Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

Ok my screen resolution is stuck at 800x600. I'm trying ubuntu on my Inspiron 1720 laptop.

How can I get a higher resolution?

I tried ubuntu on my desktop many moons ago, and now giving it another shot.

I hope this is an easy fix?

Thanks!

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 0 down vote

Take a look at this post: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=83973

It lists a step by step guide as well as how to troubleshoot problems (down at the bottom.)

share|improve this answer
the bottom of the 1st page? Mine doesnt' even have that config file. – user27449 May 3 '10 at 18:39
You don't have an xorg configuration? Try searching your system for it. Without a configuration, you wouldn't be seeing anything. – James Watt May 3 '10 at 23:30
when I type sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg it asks for my pwd, then does nothing? – user27449 May 4 '10 at 4:06
Did you double check to make sure that you video card driver was automatically discovered and installed? – James Watt May 4 '10 at 10:09
James, not sure how to do that? If the resolution is so poor, doesn't that mean it wasn't discovered? :) – user27449 May 5 '10 at 19:57
show 1 more comment
up vote 1 down vote

There's been significant changes in the Ubuntu graphics (X11) code and you're using an Ubuntu more than 2 years old. Download an Ubuntu 12.04 desktop live CD and see if you can reconfigure the display resolution appropriately.

Don't try to configure X11 unless you have to and have day or two of free time - it's complex and idiosyncratic and while there's voluminous documentation available it's not well written and is also mostly out of date. eg. The standard config file (/etc/X11/Xorg.conf) disappeared in recent releases (though still supported for backwards compatibility) and was replaced with the not yet well documented HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) configured in /etc/hal/fdi and /usr/share/hal/fdi.

share|improve this answer
Good info. Do notice, however, that the question was asked 2 years ago :) – JoshP Sep 20 '12 at 15:42

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.