VGA Connection

I connected my computer to an external monitor via VGA, but the monitor was not able to display. Any advice how this problem could be fixed? By the way, there was no problem connecting with Windows.

So is your comuter a Notebook? Useful to have model and specification - does the notebook screen show up properly?

It's a laptop Compaq nx 7400. Pretty old but regadless it works OK in Windows 7. Within this system, the external monitor displays what's on my laptop screen. Within Zorin the external monitor displays my computer background and not what's on the screen. For example, on my computer screen I could have online TV streaming, but the exernal monitor would show my computer wallpaper. By the way, I have dual installation that's why I can compare.

OK, have you gone to:

Menu | System Tools | System Settings | Screen Display and clicked on 'Detect Displays'?

I'm also having a problem with an externalmonitor, vga connected.

I recently switched this three year old Asus N10J (a sort of a netbook) from dual boot Xubuntu/XP to Zorin 8. Most things work beautifully,but when I connect my Iiyama ProLite E1906S monitor, several good things and two very bad things happen. The good thing is that the desktop picture appears big and beautiful on the external monitor and I can drag windows back and forth from the netbook screen to the monitor. The bad things are:

1. The panel expands and loses functionality.
2. The "start menu" Z button in the lower left will pop up the menus, but they don't actually function.

I tried opening the Monitors settings dialogue before connecting the external display, but that doesn't function either once the monitor is connected.

When I was looking into Zorin, I read something about Zorin 8 having problems dealing with externalmonitors and also something about the next versioncoming out soon, hopefully with this particular problem resolved. Can anyone give me guidance and/or hope?

Actually, I installed Zorin to test drive it for some friends who are almost computer illiterate. I gave them my old dual boot XP/ubuntu netbook and, since xp will soon be getting dangerous and they are totally lost with Lubuntu, I thought I might switch it to Zorin for them. Until this problem can be resolved, I think I should wait on that switch.

So, any ideas?

Hi,

have you installed any graphic card drivers?, if so which.

Have you tried using the display settings in System Settings > Hardware > Screen Display. In particular: Mirror Displays

Have you fully updated your system?:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

let us know please.

Regards Wolfman

It appears there 'may' be a bug:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php? ... st12869327

Zorin 8 is built on Ubuntu 13.10 - now I don't know if Zorin 8.1 offers any improvements on this. Ubuntu 14.04 is expected to be a Long Term Support Release - so 2- 3 months after, Zorin 9 should hopefully be out - cannot say if this will get resolved as a lot will hang on whether Ubuntu get it right on which Zorin is based!

Now this would be experimental and absolutely no guarantees - could people who have posted to this thread at boot time press the TAB key to amend the boot command and enter:

Code:

forcevesa acpi=off nomodeset

then press the enter key to continue bootng.

Wolfman wrote:Hi,

have you installed any graphic card drivers?, if so which.

Have you tried using the display settings in System Settings > Hardware > Screen Display. In particular: Mirror Displays

Have you fully updated your system?:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

let us know please.

Regards Wolfman

Hello Wolfman,
Can you recommend graphic card drivers for a Lenovo S10? I have updated my system and tried systems settings but have been unable to get the LED monitor to work with any of the settings.
Thanking you in advance.
Nancy

Hi Nancy,

type the following command in a terminal (Ctrl + Alt +t) and paste the return here please, you will end up with something like what I have pasted below so we can see your graphics card type, I think you have an Nvidia but I am not sure:

Code:

lspci

wolfman@fred:~$ lspci
00:00.0 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 Memory Controller (rev a1)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 LPC Bridge (rev a2)
00:01.1 SMBus: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 SMBus (rev a2)
00:01.2 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 Memory Controller (rev a2)
00:02.0 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 USB 1.1 Controller (rev a3)
00:02.1 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 USB 2.0 Controller (rev a3)
00:04.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 PCI bridge (rev a1)
00:05.0 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 High Definition Audio (rev a2)
00:07.0 Bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 Ethernet (rev a2)
00:08.0 IDE interface: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 SATA Controller (rev a2)
00:08.1 IDE interface: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 SATA Controller (rev a2)
00:09.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 PCI Express bridge (rev a2)
00:0b.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 PCI Express bridge (rev a2)
00:0c.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP61 PCI Express bridge (rev a2)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor HyperTransport Configuration
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor Miscellaneous Control
00:18.4 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 10h Processor Link Control
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF108 [GeForce GT 430] (rev a1)
02:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GF108 High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)
wolfman@fred:~$

Mine is an Nvidia GF108 (GeForce GT430)!.

