[pineviewgm] resolution drops to VGA when external monitor is connected while X starts

ASUS 1001p netbook with 1024x600 internal resolution. When I connect an external monitor (resolution 1680x1050) while X starts the resolution drops to VGA. In that case (IIRC), the display applet or grandr will later not be able to rectify the situation. If I start X on the internal display only, connect the external monitor and then extend the viewable area with grandr or the display applet everything works fine.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Mar 3 08:23:16 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
DkmsStatus: virtualbox-ose, 3.1.2, 2.6.32-15-generic, i686: installed
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
MachineType: ASUSTeK Computer INC. 1001P
Package: xorg 1:7.5+1ubuntu11
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-2.6.32-14-generic root=/dev/mapper/hostname-root ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US.utf8
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 LC_MESSAGES=C
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-14.20-generic
SourcePackage: nvidia-graphics-drivers
Symptom: display
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-14-generic i686
dmi.bios.date: 12/15/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0603
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: 1005P
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: x.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 0x00000000
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.chassis.version: x.x
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0603:bd12/15/2009:svnASUSTeKComputerINC.:pn1001P:pvrx.x:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rn1005P:rvrx.xx:cvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:ct10:cvrx.x:
dmi.product.name: 1001P
dmi.product.version: x.x
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: lucidarchitecture: i686kernel: 2.6.32-14-generic
xkbcomp:
 Error: command ['xkbcomp', ':0', '-w0', '-'] failed with exit code 1: Error: Cannot open display ":0"
                   Exiting

I'm a bit puzzled that "ubuntu-bug" chose the nvidia-graphics-drivers package. This machine has an intel graphics chip and according to Xorg.0.log that's what's driving X.

[This is an automatic notification.]

Thanks for reporting this bug to help making the Intel graphics driver
better. We hear from upstream that a number of bugs (possibly including
this one) have been fixed in the newer DRM code from the 2.6.33 kernel.
I don't know if your bug is one of the ones fixed in this release,
though, but we've prepared a PPA with this DRM update. Would you mind
installing this, rebooting, and testing if the original issue can be
reproduced with it or not?

The DRM PPA is here:

    https://edge.launchpad.net/~apw/+archive/red

Note there could be new bugs... please file these as new reports using
the command 'ubuntu-bug linux' (for kernel or DRM or KMS bugs) or
'ubuntu-bug xorg' if you suspect them to be X.org issues.

Bryce, I only see an upstart package in that PPA, no kernel

Chris, the question was answered, the status should be NEW. Please be more careful next time.

I see you are the same person answering in the upstream bug tracker as well. I assume you know what you are doing, but I have to admit I did not understand your explanation there. All I can say is that I experience unexpected behaviour. If this is not a kernel bug then please suggest or reassign a package which is likely the one to cause this bug. I simply don't know. Thank you for your work.

The driver is doing exactly as it is told. The default behaviour of fbcon and X is to create a "mirrored" fb that is the same on all outputs. The display manager then sets whatever mode it wants upon loading. There is no logs here from the failure of the display manager, and since subsequent attempts to change mode work fine, there is no indication that there is a bug in the driver - just userspace.