Resolution issue
I'm a Linux newbie entirely and I'm having resolution issues with my GPU. I don't want to install non-free drivers, so I was wondering if there was a way to do it in terminal, or I could edit xorg.config
I'm a newbie, so you'll have to walk me through. I ran lspci|grep VGA to find out what gpu I had, and I have this:
[Radeon HD 6520G]
Hello there!
Linux is but the kernel, the whole operating system is GNU/Linux.
Hardware issues can be fairly tricky to fix. One thing you could try is installing a newer kernel. The easiest way is to install the package linux-image-generic-lts-saucy.
Hi acriticalcookie,
On my old system, I couldn't get 3D acceleration but a newer kernel allowed native resolution of the display.
Try updating your kernel: http://jxself.org/linux-libre
Follow the instructions on that page to install the latest version.
This may or may not solve your issue, but it did for me.
It may also be that a newer version of the driver even will give you 3D acceleration. For me, the easiest way to achieve this was by running Parabola instead of Trisquel (which has an updated Xorg by default).
H-node has nothing on this, but this user had a problem when upgrading from Trisquel 5 to 5.5:
http://trisquel.info/en/forum/graphics-problems-after-upgrade-55
His solution, quote:
>> Manually creating xorg.conf and specifying the vesa driver solved my problem.
So these are 2 things you could try.
Setting vesa should be considered a last resort.
Radeon drivers are the worst among the popular video card brands (the other two being nVidia and Intel, the best). You can try (no guarantee it will work) to update the Linux kernel (hence the "nouveau" drivers for your card) to version 3.11. To do so, you only need to install (using the "Synaptic package manager" for instance) the package named "linux-generic-lts-saucy".
You can also try to update the rest of the graphical stack (although there may be some package conflicts issues) by installing:
libegl1-mesa-lts-saucy
libgles1-mesa-lts-saucy
libgles2-mesa-lts-saucy
xserver-xorg-lts-saucy
How do I install these? I can't figure this out.
Open the menu -> system settings -> synaptic package manager if you like the GUI (graphical user interface). Or open a terminal and input
sudo apt-get install PACKAGENAME
You can specify multiple packages.
After installing the packages and running sudo apt-get update, I didn't get any more resolution options under display. :/
Any more suggestions?
Let us first check that the "radeon" driver really is in proper use. Could you attach the file /var/log/Xorg.0.log to a post?
Could you also check that the 'xrandr' command (to be entered in a terminal) does not propose additional resolutions?
Where do I find that file? I apologize for my lack of knowledge... I really do want to get used to this distro of GNU/Linux, though.
I used xrandr and got this
xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
Screen 0: minimum 800 x 600, current 1024 x 768, maximum 1024 x 768
default connected 1024x768+0+0 0mm x 0mm
1024x768 61.0*
800x600 61.0
According to 'xrandr', your current resolution, 1024x768, is the maximum one. But again, that may be due to some kind of issue (although it can also be due to a lack of support for your card in the kernel; the component that includes the drivers and makes the interface between the hardware and the software). We need to take a look at the logs to know (unless someone here possesses a card from the same family and can tell).
All logs are centralized in /var/log. This is a path. It means that, from the root of the file system named "/" (but called "File system" in the left pane of the graphical file browser Trisquel ships in the default install), you go through the directory named "var" and then "log". In this way, when I wrote "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", I actually gave you where to find the file named "Xorg.0.log".
That is the file you should attach to your post if you want us to take a look at Xorg's logs. Xorg is the OS component that provides a basic graphical environment (the so called "window managers" are built upon it). Without it, you only get command the line interfaces (aka terminals) that you can access by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1, Ctrl+Alt+F2, Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+F4, Ctrl+Alt+F5 and Ctrl+Alt+F6. Try it! From a terminal, you come back to the graphical session by pressing Alt+F7.
Tell me if I am too "teachy" (that actually is part of what I do for a living; although for more scientific topics, and I am always happy to do so when someone like you who seems eager to learn).
