Arch Linux

hatten

Arch Linux f@h Team Member

From: Sweden, Borlange

Registered: 2009-02-23

Posts: 736

Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

I have for a while wanted to set up a dual-screen setup, but i cannot find anything in our wiki. The best guide that i have found is the one at the ubuntu forums. I think it is quite weird that there ain't any, or that i haven't found it, cause i believe that dual-screening is pretty popular among archers, or?
So this is either a page request or a failure cause i cannot find the existing howto.

rebugger

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2007-10-28

Posts: 229

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

Just tell us a little bit more
Which graphic card do you have? Intel/ATI/Nvidia/...?
Do you want to use the dualscreen all the time or just plug the second screen in for time to time?
Do you want mirroring (content of screen1 = content of screen2) or "real" dualscreen (desktop with big width)?

anrxc

Member

From: Croatia

Registered: 2008-03-22

Posts: 835

Website

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

I have for a while wanted to set up a dual-screen setup, but i cannot find anything in our wiki.

I wrote a simple guide for the awesome wiki, as it was the most asked question on the IRC channel. Maybe it will help you with your setup http://awesome.naquadah.org/wiki/Using_Multiple_Screens

---

You need to install an RTFM interface.

hatten

Arch Linux f@h Team Member

From: Sweden, Borlange

Registered: 2009-02-23

Posts: 736

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

ATI with a vga and dvi output. I keep them plugged in all the time, and want real dualscreen. Musca as window manager.
The two screens is one lcd with 1280*1024 and one crt with 1024*768.

I will try the walkthrough this weekend.

Last edited by hatten (2009-06-04 14:35:56)

hatten

Arch Linux f@h Team Member

From: Sweden, Borlange

Registered: 2009-02-23

Posts: 736

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

I made it easy for myself and added a second lcd instead of a CRT, so right now i want two lcd's with 1280*1024.

But xrandr isn't doing what i want it to do:

╔═[hatten@tukumon]═[21:13:46 Sun Jun 14]═[~]
╚═══[$]> xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 1280 x 1200
VGA-0 connected 1280x1024+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 338mm x 270mm
   1280x1024      60.0*+   75.0     60.0* 
   1152x864       75.0  
   1024x768       75.0     60.0  
   800x600        75.0     60.3  
   640x480        75.0     59.9  
   720x400        70.1  
DVI-0 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
   1280x1024      60.0 +   75.0     60.0  
   1152x864       75.0  
   1024x768       75.0     70.1     60.0  
   832x624        74.6  
   800x600        72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2  
   640x480        75.0     72.8     66.7     59.9  
   720x400        70.1  
S-video disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

So far so good

╔═[hatten@tukumon]═[21:14:30 Sun Jun 14]═[~]
╚═══[$]> xrandr --output DVI --mode 1280*1024 --same-as VGA

does nothing, nothing at all. The howto mentions that i didn't think when setting up my xorg.conf, but i don't think that matters if i am  just mirroring. (I'm trying mirroring now, i won't do that later).
What's weird is that "xrandr --output VGA --off" does nothing, isn't that supposed to cancel my main screen?
I'm off to rebooting to check if the monitor is broken, of if i can get the bios being shown on it.

s3kt0r

Member

Registered: 2009-01-20

Posts: 208

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

Well, I was messin around with dualscreen in my laptop, which is running latest ratpoison and xorg, and my last xrandr line looks almost like yours, but I think when you call mode option you have to put 1280x1024, not 1280*1024.

---

box1: Arch (linux-3.17-rc5)
box2: Gentoo (linux-3.17-rc5)
wm: subtle

anrxc

Member

From: Croatia

Registered: 2008-03-22

Posts: 835

Website

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

$ xrandr --output DVI --mode 1280*1024 --same-as VGA

does nothing, nothing at all.

Your display is not called "DVI" it is called "DVI-0". Your other display is not called "VGA". Aditionally you can not multiply your resolution. It's interesting how you failed every step of the way. Even if you got most of it right it would still fail. Can you please read xrandr manual page?

---

You need to install an RTFM interface.

hatten

Arch Linux f@h Team Member

From: Sweden, Borlange

Registered: 2009-02-23

Posts: 736

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

oops
I'll come back after reading more

Last edited by hatten (2009-06-16 13:27:23)

Duologic

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2007-11-11

Posts: 249

Re: Is there any dual-screen howto in the archwiki?

I plug in different screens into my laptop and to get it up really fast I just use ARandr, a GUI for xrandr, found in AUR. It is fast and easy and less complicated to set up screens quick.