE Force 8400 working

* Load kernel source sfs file ftp://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pet ... atched.sfs
* Load devx sfs file per above
* Get the nvidia driver (for my card it was here http://www.geforce.com/drivers/results/52240
* Exit to prompt, change directory (cd or cd ..) to where nvidia driver is (dir to check)
Install/ run nvidia driver using command: sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-310.19.run
* If not working it may be that the resolution is set too high so
Exit to prompt, run xorgwizard, probe and select the lowest resolution that will allow all monitors to run.
* see the following regarding changing settings if needed

- hint: on my 528, 'exit to prompt' was not offered on the mouse generated menu but only on taskbar 'menu'/shutdown menu, if you know what i mean.


Cleanup
Q: Somewhere I lost the numlock setting - how do i restore it so it starts up 'ON'?
A: found it under Setup/setup Puppy/ Personalize settings
This also found the nvidia button which led to the nvidia xServer Settings window that Billtoo showed
Which also confirms the 'twinview' mode that Monsie mentioned

It would be really nice for a dual screen setup to move the taskbar to the side instead of bottom since there's a lot of horizontal real estate to play with. Any takers?

Thanks for the loads of help on this.
Last edited by canbyte on Fri 15 Mar 2013, 15:15, edited 5 times in total.

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Monsie
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Location: Kamloops BC Canada

Dual Monitor setup for desktop .....Don't delay, step on up!

#52 Post by Monsie »

Hi canbyte,

Way to go.... Just to confirm, you did install the nvidia-settings Pet I put together and it is working okay?

It would be really nice for a dual screen setup to move the taskbar to the side instead of bottom since there's a lot of horizontal real estate to play with. Any takers?
I think you should pose this question in the Desktop section of the forum. As far as I know JWM configuration allows the tray to be placed only (aka taskbar, panel) at the top or bottom of the screen. It might be possible to adjust the values for X and Y in .jwmrc-tray so that the tray could be placed in a vertical position along the edge of the screen. There have been a few attempts at modifying tray management in JWM by various members. Have a look at this thread here because it looks like it might be what you are looking for. If not, there are links to other related projects at hand.

Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

User avatar
canbyte
Posts: 264
Joined: Sat 10 Jan 2009, 20:20
Location: Hamilton, Canada

#53 Post by canbyte »

Hi Munsie. In order to answer your question, I'll have to visit a local hypnotist! I certainly gave your pet a try but can't recall without said trance whether I went to xorgwizard after a reboot or not (i doubt it though). That was yesterday - 36000 seconds ago! I gave up trying to remember what I did yesterday some years ago so I can't be sure if that pet overrode whatever else was there or is now being used. At the time, I just gave a mighty whoop, saved the _save file, hung a mental 'do not disturb' sign and left it all alone!

I'm in Windows now so I can't see what might be remaining in the directories but I'll edit that in later on (~ this evening). Probably I can also try to erase any extra directories I find and see if the setup stops working.

That also brings up the question of whether the devx and kernel-source files are still in there somewhere since I haven't loaded them since or put them in the auto loading thing (but I'll check that too). In theory any unneeded stuff should be cleaned out but not if it causes a crash and I don't yet see any good reason to bother.

Thanks for the link for the desktop rearrange - it's not a big deal but would be nice if not too hard. I'd also like to get the time/date thing to also spell out the day which is easy if the taskbar is widened to an inch or so.

Mo' later....
..... edit -
Monsie. I thought the best way to answer your question was to try to start fresh w/o using the _save file and reinstall everything while I still remembered what to do. Or at least that's what I thought. Well, nothing worked, not your pet, not the nvidia driver (though there were no error messages). And I checked the resolution was ok for the small monitor. So I'm not sure what's going on. I may have got thrown off by the sfs loader wanting to save something in /dev/sda1 so I wouldn't let it copy anything to ensure the hard drive remained untouched. Shouldn't have made any difference. During the original effort, I remember just accepting it without reading. It must have been ok since I don't see anything in sda1 that looks like it was put there by Puppy, so maybe I'll try again as time permits. I'll let you know if i have any success.

EDIT 2: OK, i ran through again from beginning, at first with no success but then found the secret to success. When the 2nd screen failed to start, i tried your pet, i tried running /usr/bin/nvidia-settings and nvidia-xconfig in terminal with no success. Checking the /etc/x11/xorg-config file I saw there was no auto written section. Also there is no Nvidia button on the personalize setup window. Then I tried exiting to prompt and running xorgwizard. Starting xwin brought the dual screen to life. I guess what is necessary is for your pet to force the write to the xorg-config file, instructing users to change to lowest resolution and anything else they might get confused on. Hmm, i see this instruction in my list above so i wonder if i plum forgot it yesterday (1st edit)!!! My wife says 'probably'!!!

