Success: Dual Screen Toshiba Tecra A9
Posted by linuxhappy on November 29, 2007
EDIT: FEB: 24th 2008
THIS POST SHOULD BE COMPLETELY IGNORED. The easiest way to deal with dual screens on a Toshiba Tecra A9 (for me) has been to use Envy to install the latest and greatest video driver. Once installed, you can use the Nvidia GUI based app to change resolutions/dual screens etc (without even restarting X).
Looks like my first post is going to be a Linux success. Kind of sad cause I was hoping to get into some kernel hacking right away… That’s okay. I just bought a new Toshiba Tecra A9 with an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 130M (1680×1050), and I’m sure I’ll have lots of things to debug.
Running Ubuntu 7.10, and using the open source (ubuntu supported drivers) video drivers seemed slow… but stable. The dimmer/brightener (fn f6 and f7) work with the open source drivers, but not with the restricted drivers. UGH! What a pain, I’ll have to maybe talk to the Ubuntu forum one day, or maybe fix it somehow myself…. It’s okay.. anything is better than vista 
What else doesn’t work with the open source video driver, you might ask? How about the toggling between the video for an external monitor (fn f5). Darnit!
Ok.. so loaded up the restricted drivers (With Ubuntu’s nice little Restricted Drivers Manager). Video performance seem smoother! Dimming the laptop brigher and duller doesn’t work.. Okay. I guess I can deal with it.
Tried getting dual screens to work (external monitor: Dell 2005FPW), and with about 6 or 7 attempts, with using Ubuntu’s Screen-Resolution utility.. nothing seemed to work… Okay.. time to manually edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf.. a few tries later.. tada! works! I’ve got 1680×1050 on mylaptop screen and 1680×1050 on my secondary monitor.
So I’ve got two xorg.conf files I plan on toggling between
#1. Used for a single monitor ( just my laptop, screen when i’m on the go)
#2. Used for when I get home to plug into my Dell 2005fpw external montior
# xorg.conf.singleLTscreen (xorg X Window System server configuration file)# # This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using # values from the debconf database. # # Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page. # (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.) # # This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only* # if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg # package # # If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated # again, run the following command: # sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg
Section "Files" EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "nVidia Corporation G80 [Quadro NVS 130M]"
Driver "nvidia"
Busid "PCI:1:0:0"
Option "AddARGBVisuals" "True"
Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option "NoLogo" "True"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
Horizsync 28-84
Vertrefresh 43-60
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "nVidia Corporation G80 [Quadro NVS 130M]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
Defaultdepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1680x1680"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
screen "Default Screen"
Inputdevice "Generic Keyboard"
Inputdevice "Configured Mouse"
# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
# InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
Inputdevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "glx"
EndSection
#2: dual screen!!
# xorg.conf.DUALSCREEN (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorgSection "Files" EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "nVidia Corporation G80 [Quadro NVS 130M]"
Boardname "nv"
Busid "PCI:1:0:0"
Driver "nvidia"
Screen 0
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Modelname "Custom 1"
Gamma 1.0
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "nVidia Corporation G80 [Quadro NVS 130M]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
Defaultdepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
# Virtual 1792 1344
Modes "1680x1680"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
screen 0 "Default Screen" 0 0
screen 1 "screen1" rightof "Default Screen"
Inputdevice "Generic Keyboard"
Inputdevice "Configured Mouse"
# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
# InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
Inputdevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "glx"
Load "v4l"
EndSection
Section "device" #
Identifier "device1"
Boardname "nv"
Busid "PCI:1:0:0"
Driver "nvidia"
Screen 1
EndSection
Section "screen" #
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Defaultdepth 24
Monitor "monitor1"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1680x1050@65"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "monitor" #
Identifier "monitor1"
Vendorname "Dell"
Modelname "Dell 2005FPW (Analog)"
Horizsync 30.0-83.0
Vertrefresh 56.0-75.0
EndSection
Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "true"
EndSection
I’m guessing I should create a 3rd xorg.conf for when I want to hook up to a projector with a 1024×768 resolution… Maybe that’ll be my next post..
