Screen Resolution Change Using GUI Not Working

[Jeffrey Tooker]

I am trying to modify my screen resolution by GUI.  I am in Gutsy, 
updated to today. I go to System>Preferences>Screen Resolution.  I go 
through the three choices on the window and click apply.  Nothing 
happens to the resolution and the timer starts timing out to accept 
previous resolution.  I need to change the resolution of my monitor.  
Small print is bad for old eyes.  I have read the help linked to the 
resolution window, it did not help.  I went to the archive for this 
month and found the screen resolution thread.  I read through it I did 
not find a solution  that I understood.  I am minimally fluent in CLI.  
If the solution is in CLI (which I believe it will be) please highlight 
the required commands so I can copy and paste into command line.

TIA

Jeffrey Tooker