Thanks again.
Cheers

jplt

#54 Post by jplt »

I just bought a new acer laptop i will give a try to dual screen the laptop with my iiyama 26"...

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#55 Post by wirwav »

hi guys.

Can anyone offer any advice why this combo is just not working.

I am using Radeon R9800 pro dual head

VGA is connected to LG monitor 390 x 330
DVI is connected via adaptor to Viewsonic 300x230


I have followed god knows how many threads over the last 2 days and I am here.

By the way the OS is Lucid 5.28

I have figured out that the larger screen works fine and that the smaller Viewsonic when plugged up on DVI goes as far as Xorg, then it all goes wrong.

I get no signal.

Here is my modified Xorg.conf.


#Special base config file used in Puppy Linux.

# **********************************************************************
# Module section -- this section is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# **********************************************************************
#
Section "Module"

# This loads the DBE extension module.

Load "dbe" # Double buffer extension

# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection

# This loads the font modules
# Load "type1"
# Load "freetype"

# This loads xtrap extension, used by xrandr
# Load "xtrap"

# This loads the GLX module (if present). xorg 7.4/5 need explicit disable to disable...
Load "glx" #LOADGLX

# This loads dri module (if present). 7.4 loads it by default, have to disable...
Load "dri" #LOADDRI
# Disable "dri"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Files section. This allows default font paths to be set
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"

# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)

FontPath "/usr/share/X11/fonts/misc/"
FontPath "/usr/share/X11/fonts/Type1/"
FontPath "/usr/share/X11/fonts/TTF/"

EndSection

# **********************************************************************
# Server flags section.
# **********************************************************************

Section "ServerFlags"

# Uncomment this to disable the <Crtl><Alt><Fn> VT switch sequence
# (where n is 1 through 12). This allows clients to receive these key
# events.

# Option "DontVTSwitch"

# Enables mode switching with xrandr
# There is a report that this can cause Xorg not to work on some
# video hardware, so default is commented-out...
# but i want to use it in xorgwizard so leave on...

Option "RandR" "on"

# With this, Xorg won't talk to HAL to add evdev devices and you'll be back
# with the old Xorg behavior (pre-7.4)...

Option "AutoAddDevices" "false"

# For no-Hal, kirk also suggests this...

# Option "AllowMouseOpenFail" "true"

# Xorg 7.4, Ubuntu Jaunty, CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE is disabled by default...

Option "DontZap" "false"

EndSection

#everything past here is auto-generated by Puppy's Xorg Wizard...


Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Xinerama Screen"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc102"
Option "XkbLayout" "gb" #xkeymap0
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2" #mouse0protocol
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
#Option "Emulate3Buttons"
#Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" #scrollwheel
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
#DisplaySize 380 300 # mm
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "GSM"
ModelName ""
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 30.0-83.0
VertRefresh 56.0-71.0
#UseModes "Modes0" #monitor0usemodes
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024"
EndSection

Section "Modes"
Identifier "Modes0"
#modes0modeline0
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
#DisplaySize 300 230 # mm
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "viewsonic"
ModelName ""
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 30.0-60.0
VertRefresh 50.0-85.0
#UseModes "Modes0" #monitor0usemodes
Option "PreferredMode" "1024x768"
Option "LeftOf""Monitor0"
EndSection



Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "SWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "Dac6Bit" # [<bool>]
#Option "Dac8Bit" # [<bool>]
#Option "BusType" # [<str>]
#Option "CPPIOMode" # [<bool>]
#Option "CPusecTimeout" # <i>
#Option "AGPMode" # <i>
#Option "AGPFastWrite" # [<bool>]
#Option "AGPSize" # <i>
#Option "GARTSize" # <i>
#Option "RingSize" # <i>
#Option "BufferSize" # <i>
#Option "EnableDepthMoves" # [<bool>]
#Option "EnablePageFlip" # [<bool>]
#Option "NoBackBuffer" # [<bool>]
#Option "DMAForXv" # [<bool>]
#Option "FBTexPercent" # <i>
#Option "DepthBits" # <i>
#Option "PCIAPERSize" # <i>
#Option "AccelDFS" # [<bool>]
#Option "IgnoreEDID" # [<bool>]
#Option "CustomEDID" # [<str>]
#Option "DisplayPriority" # [<str>]
#Option "PanelSize" # [<str>]
#Option "ForceMinDotClock" # <freq>
#Option "ColorTiling" # [<bool>]
#Option "VideoKey" # <i>
#Option "RageTheatreCrystal" # <i>
#Option "RageTheatreTunerPort" # <i>
#Option "RageTheatreCompositePort" # <i>
#Option "RageTheatreSVideoPort" # <i>
#Option "TunerType" # <i>
#Option "RageTheatreMicrocPath" # <str>
#Option "RageTheatreMicrocType" # <str>
#Option "ScalerWidth" # <i>
#Option "RenderAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "SubPixelOrder" # [<str>]
#Option "ShowCache" # [<bool>]
#Option "ClockGating" # [<bool>]
#Option "VGAAccess" # [<bool>]
#Option "ReverseDDC" # [<bool>]
#Option "LVDSProbePLL" # [<bool>]
#Option "AccelMethod" # <str>
#Option "DRI" # [<bool>]
#Option "ConnectorTable" # <str>
#Option "DefaultConnectorTable" # [<bool>]
#Option "DefaultTMDSPLL" # [<bool>]
#Option "TVDACLoadDetect" # [<bool>]
#Option "ForceTVOut" # [<bool>]
#Option "TVStandard" # <str>
#Option "IgnoreLidStatus" # [<bool>]
#Option "DefaultTVDACAdj" # [<bool>]
#Option "Int10" # [<bool>]
#Option "EXAVSync" # [<bool>]
#Option "ATOMTVOut" # [<bool>]
#Option "R4xxATOM" # [<bool>]
#Option "ForceLowPowerMode" # [<bool>]
#Option "DynamicPM" # [<bool>]
#Option "NewPLL" # [<bool>]
#Option "ZaphodHeads" # <str>
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "radeon" #card0driver
Option "Monitor-VGA-0" "Monitor0"
Option "Monitor-DVI-0" "Monitor1"
VendorName "ATI Technologies Inc"
BoardName "Radeon R350 [Radeon 9800 Pro]"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
#Option "metamodes" "1280x1024_60 +0+0" #METAMODES_0
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubsection
EndSection

#PuppyHardwareProfile=ATI_R360L1915S

User avatar
Monsie
Posts: 631
Joined: Thu 01 Dec 2011, 07:37
Location: Kamloops BC Canada

Dual Monitor setup for desktop .....Don't delay, step on up!

#56 Post by Monsie »

wirwav,

The solution is posted by Canbyte on page 3 of this thread. You could just copy and paste his xorg.conf into a new file, then modify the device, monitor, and screen sections to match your hardware.... Given that suggestion is a bit tedious, and doesn't explain much, I will pinpoint some recommended changes for you to make in your current xorg.conf file. You should also look at the xorg.conf file posted by Canbyte anyway for better understanding of the changes I refer to...

In the Section "ServerLayout", you need to add this line:

Code: Select all

Option "Xinerama" "True"
You could actually just copy and paste that whole section into your file. This option actually turns on dual monitor support for ATI card driven displays only (nVidia cards use the "Twinview" syntax)... and after Xserver has identified there is a dual monitor configuration available --very important.

In the Section "Monitor" pertaining to your Viewsonic model, change this line:

Code: Select all

Option "LeftOf""Monitor0"

to read instead:

Code: Select all

Option "RightOf" "Monitor0"
and note the space between RightOf and Monitor0 This is an important change too. Since you are using a DVI connection for your Viewsonic monitor, in the same Section just above the line I asked you to modify, you can also add in this line :

Code: Select all

Option "Display" "DFP"
"
This stands for Digital Flat Panel and as an option is only recognized when your monitor uses the DVI connection. So, for example if your monitor has dual connections: (DVI and Analog) and you used the Analog connection instead, then the DFP option is not recognized and Xserver will log an error. Anyway, I don't think this last Option is absolutely necessary, but it can't hurt... and I see your monitor is listed as DVI in Section "Device" anyway.

From what I can tell at this point, that should do it... :)

Post back to confirm if you've managed to get your dual monitor setup working or not. If not, I may have some other ideas, but I will leave that for now...

Hope this helps,
Monsie
Last edited by Monsie on Sat 31 Aug 2013, 22:05, edited 1 time in total.
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#57 Post by wirwav »

Hi Thanks for the help.. But its not good news

I changed those lines as you suggested and added the other.

It remains the same. :cry:

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#58 Post by wirwav »

by the way, I have 14 different Xorg.conf bak type files all ending with assorted extensions, obviously only the one real Xorg.conf..

Would it be wise to remove those and just leave the Xorg.conf only, and do you want to see a copy of it now (with your suggestions added in)

User avatar
Monsie
Posts: 631
Joined: Thu 01 Dec 2011, 07:37
Location: Kamloops BC Canada

Dual Monitor setup for desktop .....Don't delay, step on up!

#59 Post by Monsie »

wirwav wrote:Hi Thanks for the help.. But its not good news

I changed those lines as you suggested and added the other.

It remains the same. :cry:
Did you remember to restart Xserver after making those changes?

You can leave the multiple backup copies of xorg.conf as is... it won't matter in terms of whether you can get the desired X configuration or not.

