Problems with adding a second monitor

Falcata · 2010-03-21 17:56:15

I was attempting today to add a second monitor to my system, but I've run into some issues. The nvidia control panel detects my monitor and configures xorg.conf to use it. However, I don't see any output at all on the second monitor, and running xrandr -q only shows the primary monitor. Can anyone help me to figure this out?

Mineo · 2010-03-21 19:00:54

Did you restart X (or applied your configuration in the nvidia control panel)?
Did you check your monitor is trying to get the signal from the input your system is connected to?
Does xrandr -q only show your primary monitor or one monitor with a resolution as big as the both of them together (I'm not sure about xrandrs output with twinview)?

Falcata · 2010-03-21 21:49:35

I did restart X, and I rebooted occasionally as well. And, as it turned out, the monitor *IS* receiving input from my video card, but it is only showing a black screen, and the default "x" cursor when I move my mouse off-screen to the right. And here is the output from xrandr -q:

[zauber@myhost ~]$ xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 175, current 1680 x 1050, maximum 1680 x 1050
default connected 1680x1050+0+0 0mm x 0mm
   1680x1050      50.0* 
   1440x900       51.0     52.0  
   1400x1050      53.0     54.0  
   1280x1024      55.0     56.0     57.0  
   1280x960       58.0     59.0  
   1280x800       60.0  
   1152x864       61.0  
   1024x768       62.0     63.0     64.0     65.0     66.0     67.0  
   960x720        68.0     69.0  
   928x696        70.0     71.0  
   896x672        72.0     73.0  
   832x624        74.0  
   800x600        75.0     76.0     77.0     78.0     79.0     80.0     81.0     82.0     83.0     84.0  
   720x400        85.0  
   700x525        86.0     87.0  
   640x512        88.0     89.0     90.0  
   640x480        91.0     92.0     93.0     94.0     95.0     96.0     97.0     98.0  
   640x400        99.0  
   640x350       100.0  
   576x432       101.0  
   512x384       102.0    103.0    104.0    105.0    106.0  
   416x312       107.0  
   400x300       108.0    109.0    110.0    111.0    112.0  
   360x200       113.0  
   320x240       114.0    115.0    116.0    117.0  
   320x200       118.0  
   320x175       119.0

Mektub · 2010-03-21 22:12:23

I never had any luck with xrandr and nvidia.

I also read here and there that nvidia and xrandr don't work together.
Perhaps someone more knowledgeable knows more about that.

I have two monitors, and my solution, long ago, was to have an xorg.conf that defines both monitors.

It was so long ago that I don't remember if I used nvidia-settings to set up the xorg.conf.

With a correct xorg.conf, it still depends on the desktop environment/window manager you are using.

Gnome detects both monitors, but icewm (thats what I normally use) needs to be started on the second monitor also.

Mektub

Falcata · 2010-03-21 22:15:25

I'm using LXDE, so I'm guessing that might be the case as well.

Mektub · 2010-03-21 22:34:36

Falcata,

yes it is. I played a bit with LXDE, and it doesn't recognize the second monitor automatically,

For a test, and if you have gnome installed, you could create a user to test with it.

For LXDE, and supposing that you are using openbox as the WM (thats the default) you will have to start a second instance
of it on your second monitor.

When I did my tests I was using .xinitrc and had in it:

DISPLAY=$DISPLAY.1 openbox-lxde &
exec startlxde

But if you using an login manager like GDM or whatever, it will not use .xinitrc, so you will have to find out
some kind of startup file to put the second instance of the WM.

Mektub

Falcata · 2010-03-21 23:22:07

I'm using GDM 2.20 (gdm-old from AUR) as my login manager.

Mektub · 2010-03-21 23:36:26

You must somehow start the second instance.

Take a look at:

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXD … t_Programs

You can always start it manually, just for testing:

DISPLAY=$DISPLAY.1 openbox-lxde &

Mektub

Falcata · 2010-03-21 23:44:32

I tried running that, and got this:

[zauber@myhost ~]$ Openbox-Message: Failed to open the display from the DISPLAY environment variable.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-03-21 17:56:15

Problems with adding a second monitor

#2 2010-03-21 19:00:54

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#3 2010-03-21 21:49:35

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#4 2010-03-21 22:12:23

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#5 2010-03-21 22:15:25

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#6 2010-03-21 22:34:36

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#7 2010-03-21 23:22:07

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#8 2010-03-21 23:36:26

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

#9 2010-03-21 23:44:32

Re: Problems with adding a second monitor

Board footer