Fn+F7 cycling gives external monitor incorrect resolution on Thinkpad x220

I have a similar (or the same) problem on my X220

I attach an external monitor on HDMI and the "external only" setting is a different screen -- on my X201 it can be a mirror screen...

Any workaround likely?

Thanks,

Hamish Cunningham
http://gate.ac.uk/hamish/

Hi,

More information about this issue:

- still happening on an up-to-date Natty

- Problem *does not occur* if gnome-display-properties is running at the time

- The exact symptoms have changed a little, but still shows the same inability to properly set the external monitor

- With gnome-display-properties running, cycling through modes with Fn+F7 looks like this (in order):

Mode Internal External
------------------------------------------------
Spanning Desktop On On
Clone Mode On Broken
Internal Only On Off
External Only Off On
Spanning (again) On Broken

If gnome-display-properties is running, it works properly:

Mode Internal External
------------------------------------------------
Spanning Desktop On On
Clone Mode On On
Internal Only On Off
External Only Off On
Spanning (again) On on

This is on a projector, which doesn't support many modes, so "broken" is basically "black".

When run on a fairly flexible external monitor, I noticed that the resolution/refresh as reported by xrandr does not match the actual resolution of the monitor. In the attached photo, you'll see output of xrandr (white on black) saying the monitor is 1920x1200@60Hz, but the monitor's status menu says it's running 1600x1200@60Hz.

The GNOME desktop believes that the monitor is 1920 pixels wide, so even though there's a picture on the monitor, much of it is missing.

Thanks,
Eric

Here's a text file with an easier-to-read table of the above.

thanks,
eric

but note that this means that external monitors are not really usable
on the x220...
h

On 11 October 2011 11:10, Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden> wrote:
> ** Changed in: gnome-settings-daemon (Ubuntu)
>   Importance: Undecided => Low
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/820327
>
> Title:
>  Fn+F7 cycling gives external monitor incorrect resolution on Thinkpad
>  x220
>
> Status in “gnome-settings-daemon” package in Ubuntu:
>  Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
>  ## Issue
>
>  Pressing Fn+F7 to cycle through monitor configuration produces
>  unusable monitor configuration on external-monitor-only mode.
>
>  External monitor is set to incorrect resolution when it's the only
>  active display.
>
>  xrandr output does not match resolution of external display that is
>  actually set.  E.g., xrandr shows "1920x1080@60Hz",  but monitor
>  status menu shows 1360 x 768 @ 60Hz, which it does not support.
>
>  ## Environment
>
>  - Thinkpad X220 (T61 also fails)
>
>  -  External monitor attached
>
>  ## Steps to reproduce:
>
>  - connect external monitor to ThinkPad X220 (or X61)
>
>  - press Fn+F7 to cycle through modes
>
>  - on External Monitor Only mode, compare resolution of external
>  monitor as reported by xrandr and the monitor itself.
>
>  ProblemType: Bug
>  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
>  Package: gnome-settings-daemon 2.32.1-0ubuntu13.1
>  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
>  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic i686
>  Architecture: i386
>  Date: Wed Aug  3 11:59:12 2011
>  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
>  ProcEnviron:
>   LANGUAGE=en_US:en
>   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
>   SHELL=/bin/bash
>  SourcePackage: gnome-settings-daemon
>  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-settings-daemon/+bug/820327/+subscriptions
>

--
Hamish                                  http://gate.ac.uk/hamish/

If it is not economically viable to save the
planet, then the economic system must be wrong.
http://www.monthlyreview.org/nfte090701.php

Saying that Israel is justified in assaulting Palestine because of
Hamas' rockets is like saying the UK should have bombed Belfast when
the IRA was active.                 http://stopwar.org.uk/

Could somebody having the issue create a "gsd-debug-randr" in the user directory, restart the session, do the cycling with the capplet open and add the "gsd-debug-randr.log" created in the user dir than do the same without the capplet?

Btw in which case from comment #3 the capplet is running you wrote it as running twice

could you also get an "xrandr --verbose" log?

