[Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

Rydwxz · 2023-07-20 04:16:55

I will try not to let this become a wall of text.

I migrated from 20 years of Windows use about two months ago, after getting more and more annoyed with the on-rails developer experience MS offers.
My install is pretty minimal far, I was using the login shell to autorun startx and xmonad.

My desktop monitor setup is the issue. I have a 17" 1920x1080 and a 34" 3440x1440. I need to run these off of the single integrated graphics card, the smaller from the VGA output and the large one as HDMI.
X11's default settings are to place these at the same resolution, making the widescreen quite awful to look at.
Eventually I found a command that could make the displays do almost exactly what I wanted:
```xrandr --output HDMI-1 --auto --output DP-1 --auto --above HDMI-1```
but I needed to enter that manually after every launch because, when placed in my .zprofile, it produced even more unusable and whacky settings on BOTH monitors. I decided I don't want to wait for the server to re-initialize on launch, anyway, and that the right move is to instantiate it correctly the first time with a proper config file. Well, that didn't go so swell.

xorg.conf

Note, I tried this first with the driver as "i915" instead of "intel" because that's what is reported by lspci. Of course neither thing worked.

Xorg.0.log

Back to the wiki, I tried adding kms to my initramfs hooks, to no apparent change whatsoever, probably because it's probably enabled by default.

I installed xf86-video-intel, which broke things even worse, introducing transparent screen sections that haven't gone away even after uninstallation. Awesome.

Next, I rm -rf'ed /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d. That was a bad idea. I read in an old forum post it might contain contradictions to my custom config.
Now, X11 is failing to recognize my input devices. Typing in the terminal: still works. Keyboard and mouse in the graphical session: non-existent.

I am running out of ideas on how to shoot myself in the foot so please, fire away.

Last edited by Rydwxz (2023-09-04 18:45:03)

seth · 2023-07-20 05:33:34

Remove the xorg.conf and any kind of xrandr or other X11 related calls from your zsh/bash/fish/whatever config files.
Also uninstall xf86-video-intel, it's not advisable for coffee…, hold on, I'm fetching some…
…
… coffeelake systems.

That was a bad idea

Yes, but it should™ have only contained your local configs, distro packges should™ go into /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d

Finally, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Multih … _xorg.conf
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-monitor.conf

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "HDMI-1"
    Option      "Primary" "true" # if not you can add that below and completely remove this section
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "DP-1"
    Option      "Above" "HDMI-1"
EndSection

Then get us an updated xorg log for your input device situation also

pacman -Qikk $(pacman -Qsq xf86-input)

Rydwxz · 2023-07-20 06:07:46

I have misremembered the directory that I deleted, because the /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d doesn't exist. Is there any way to reproduce them?

seth · 2023-07-20 06:14:59

pacman -Qo /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d

Re-install those packages.
Do ***not*** conduct a partial update ("pacman -Sy xorg-server xf86-input-libinput …")
If "pacman -S xorg-server xf86-input-libinput …" doesn't work, run "pacman -Syu xorg-server xf86-input-libinput …"

Rydwxz · 2023-07-20 06:37:07

The first command failed and returned "no package owns xorg.conf.d" but the sync command worked, so it looks like I don't need to update. You have repaired my input issues for me, so thanks very much!

I wrote the new 10-monitor.conf as suggested (and cleared the log) and restarted the server. That works to get the screens positioned but the resolution is still wrong. It seems I need a screen.conf after all, and I think not knowing what to put for the device identifier led me down a rabbit hole.

seth · 2023-07-20 06:42:17

"no package owns xorg.conf.d" means you skipped parts of the path.

the resolution is still wrong

X11's default settings are to place these at the same resolution

No.

Please post the output of

xrandr -q

and an updated xorg log.
Edit: "xrandr -q" with the undesired resolutions.

Last edited by seth (2023-07-20 06:42:43)

Rydwxz · 2023-07-20 06:45:10

New Log

Rydwxz · 2023-07-20 06:47:44

i7desk% xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 2160, maximum 16384 x 16384
HDMI-1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+1080 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 797mm x 333mm
   3840x2160     30.00    29.97
   3440x1440     50.00
   2560x1440     60.00
   1720x1440     60.00
   1920x1080    100.00    60.00    60.00*   50.00    59.94
   1680x1050    100.01    59.88
   1280x1024     99.97    75.02    60.02
   1440x900     100.05    59.90
   1280x720      60.00    50.00    59.94
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00
   800x600       72.19    75.00    60.32
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       60.00    59.94
   640x480       75.00    72.81    66.67    60.00    59.94
   720x400       70.08
DP-1 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 458mm x 258mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
   1680x1050     59.95
   1600x900      60.00
   1280x1024     60.02
   1440x900      59.89
   1280x800      59.81
   1280x720      60.00
   1024x768      60.00
   800x600       60.32
   640x480       59.94
   720x400       70.08

Last edited by Rydwxz (2023-07-20 07:00:39)

seth · 2023-07-20 06:53:15

Please use [code][/code] tags, not "quote" tags. Edit your post in this regard.
Also don't bump. Edit your previous post if nobody has responded so far.

HDMI-1 doesn't have a preferred mode, it seems, but the EDID has

VIC  16:  1920x1080   60.000000 Hz  16:9     67.500 kHz    148.500000 MHz (native)

3440x1440 will only run at 50Hz.

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "HDMI-1"
    Option      "Primary" "true" # if not you can add that below and completely remove this section
    Option "PreferredMode" "3440x1440"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "DP-1"
    Option      "Above" "HDMI-1"
EndSection

Edit: before that, what's the output of "xrandr -q" after "xrandr --ouput HDMI-1 --auto"?

Last edited by seth (2023-07-20 06:54:17)

Rydwxz · 2023-07-20 07:04:33

i7desk% xrandr --output HDMI-1 --auto
i7desk% xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 2160, maximum 16384 x 16384
HDMI-1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+1080 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 797mm x 333mm
   3840x2160     30.00    29.97
   3440x1440     50.00
   2560x1440     60.00
   1720x1440     60.00
   1920x1080    100.00*   60.00    60.00    50.00    59.94
   1680x1050    100.01    59.88
   1280x1024     99.97    75.02    60.02
   1440x900     100.05    59.90
   1280x720      60.00    50.00    59.94
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00
   800x600       72.19    75.00    60.32
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       60.00    59.94
   640x480       75.00    72.81    66.67    60.00    59.94
   720x400       70.08
DP-1 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 458mm x 258mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
   1680x1050     59.95
   1600x900      60.00
   1280x1024     60.02
   1440x900      59.89
   1280x800      59.81
   1280x720      60.00
   1024x768      60.00
   800x600       60.32
   640x480       59.94
   720x400       70.08

The first command restarted the display but didn't change the resolution? Strange.

BUT I think we can mark it solved, because PreferredMode looks like it did the trick, thank you seth you're a good man no one on Discord would touch this lol

Last edited by Rydwxz (2023-07-20 07:08:45)

seth · 2023-07-20 13:06:00

Mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

Arch Linux

#1 2023-07-20 04:16:55

[Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#2 2023-07-20 05:33:34

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#3 2023-07-20 06:07:46

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#4 2023-07-20 06:14:59

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#5 2023-07-20 06:37:07

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#6 2023-07-20 06:42:17

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#7 2023-07-20 06:45:10

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#8 2023-07-20 06:47:44

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#9 2023-07-20 06:53:15

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#10 2023-07-20 07:04:33

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

#11 2023-07-20 13:06:00

Re: [Solved] Totally effed my X11 install ...

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