See also:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail. ... MIGR-69216

Thanks!.

banes wrote:It's a laptop Compaq nx 7400. Pretty old but regadless it works OK in Windows 7. Within this system, the external monitor displays what's on my laptop screen. Within Zorin the external monitor displays my computer background and not what's on the screen. For example, on my computer screen I could have online TV streaming, but the exernal monitor would show my computer wallpaper. By the way, I have dual installation that's why I can compare.

Hi,

do you have a FN key combo whereby you can switch between internal and exteranl monitor?, on my laptop, I press FN and F6 to toggle between screens!.

Hey wolfman I did try the FN key and it did not work. Here is the info you requested:
nancy@Lenovo-S10:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 02)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 02)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 3 (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) SATA Controller [IDE mode] (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SMBus Controller (rev 02)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetLink BCM5906M Fast Ethernet PCI Express (rev 02)
05:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY (rev 01)

Hi,

you have an Intel graphics chip:

VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

So you should try this terminal command (Ctrl + Alt + t) and force an update in case there are any missing dependencies:

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -f

Restart your PC after doing so and let us know if things are better!.

Wolfman thank you again, Bam it worked! I am just LOVEING Zorin! I'm installing it on a PC I use to run a CNC program next. I will let you know how that goes. You people are the best!

Hi,

good to hear, will mark as solved!.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner and thanks for your interest in helping. I have my system completely up to date. In fact, I just upgraded to 14.04. I've tried connecting the monitor in two different ways. First, I connected it before starting. The spash screen showed up on both the netbook and the external monitor, but when the computer was fully booted, it was frozen. I had to use the power button to shut it down. And so I tried starting the computer disconnected from the monitor. I opened the Monitors control panel, then connected the monitor. The control panel window shifted almost completely off the screen of the netbook, the computer froze, and the desktop pattern fractured into four and flickered!

Does this suggest where the problem might lie?

Hi Wolfman, we can't really marked this thread as ]SOLVED] as two others have 'hi-jacked' the thread! Needs some [MOVED] ment!

henro wrote:Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner and thanks for your interest in helping. I have my system completely up to date. In fact, I just upgraded to 14.04. I've tried connecting the monitor in two different ways. First, I connected it before starting. The spash screen showed up on both the netbook and the external monitor, but when the computer was fully booted, it was frozen. I had to use the power button to shut it down. And so I tried starting the computer disconnected from the monitor. I opened the Monitors control panel, then connected the monitor. The control panel window shifted almost completely off the screen of the netbook, the computer froze, and the desktop pattern fractured into four and flickered!

Does this suggest where the problem might lie?

Hi,

paste this command in a terminal so we can see what graphics card you have and post the results here please:

Code:

lspci

Did you do the full system force update?:

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -f

Restart after doing the updates and see if the problem still persists!.

Thank you so much for your help. Here's the printout of part one of your suggestion. I'll have to wait until the day after tomorrow to do the forced distribution upgrade. I do almost all my week's work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. What I did before is the regular distribution upgrade, without the -f.

thanks again for your help.

don@silver:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 02)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 02)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 3 (rev 02)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 4 (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) SATA Controller [IDE mode] (rev 02)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
02:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)

Hi,

you have this graphics card:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

which is supported out-of-the-box.

Did you try resetting the Monitor?, there is a reset function button/switch somewhere on the monitor or in the on-screen menu.

Are you using a VGA connection or DVI?.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I'm connecting by vga. I tried the reset function through the monitor menu. No change. Do you think I should try the forced re-install next?