It would also be useful to capture the X calls that gnome-settings-daemon makes. You should be able to do this by installing the ‘xtrace’ package, and running
"""
killall gnome-settings-daemon && xtrace -o ~/gnome-settings-daemon.xtrace /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon/gnome-settings-daemon
"""
at a terminal. This should kill the existing daemon and then start a new one, capturing all the X calls it makes to ~/gnome-settings-daemon.xtrace.

Then, cycle through the fn-f7 options again - both with the displays panel open, and without, so we get an example of both working and broken behaviour - and attach the ~/gnome-settings-daemon.xtrace file here.

If this is too complicated, the gsd-debug-randr.log file Sebastian was asking for above might contain enough information to debug this problem, so don't worry if it's too much effort.

I can do this monday, hope that's not too late
h

On 19 October 2011 10:31, Chris Halse Rogers <email address hidden> wrote:
> It would also be useful to capture the X calls that gnome-settings-daemon makes.  You should be able to do this by installing the ‘xtrace’ package, and running
> """
> killall gnome-settings-daemon && xtrace -o ~/gnome-settings-daemon.xtrace /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon/gnome-settings-daemon
> """
> at a terminal.  This should kill the existing daemon and then start a new one, capturing all the X calls it makes to ~/gnome-settings-daemon.xtrace.
>
> Then, cycle through the fn-f7 options again - both with the displays
> panel open, and without, so we get an example of both working and broken
> behaviour - and attach the ~/gnome-settings-daemon.xtrace file here.
>
> If this is too complicated, the gsd-debug-randr.log file Sebastian was
> asking for above might contain enough information to debug this problem,
> so don't worry if it's too much effort.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/820327
>
> Title:
>  Fn+F7 cycling gives external monitor incorrect resolution on Thinkpad
>  x220
>
> Status in “gnome-settings-daemon” package in Ubuntu:
>  Confirmed
> Status in “gnome-settings-daemon” source package in Oneiric:
>  New
>
> Bug description:
>  ## Issue
>
>  Pressing Fn+F7 to cycle through monitor configuration produces
>  unusable monitor configuration on external-monitor-only mode.
>
>  External monitor is set to incorrect resolution when it's the only
>  active display.
>
>  xrandr output does not match resolution of external display that is
>  actually set.  E.g., xrandr shows "1920x1080@60Hz",  but monitor
>  status menu shows 1360 x 768 @ 60Hz, which it does not support.
>
>  ## Environment
>
>  - Thinkpad X220 (T61 also fails)
>
>  -  External monitor attached
>
>  ## Steps to reproduce:
>
>  - connect external monitor to ThinkPad X220 (or X61)
>
>  - press Fn+F7 to cycle through modes
>
>  - on External Monitor Only mode, compare resolution of external
>  monitor as reported by xrandr and the monitor itself.
>
>  ProblemType: Bug
>  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
>  Package: gnome-settings-daemon 2.32.1-0ubuntu13.1
>  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
>  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic i686
>  Architecture: i386
>  Date: Wed Aug  3 11:59:12 2011
>  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
>  ProcEnviron:
>   LANGUAGE=en_US:en
>   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
>   SHELL=/bin/bash
>  SourcePackage: gnome-settings-daemon
>  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-settings-daemon/+bug/820327/+subscriptions
>

--
Hamish                                  http://gate.ac.uk/hamish/

If it is not economically viable to save the
planet, then the economic system must be wrong.
http://www.monthlyreview.org/nfte090701.php

Saying that Israel is justified in assaulting Palestine because of
Hamas' rockets is like saying the UK should have bombed Belfast when
the IRA was active.     ...

@seb128

adding the following files, all collected on a stock Natty live-usb and packed as traces.tar.gz:

gsd.trace
  xtrace running while reproducing issue

clone-good.xrandr
  xrandr --verbose while in correct clone-mode

cloned-good-2.xrandr
  xrandr --verbose while in correct clone-mode (end of cycle)

external-broken.xrandr
  xrandr --verbose while external only / bad monitor mode

internal-only-shifted.xrandr
  xrandr --verbose while internal only / desktop cut off on right (compiz problem?)

gsd-debug-randr.log
  g-s-d logs with debug enabled

Thanks,
Eric

Thanks for those traces. I'll see if they can confirm or deny my initial hypothesis, which involves configuration timestamp skew.

