On 7 Mar 2003, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > James Miller wrote: > > > > dragging the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen causes > > the screen to shift in that direction, making what was cut > > off at that edge visible (while at the same time cutting > > things off at the opposite edge). > > I like this feature of "virtual resolution", and would like > > to understand better how it works and how to tweak/set it up. > > See /etc/XF86Config, subsection Display > --------------- > Depth 4 > Modes "640x480" > Virtual 800 600 > --------------- > This example provides a virtual 800x600 display on a > generic VGA screen. > Yes, I was able to successfully implement virtual resolution using these tips. Thanks, Steven. I'm not sure this really solves your problem though, Hal. It seems like it *could* - that is, if your friends don't mind using virtual resolution and having, essentially, a "floating window" onto their desktop, with only parts of it displaying, moving the cursor around being required to see parts that are not visible. I found this setting a bit unsettling the first time I encountered it, but have come to appreciate it for smaller monitors. I don't know if your firends would think likewise - especially if they are absolute newbies to Linux.
It seems like the problem you initially described, Hal, was one in which, for some reason, the display size did not match the resolution. Why this is, I cannot say. My guesses - but they are only guesses - would be that it could have to do with more intricate video settings like vertical and horizontal sync, or perhaps dot-clocks. If it's some thing like that, then someone else here will have to inform on getting those settings right: I'm pretty much in the dark on that. So, the information offered by Steven, which was quite helpful to me, may or may not resolve your friends' display problems. If they aren't turned off by the way virtual resolution works, it seems like it could help: my guess is that, with virtual resolution, actual display size becomes irrelevant. They should be able to view the whole of the desktop - in increments - just by moving the mouse cursor around, even if the settings that cause parts of the display to get cut off without virtual resolution are not fully correct. If they don't like the way virtual resolution works, then perhaps we can rely on someone else onlist to provide details about how to adjust settings so that parts of the display seem to be getting cut off don't get cut off. More heat than light? Can't say for sure, but maybe someone else can correct any errors I've perpetrated here. James PS I have also wondered in the past when I have encountered the situation you've described, whether the gui application in question (in your case Mandrake's control center) are somehow poorly written and are themselves the source of the display issues, rather than the video card's/monitor's display settings in XF86Config. Don't know the answer to that, but I'll also throw that out for consideration. - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-newbie" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.linux-learn.org/faqs