Thank you, I'm really eager to get into GNU+Linux. I'm not entirely a free software advocate (I still like Windows for some things) but I believe that free software is important.
I compressed and attacked the Xorg log in a tar.gz format.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Xorg.0.log_.tar_.gz | 16.9 KB |
According to the logs, your display is managed by the basic "vesa" driver, not the "radeon" one:
[ 19.222] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/radeon_drv.so
[ 19.223] (II) [KMS] drm report modesetting isn't supported.
[ 19.223] (II) GPU only supported with KMS, using vesa instead.
[ 19.223] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/vesa_drv.so
"GPU only supported with KMS" means "Graphics Processing Unit only supported with Kernel Mode-Setting". So, yes, the problem is at the kernel level (or do I misunderstand that laconic English?) and your only hope is to update it. Have you really installed the 3.11 version as I suggested you? The 'uname -r' command (to be entered in a terminal) will tell.
If so, you can only hope that the very latest 3.13 better supports your card. Here is the documentation (the section "Using jxself's repository") to do that update: https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/update-linux-libre-kernel
Notice the use of 'gksu' (or 'gksudo', they are aliases) before the call of the text processor ('gedit' is used in the documentation) so that it can edit system files. That is the solution to the trouble you faced when being denied permissions.
I tried to attach it and it doesn't let me attach that type of file.
Try to compress it first. From the graphical file browser, you can right-click on the file "Xorg.0.log" and choose, in the contextual menu that pops up, "Compress...". You must choose a location where to save the compressed file and you must have the permission to write at this location (e.g., you cannot write in /var/log unless you first acquire the administrative permissions). The default location is your "home", i.e., the directory where all your personal files are. You should be allowed to upload the compressed file (I hope).
Did you reboot into the new kernel?
uname -r
This does look rather complicated. I just followed the instructions in this thread to update the (blob-free) kernel and that solved the problem:
https://trisquel.info/en/forum/screen-resolution
(See the post by malberts giving the 5 exact commands. This is for a 64-bit system by the way, and I have 3 different graphics cards - it works for all.)
Just remember to install the kernel with the package manager at the end.
Similar instructions appear on the jxself.org site.
I'm trying to do this, and when I attempt to edit the sources.list file, it denies me permission.
First, try rebooting and run
uname -r
It should give 3.11.0-xx-generic. (xx is probably 15 or 17) If it doesn't you didn't install the kernel properly.
That's not the issue. I can't even edit the source list file. It doesn't let me have permission.
"uname -r" will confirm whether or not you are running a kernel with version 3.11 or later. If you are then you probably don't need to update the kernel (I am on 3.12.7 though). If not, then you need to put "sudo" before each command to give you administrator permissions.
I'm running 3.2.0 generic.
This is the original two-year-old kernel. You did not do any update. Try to install the package "linux-generic-lts-saucy" from the Synaptic package manager (as I suggested first), reboot and see if it did the job.
I installed the new kernel and it still didn't fix it. I just found out I was using Synaptic wrong.
I also just installed the latest Linux Libre kernel. Didn't fix a damn thing. :|
H-node has nothing on this, but this user had a problem when upgrading from Trisquel 5 to 5.5:
http://trisquel.info/en/forum/graphics-problems-after-upgrade-55
In that thread, the workaround is found: use vesa driver.
Setting vesa should be considered a last resort.
Did you do a complete shutdown and reboot after installing the kernel? What do you get now when you enter "uname -r"? It's just possible that GRUB isn't using the new kernel that you just installed.
I know this is frustrating, but it's worth it when you finally get high resolution - it makes all the difference to the desktop.
Yes, I'm running the latest version of the Linux Libre kernel. I ran uname -r. I rebooted 2-3 times just to make sure.
Have you tried installing the Resolution Switcher? Its in Add/Remove Applications, just search for "resolution" it should show. It installs a resolution switcher icon in the notification area. Just click the icon and select your resolution. Worth a try I think.