Setting up a second monitor

Antony Gelberg antony at wayforth.co.uk
Thu Apr 20 19:00:05 UTC 2006


Tobias Baldauf wrote:
> I tried to follow this thread because I hoped to find some help as I
> have tried the very same thing just a couple of days ago & failed. The
> flaming within this topic didn't quite help...
> 
> I'll just try to make a somewhat professional question - maybe I'll get
> good answer that'll stop the flaming:
> 
> I was also trying to extend my desktop via a second monitor like I am
> used to in M$-Win. I'm working on an Acer laptop (Aspire 1694 WLMI)
> I do not have a second graphic-card - I just connect the VGA-cable of
> the external monitor (CRT) to my laptop's VGA-port (where one can
> connect beamers etc...)

It depends on the output of lspci.  If there is only one BusID for the 
VGA controller, you use the Screen parameter in each Device stanza of 
your xorg.conf file.  man xorg.conf and search for Screen to understand 
more.

> As soon as X starts the CRT-Monitor goes into Standby. While working
> without X it mirrors what's displayed on my laptop's LCD-monitor.
> 
> I browsed search-engine-hits before I thought about consulting the
> mailing-list. I read about Xinerama, but it was said that it is not
> necessary for the basic concept of a dual-monitor-system to work. Is
> that true?
> 
> Furthermore, I edited my xorg.conf to setup a second monitor-device and
> changed the server-layout part to something like "Monitor=X" and
> "MonitorX" RightOf "MonitorY" etc... but it did not work.

Please let us know what happened and what the logs said.  Please attach 
your xorg.conf.

> Could someone please point out the basics of dual-monitoring? 

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Xinerama-HOWTO/ (NB XFree86 is a previous 
version of X.org, pre-fork.  The same instructions should apply.)

> What
> setting does X require? Does one definately need Xinerama? 

See above.

> Is it
> possible to not just mirror but to actually extend one's desktop onto
> the second monitor in Ubuntu?

That is exactly what Xinerama is designed to do.

> I'll gladly paste my recent xorg-conf if that's of any help!

Great idea.  ^^^

> Thanks a lot for your help!
> 
> tobias
> 
> 





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