Arch Linux

Abscissa

Member

From: Northwest Arkansas

Registered: 2010-05-10

Posts: 9

X refuses to work with second monitor on laptop

So I have Arch with KDE 4.4 on my laptop. My laptop has a VGA port on the side. In Windows (also on the laptop), I can readily plug in and unplug a monitor into that port.

However, in Arch, if I plug a monitor into that port when the system is already running, nothing happens at all. If it's already plugged in when Arch boots, X automatically mirrors the display onto both (at the wrong resolution might I add). If I try to either access the KDE display properties, or run xrandr, this is what happens:
http://www.4shared.com/video/nTOTPF31/SANY0032.html

It keeps on doing that indefinitely.

The chipset is an Intel Mobile Series 4 (GS45 to be exact) using the intel drivers. This is the laptop in question.

Any ideas? Sorry if this is an idiotic question, I'm a bit high on hydrocodone and muscle relaxers right now...

Last edited by Abscissa (2010-06-04 21:32:12)

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steff

Member

Registered: 2009-01-08

Posts: 57

Re: X refuses to work with second monitor on laptop

this does not work to switch (maybe you have to change VGA1 ecc to your situation)?

xrandr --output VGA1 --auto --output LVDS1 --off
 xrandr --output LVDS1 --auto && xrandr --output VGA1 --off

Abscissa

Member

From: Northwest Arkansas

Registered: 2010-05-10

Posts: 9

Re: X refuses to work with second monitor on laptop

this does not work to switch (maybe you have to change VGA1 ecc to your situation)?

xrandr --output VGA1 --auto --output LVDS1 --off
 xrandr --output LVDS1 --auto && xrandr --output VGA1 --off

I hate to say so, but that yields the same constant switching-back-and-forth-between-displays-indefinitely problem.

Last edited by Abscissa (2010-06-08 22:57:55)

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SiC

Member

From: Liverpool, England

Registered: 2008-01-10

Posts: 430

Re: X refuses to work with second monitor on laptop

this does not work to switch (maybe you have to change VGA1 ecc to your situation)?

xrandr --output VGA1 --auto --output LVDS1 --off
 xrandr --output LVDS1 --auto && xrandr --output VGA1 --off

I hate to say so, but that yields the same constant switching-back-and-forth-between-displays-indefinitely problem.

Yeah if you put both lines into a shell script it will do, the first line tells you to switch to the second monitor and turn off the laptop panel, the second turns off the monitor and turns the laptop panel on.

So to use your external monitor:

xrandr --output CRT1 --auto --output LVDS --off

and to disable it

xrandr --output CRT1 --off--output LVDS --auto

You can also enable both monitors simultaneously :

xrandr --output CRT1 --auto --left-of LVDS

this will make the external monitor desktop appear to the left of the LVDS, if you have it on the right, then change --left-of to --right-of

and so forth.

That should work

Abscissa

Member

From: Northwest Arkansas

Registered: 2010-05-10

Posts: 9

Re: X refuses to work with second monitor on laptop

this does not work to switch (maybe you have to change VGA1 ecc to your situation)?

xrandr --output VGA1 --auto --output LVDS1 --off
 xrandr --output LVDS1 --auto && xrandr --output VGA1 --off

I hate to say so, but that yields the same constant switching-back-and-forth-between-displays-indefinitely problem.

Yeah if you put both lines into a shell script it will do, the first line tells you to switch to the second monitor and turn off the laptop panel, the second turns off the monitor and turns the laptop panel on.

So to use your external monitor:

xrandr --output CRT1 --auto --output LVDS --off

and to disable it

xrandr --output CRT1 --off--output LVDS --auto

You can also enable both monitors simultaneously :

xrandr --output CRT1 --auto --left-of LVDS

this will make the external monitor desktop appear to the left of the LVDS, if you have it on the right, then change --left-of to --right-of

and so forth.

That should work

I've tried all that you've suggested and I'm still getting the problem. I'm serious.

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