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BhaveshDiwan
Asked: 2012-06-10 08:58:41 +0800 CST

Force startx to run X in a specific resolution and refresh Rate

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From my past experience (using Win-Xp), this particular monitor works only on 60Hz , Best resolution being 1024x768.

I have "installed and configured" Ubuntu 12.04 Minimal (on USB stick) so that most of the time terminal is used, however, whenever there is a need to enter GUI, I may issue startx command to go into gnome.

However the problem is that on this particular system, issuing this command poses problem because its default refresh rate won't synchronize with the monitor. The display keep on flickering and utterly unreadable. It is visible that gnome has been loaded and default wallpaper and desktop items are visible. But the problem is due to refresh rate different than 60Hz.

I am looking for a command attribute to startx command which will force the refresh rate to 60Hz and resolution preferably to 1204x768

I can open terminals with Ctrl+Alt+T and enter commands.

Key combinations like Ctrl+Alt+NumPlus works flawlessly in distributions like solaris, but it's not working for me. Also the commands like xrandr -r 60 60 being refresh rate wont work.

The same problem is faced even when I boot from a live CD

12.04

2 Answers

  1. Before saying anything, I should recommend you backup xorg.conf file using the command 

    sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf_backup

    Next, to make any changes it is recommended to stop Xorg (which will bring you to a text-only screen) using the command 

    sudo /etc/init.d/lightdm stop

    (Hopefully you are running Ubuntu 12.04 or 11.10. If not, just substitute lightdm for gdm or kdm if running kde). After that, you can edit your configuration file via 

    sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

    From there, look for the Subsection Display, then navigate down to modes where you will type in your custom resolution with the refresh rate. Then save it, and restart X.

    If none of that worked, and I completely screwed your xorg over, you can restore the backup (thank god for backups) using the command 

    sudo /etc/X11/xorg.conf_backup /etc/X11/xorg.conf
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  2. If you are using nvidia drivers read my answer 22 at this link

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