Beyond that, --> /var/log directory and post your copy of Xorg.0.log file. You will need to archive it and add it as an attachment to your post. I will look at it to see if I can help you further. However at the moment, it's 3:30 AM for me, so I am signing off for now...

Later,
Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#60 Post by wirwav »

Hi, sorry for delay, got tied up on phone. went back to th other post on page 3 and read, re-read, and re-read again.

Found a couple of extremely subtle things which were different, so I changed them.

Hey it working..

I changed colour depth to 16 from 24.

And I commented out the line

Option "Display" "DFP" in the Section "monitor" (relating to the smaller screen"

So that and your suggestions and it works fine.

Only, I get both screens the same, I wanted to have 1 program running on one display and another on the other display.

So I guess Xinerama is not the right mode for that.!!

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#61 Post by wirwav »

hi, is there any update to this.

I have only got as far as having 2 monitors displaying identical images.

I wanted to have them displaying separate work spaces or similar.

I managed to trash my system earlier but managed to rebuild the X11 directory by booting to a Puppy Cd and then copying across the files.

So I am back to how things were a few hours ago, except that I noticed I had missed the Virtual line in the bottom section "Screen"

However adding the Virtual command as per config on page 3 just caused the monitors to display diagonal lines.

Anymore help appreciated.

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Monsie
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Joined: Thu 01 Dec 2011, 07:37
Location: Kamloops BC Canada

#62 Post by Monsie »

wirwav wrote:Hi, sorry for delay, got tied up on phone. went back to th other post on page 3 and read, re-read, and re-read again.

Found a couple of extremely subtle things which were different, so I changed them.

Hey it working..

I changed colour depth to 16 from 24.

And I commented out the line

Option "Display" "DFP" in the Section "monitor" (relating to the smaller screen"

So that and your suggestions and it works fine.

Only, I get both screens the same, I wanted to have 1 program running on one display and another on the other display.

So I guess Xinerama is not the right mode for that.!!
Great! You got it working. :)

The syntax for the line regarding DFP might have to be modified slightly to something like:

Code: Select all

Option DisplayType "DFP"
for it to work with your ATI card as the driver may recognize different terms, but, since it is working you can leave the line commented out or just delete it altogether.

I do not think that reducing your color depth from 24 bpp to 16 bpp matters.

I forgot about the "Virtual" setting. If I remember correctly, to get this to work you need to set both monitors to the same (highest value that both can display) resolution. So if your "preferred resolution" is 1024x768 the Horizontal value is doubled:

Code: Select all

Virtual 2048 768 
Your last question about getting separate desktop displays for your dual monitor setup is an interesting one. However, it is a separate topic from this one and will have to be asked in a new thread, so please open a new discussion about this matter. Since I am on this topic, I am thinking you will have to adjust settings in Joes Window Manager... probably in your jwmrc-personal file. That said, while others are more knowledgeable about JWM than myself, keep in mind that your are probably asking a question that goes into uncharted territory, so I am not sure how much help you will receive, but it is certainly worth a try.

Good Luck,
Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#63 Post by wirwav »

hi

Well I got the virtual line back in (after making sure that both monitors were set to the same resolution)

And I have twin identical screens.

So I am not sure what all the hype was for!,, surely I am missing something,
why would anyone want 2 screens displaying the same thing?

I am obviously mistaken and thought that the screens would work individually.

chapchap70
Posts: 210
Joined: Thu 18 Nov 2010, 05:39
Location: The Island Of Long (NY, USA)

#64 Post by chapchap70 »

@wirwav

There are a couple of reasons I can think of to have the same display on two screens; ie a laptop being the source of a presentation to a group showing on a projection screen. I have gotten a dual screen setup on my TV & netbook by connecting an HDMI cable from my netbook out port to the HDMI in port on the TV.

However, I thought the same thing as you that this thread was about getting two monitors to run sort of independently so one can view something like a forex ticker on one screen and a stock market screen on the other from the same computer. I have seen this setup although only on a Windows computer. When I looked at page one of this thread and saw terms such as "splitter" and "dual port", I realized that this is probably about getting the same output to two monitors.

Added: You might want to check this link out.
http://jonblack.org/2013/06/02/the-stat ... r-support/

wirwav
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 14 Jul 2013, 14:43

#65 Post by wirwav »

Hi, you said a couple of reasons! I can only think of 1, maybe a teacher with a desktop screen and the second head supplies an OHP.

I read this post http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=963878

And I am pretty much convinced that it cannot be done, which is a shame since it is perhaps the most often reason to use more than 1 screen.

I even changed Xinerama from True to False and it made no difference at all.
Excepting that it did cure the Xrandr bug and at least Xrandr now says I have 1 screen.

All I have is 2 screens showing the same stuff.

Time to chase down other threads and see if anyone managed to get Puppy to display Desktop1 on 1 monitor and Desktop2 on another monitor.

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