selecting resolution in monitors doesnt change resolution in log in screen etc

Thanks a lot for reporting this. Can you please provide a step-by-step guide, including as much detail as possible, that can be used to reproduce this bug, including any messages that are displayed? Are you able to use any workaround to log into your system or are you completely shut out?

It sounds to me like this isn't actually a paper cut, rather it's just a simply bug with the GDM package you have installed.

Hi Chris

Thanks for your response

I may not have explained the problem clearly.

*first a little background: *
From what I understand, ubuntu automatically detects your monitors
resolution/resolutions and populates a list of choices.
when you go into applications/monitors, you are then able to select one of
those items from the list.
My monitor is an acer with an aspect ration of 4:3. but what is happening in
my case is that ubuntu is listing resolutions for both 4:3 displays as well
as 16:9.
and even though I have a 4:3 display, it is defaulting to a 16:9

so my install menu, grub menu, login screen, boot up screen and actual
system defaults to this 16:9 aspect ration.

unfortunately 16:9 is incompatible with my monitor, and so my monitor
displays a large error message across the middle of the screen that doesn't
go away.
This blocks out a large portion of the display.
the log in screen sits in the middle of the display also, and because it is
being covered with an error message, I am unable to log in.

If I select the correct resolution using applications/monitors, the error
message goes away and I can then use ubuntu.

*But here is the paper cut*- the grub menu, login screen, splash screen and
exit screen remain at the original 16:9 aspect ratio resolution.

when I choose my preferred resolution, it should carry that choice through
to those four screens as well

In the past I had to fix this manually by going into X11/xorg.conf and
editing that file manually. Unfortunately this solution has not worked since
9:10, or there about.

for more information, here are other people discussing this problem :

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=359310

thanks once again

On 25 May 2011 23:18, Chris Wilson <email address hidden> wrote:

> Thanks a lot for reporting this. Can you please provide a step-by-step
> guide, including as much detail as possible, that can be used to
> reproduce this bug, including any messages that are displayed? Are you
> able to use any workaround to log into your system or are you completely
> shut out?
>
> It sounds to me like this isn't actually a paper cut, rather it's just a
> simply bug with the GDM package you have installed.
>
> ** Also affects: gdm (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Undecided
> Status: New
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/775089
>
> Title:
> selecting resolution in monitors doesnt change resolution in log in
> screen etc
>
> Status in One Hundred Paper Cuts:
> New
> Status in “gdm” package in Ubuntu:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> Ubuntu doesnt always select the correct/desired resolution for your
> monitor. When you choose the correct resolution using the monitors
> application, it corrects the resolution for the system, but not for the log
> in screen, grub menu or boot up screen.
> what happens then, in my case, is that my monitor doesnt support the
> detected resolution, and so I am unable to use the log in screens, or view
> the splash screen etc.
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/775089/+subscribe
>

I'm out of the office until 1st August.

On 1 May 2011, at 20:30, ave <email address hidden> wrote:

> Public bug reported:
>
> Ubuntu doesnt always select the correct/desired resolution for your
> monitor. When you choose the correct resolution using the monitors
> application, it corrects the resolution for the system, but not for
> the log in screen, grub menu or boot up screen.
> what happens then, in my case, is that my monitor doesnt support the
> detected resolution, and so I am unable to use the log in screens,
> or view the splash screen etc.
>
> ** Affects: hundredpapercuts
>     Importance: Undecided
>         Status: New
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of
> Papercutters, which is subscribed to One Hundred Paper Cuts.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/775089
>
> Title:
>  selecting resolution in monitors doesnt change resolution in log in
>  screen etc
>
> Status in One Hundred Paper Cuts:
>  New
>
> Bug description:
>  Ubuntu doesnt always select the correct/desired resolution for your
> monitor. When you choose the correct resolution using the monitors
> application, it corrects the resolution for the system, but not for
> the log in screen, grub menu or boot up screen.
>  what happens then, in my case, is that my monitor doesnt support
> the detected resolution, and so I am unable to use the log in
> screens, or view the splash screen etc.

Hi ave, sorry for such a late response. I've been inactive in the community for the past few months.

GDM is no longer shipped with Ubuntu, and instead LighDM is used to manage the display. Are you still experiencing problems with your screen resolution on the login and boot grub menus?

Hi Chris

Thanks. Yes, this still effects me in 11.10.
Fortunately install now allows you to set monitor resolution, so install no longer affect me, but grub, splash and login are still defaulting to some crazy resolution.

Hi Ave,
           What type of graphics card do you have? If it is a Nvidia card do you use the open source Nouveau driver or the Nvidia one?

Hi Timothy

I have an ATI Radeon 4850

I've used both the default drivers that install with Ubuntu and the ones downloaded from the ATI website. Im not sure if they are different drivers, but both have the same effect.

Hi Ave,
            I'm not 100% familiar with the ATI drivers as I have alway had a nvidia card myself, but my suspicion is this is something to do with the KMS (Kernal Mode Setting). I believe KMS is only implemented in the open source ATI drivers but you have said the proprietary Catalyt drivers have the same issue so maybe they do implement KMS. Another reason I suspect this may be the case is you said you could get around this before 9.10 which is when KMS was first supported for the ATI driver.

Can you try disabling KMS an see if that makes a difference? See: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/KernelModeSetting not sure if the settings on that page are still valid for turning it off or not so you may need to do more research if that doesn't work.

If that works then we can try reassign this bug to the right project. Good luck.

FYI anyone reading this: Kernel mode-setting (KMS) shifts responsibility for selecting and setting up the graphics mode from X.org to the kernel. When X.org is started, it then detects and uses the mode without any further mode changes. This promises to make booting faster, more graphical, and less flickery.