Different Sized Dual Monitors in Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope with ATI Video Card

May 02, 2009 21:33

I have two monitors of different sizes — a 1680x1050 and a 1280x1024. I also have an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT card, which doesn't automatically work for dual monitors on Ubuntu 9.04. It took a little bit of searching, but I got it working, mostly from this page:

Configure dual monitors in Ubuntu 9.04 with ATI HD 2600 (It may require having a referrer of Google to see the solution).

First, make sure you are using the ATI proprietary drivers. When you install it, it should add an "ATI Catalyst Control Center" to your Applications > Accessories menu.

Then, edit the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf


sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

And make it look like the following, except replace the resolutions of my monitors with yours (you can search for the numbers 1680, 1050, 1280, and 1024).


# xorg.conf (X.Org 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.
#
# Note that some configuration settings that could be done previously
# in this file, now are automatically configured by the server and settings
# here are ignored.
#
# 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 "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Default Layout"
    Screen      0  "aticonfig-Screen[0]" 0 0
EndSection
 
Section "Files"
EndSection
 
Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]"
    Option        "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
    Option        "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
    Option        "DPMS" "true"
EndSection
 
Section "Monitor"
    Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[1]"
    Option        "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
    Option        "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
    Option        "DPMS" "true"
EndSection
 
Section "Device"
    Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]"
    Driver      "fglrx"
    Option    "EnableRandR12" "false"
    Option        "DesktopSetup" "horizontal,reverse"
    Option        "OverlayOnCRTC2" "1"
    Option        "Mode2" "1280x768"
    Option        "VideoOverlay" "on"
    Option        "OpenGLOverlay" "off"
    Option        "EnableMonitor" "tmds1,lvds"
    Option        "PairModes" "1680x1050+1280x1024"
EndSection
 
Section "Screen"
    Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]"
    Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]"
    Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]"
    DefaultDepth     24
    SubSection "Display"
        Viewport   0 0
        Virtual   1680 1050
        Depth     24
        Modes    "1680x1050"
    EndSubSection
EndSection
 
Section "Screen"
    Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[1]"
    Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]"
    Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[1]"
    DefaultDepth     24
    SubSection "Display"
        Viewport   0 0
        Virtual   1280 1024
        Depth     24
        Modes    "1280x1024"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

You'll need to reboot, then afterwards, you'll need to go into the ATI Catalyst Control Center under "Display Manager" and tell your second monitor to be a "Big Desktop right of display 1" on the "Multi-Display" tab and set the resolution on the "Properties" tab to what it should be with your monitors combined (mine was 2960x1050).

When I was getting it to work, I was trying a few other things, so I haven't tested it exactly from scratch, but those settings come straight from my xorg.conf file.