Need real driver to get max resolution?

justjohn · 2010-04-23 19:58:58

I'm new to ARCH, have some basic linux familiarity.

Just installed with xfce4 on an HP dv8000 laptop using the beginner's guide, and it won't let me set the max resolution any higher than 1024x768. I assume this is because I used the generic driver.

I believe it's a geforce2go 7400 or mobile 7400 or whatever they call them. Any way to reach the native resolution without messing with the proprietary driver?

Thanks in advance!
-John

antlechrist · 2010-04-23 20:29:24

Are you using the vesa driver or nv?

Ultraman · 2010-04-23 21:11:33

You should check out the "nouveau" driver, the open source driver for nVidia cards. It's still a work in progress, but most of the stuff to get your graphics going is in working order for you to try out. I've read it runs nicely with GeForce 6 and 7 series (NV40), but I haven't had any first hand experience.
One of things you will be missing for now is power-saving features (if the GeForce 7 Go has any of those), so your battery will be drained a bit quicker. Power saving is being worked on, but only for the newer models at the moment.

Last edited by Ultraman (2010-04-23 21:16:07)

justjohn · 2010-04-23 21:56:14

I'm currently using the vesa driver.

Would you guys recommend trying the nv or nouveau then? Do you know if I'd be able to reach my native resolution with them?

schen · 2010-04-23 21:59:36

nv doesn't have good 3d support, so use either nouveau(open-source) or the official nvidia drivers(closed-source). You can install both from pacman. Consult these two wiki articles for assistance.

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nouveau

Ultraman · 2010-04-23 22:55:43

justjohn wrote:

I'm currently using the vesa driver.
Would you guys recommend trying the nv or nouveau then? Do you know if I'd be able to reach my native resolution with them?

nv is obfuscated open-sourced code from nVidia, intended to support 2D. They recently dropped support in favor of their closed-source driver, perhaps it will recieve maintenance fixes to keep it working with new Xorg releases but I expect that will be it.
nouveau is developed actively, project to support nVidia cards from the RivaTNT2 up to current GPUs by means of reverse engineering (nVidia isn't willing to provide documentation at the moment). Supports 2D, will have working 3D (mostly atm, but might have bugs in the more complex bits, I bet compositing will work fine tho), and for other features check out the support matrix on it's website.

I'd go nouveau if I were you

antlechrist · 2010-04-24 00:30:49

I'm using nouveau, and it works great.

Mr.Elendig · 2010-04-24 11:30:06

justjohn wrote:

I'm currently using the vesa driver.
Would you guys recommend trying the nv or nouveau then? Do you know if I'd be able to reach my native resolution with them?

Nvidia have dropped the nv project, so nouveau is the only free driver one should use now.

justjohn · 2010-04-24 15:35:44

Alright, I tried nouveau and there's good news and bad news.

Good news:
Display changes to native resolution during boot

Bad news:
login, desktop, and probably boot screen are still locked in at 1024x768 which shows in the upper left.
It is tiled below and the screen is blank on the right side.

I feel like maybe it would work now if I had the option to set it to full resolution, but the highest option is 1024x768. Perhaps I just need to create a new option? Ideas?

Using xfce4, btw.

Edit:
Tried changing display.xml to 1440x900, did not do anything.

Last edited by justjohn (2010-04-24 16:26:57)

justjohn · 2010-04-24 17:29:02

I got it!

Edit:
If anyone cares, this is what I did.

I had only blacklisted vesa before, went back and uninstalled. After this X would not start. Something about wrong number of screens. Uninstalled and reinstalled nouveau. Same thing. Went into xorg.conf and found several SubSection "Display" entries that did not look like the examples in the guide. Changed them back to what it looks like in the xorg section of the arch wiki. Now X loads and going to display settings gives me a nice big list of resolutions to choose from, and they all work.

Now if only I can get my internet delay figured out. (Yes, shameless advertisement for my other thread.)

Last edited by justjohn (2010-04-24 17:36:44)

justjohn · 2010-04-24 19:20:25

Oh, I almost forgot:

Thanks everyone for you help! Very much appreciated!

Berseker · 2010-04-25 07:28:56

with nouveau, you could probably start with a minimal xorg like the one described in the wiki

Section "Device"
       Identifier "nvidia"
       Driver "nouveau"
EndSection

and let the autoconfiguration of X handle all the rest

Arch Linux

#1 2010-04-23 19:58:58

Need real driver to get max resolution?

#2 2010-04-23 20:29:24

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#3 2010-04-23 21:11:33

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#4 2010-04-23 21:56:14

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#5 2010-04-23 21:59:36

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#6 2010-04-23 22:55:43

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#7 2010-04-24 00:30:49

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#8 2010-04-24 11:30:06

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#9 2010-04-24 15:35:44

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#10 2010-04-24 17:29:02

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#11 2010-04-24 19:20:25

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

#12 2010-04-25 07:28:56

Re: Need real driver to get max resolution?

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