One of those traces - with-displays-applet-gnome-settings-daemon.trace - is with the displays capplet open, right? And that one works correctly?

It seems that g-s-d is submitting an identical set of RANDR requests; the differences are in the other events that occur. I suspect that this might have the same root cause as bug 828623 and bug 861426 and that this seems to be a timing-related issue in the driver or kernel (probably the kernel) around modesetting.

Hi,

I upgraded to Oneiric and the problem has now gone.

(Note that for me it never worked correctly, even with the display
props dialogue open.)

Took me a while to get back to a Gnome 2-alike desktop, but now I'm happy :-)

Thanks for your help, best

Hamish Cunningham
http://gate.ac.uk/hamish/

On 24 October 2011 08:48, Chris Halse Rogers <email address hidden> wrote:
> One of those traces - with-displays-applet-gnome-settings-daemon.trace -
> is with the displays capplet open, right?  And that one works correctly?
>
> It seems that g-s-d is submitting an identical set of RANDR requests;
> the differences are in the other events that occur.  I suspect that this
> might have the same root cause as bug 828623 and bug 861426 and that
> this seems to be a timing-related issue in the driver or kernel
> (probably the kernel) around modesetting.
>
> ** Changed in: gnome-settings-daemon (Ubuntu)
>       Status: Confirmed => In Progress
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/820327
>
> Title:
>  Fn+F7 cycling gives external monitor incorrect resolution on Thinkpad
>  x220
>
> Status in “gnome-settings-daemon” package in Ubuntu:
>  In Progress
> Status in “gnome-settings-daemon” source package in Oneiric:
>  New
>
> Bug description:
>  ## Issue
>
>  Pressing Fn+F7 to cycle through monitor configuration produces
>  unusable monitor configuration on external-monitor-only mode.
>
>  External monitor is set to incorrect resolution when it's the only
>  active display.
>
>  xrandr output does not match resolution of external display that is
>  actually set.  E.g., xrandr shows "1920x1080@60Hz",  but monitor
>  status menu shows 1360 x 768 @ 60Hz, which it does not support.
>
>  ## Environment
>
>  - Thinkpad X220 (T61 also fails)
>
>  -  External monitor attached
>
>  ## Steps to reproduce:
>
>  - connect external monitor to ThinkPad X220 (or X61)
>
>  - press Fn+F7 to cycle through modes
>
>  - on External Monitor Only mode, compare resolution of external
>  monitor as reported by xrandr and the monitor itself.
>
>  ProblemType: Bug
>  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
>  Package: gnome-settings-daemon 2.32.1-0ubuntu13.1
>  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
>  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic i686
>  Architecture: i386
>  Date: Wed Aug  3 11:59:12 2011
>  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
>  ProcEnviron:
>   LANGUAGE=en_US:en
>   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
>   SHELL=/bin/bash
>  SourcePackage: gnome-settings-daemon
>  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-settings-daemon/+bug/820327/+subscriptions
>

--
Hamish                                  http://gate.ac.uk/hamish/

** Note to University of Sheffield colleagues and collaborators:
my pay has been cut recently (the device used was to make me
pay more for my pension in return for lower benefit) and as a
result I am now working to rule as part of UCU's dispute with the
universities who have imposed the cuts. **

If it is not economically viable to save ...

@Eric, can you also confirm the issue is not reproducible on oneiric?

Hi, Bryce

I can confirm that the monitor does work correctly in external-only mode under oneiric.

However, cycling through the modes with Fn+F7 never results in the desktop being stretched across monitors ??

But that's another bug.

Eric

oneiric has seen the end of its life and is no longer receiving any updates. Marking the oneiric task for this ticket as "Won't Fix".