By the way, this computer isn't dual boot, so I can't check the health of the graphics card unless I install some other os to test it. I have installation disks for xp and a VERY old ubuntu (hardy heron, I think) and a usb stick for xubuntu 13.10. It would be pretty easy to try a live session of one or the other.

Yes, it works fine when I boot xubuntu 13.10 from the usb stick.

Hi,

try the live version of Zorin OS again and see if it also works, if it does, it could be that it isn't installing correctly when you install, you do have an internet connection during install don't you?.

Curiouser and curiouser . . .

I tried that forced upgrade command. It took only a few minutes and gave me a result that said something like "catalogue updated successfully" -- I forget the exact words. Then I restarted. The splash screen initially showed identical and correct images of thenZ in the middle, but after ten seconds or so, on the netbook screen the Z shifted down and to the right about 8 cm. When it was all booted up, the screens were both blank except for the cursor. But as I moved the cursor around, I found that in one very small area of the netbook screen, the background images appeared on both screens, but clearly it was much larger than it should have been on the netbook screen, so some appeared on the external monitor and some didn't show up at all. I'll try to attach the picture I just took showing this effect.

I think it's attached, though it's not currently visible to me. I'm new at this forum and just learning to find my way around. I appreciate all your help, wolfman.

Hi henro,

on your laptop, you have the FN function key, , you would press for example "FN + F6" to change the various modes in which your 2nd monitor is displayed, have you played around with those keys to try diffrenet screen aspects?.

Thanks for your suggestions. I tried the FN key plus the keys that are shown as affecting the monitor in various ways. They deliver some interesting effects, like splitting the background image into six, arranged gairly randomly like a puzzle, on the netbook, the monitor, or sometimes both. But none of the combinations allow me to access anything via the mouse, no applications, no Monitors controls, nothing.

Since it seems that I'm pretty much alone in experiencing these problems, do you think I should do a complete re-install from a downloaded iso loaded onto a thumb drive? It seems to me, in my relative ignorance of how computers work under the hood, that since Xubuntu works fine from a usb stick, a clean install of Zorin should also work fine. Or am I missing something basic (which is a common situation)?

Closer!

I booted into a live session from the iso on a stick I used to install 13.10 a month or so ago. As you can see from the picture, it's closer, but functionality is extremely limited. As it started up, I got a system error alert about sending an error report regarding the Display Manager. I can launch Chrome from the panel, as shown, but the Zorin menu doesn't do anything at all. I've got the feeling that if I can install from a clean, new version of the latest Zorin, the problem may disappear. I'm currently downloading, on another computer, the iso for 32 bit Zorin 8.1 from the Zorin-os website. Is that the fully up-to-date version? I don't see where it says.

Hi henro,

I would only use one of the monitors when doing the install and then update and setup the 2nd monitor when done updating!.

The Zorin ISo is up-to-date as of the time they posted it to the download site!.

After install, try installing this app which might help with your monitor setup:

Code:

sudo apt-get install arandr

https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/saucy/arandr/

Try also: System Settings > Hardware > Screen Display > Detect Displays/Mirror displays

So close! I did the full install, opened the Monitors System Settings, and then plugged in the external monitor. At first, the Monitor window jumped down as before and a Report System Error alert popped up. But then I clicked the fullscreen box ox the monitors window and that worked. I can use the Monitors controls BUT NOW I CAN'T GET RID OF THE MONITORS WINDOW OR ACCESS THE PANEL AND THE ZORIN MENU TO DO ANYTHING ELSE! Agggghh!

So now to ARAndR
I opened it and then connected the external monitor. ARandR shows THREE POSSIBLE OUTPUTS,

LVDS1
TV1
VGA1

I can select or deselect each. I have the Tv1 deselected, of course, but no matter what I do, I still can't access the Zorin menu.

I could just go back to Xubuntu and wait for the next Zorin update. Maybe all the crash reports my system has been generating and sending in will result in an update that will let me use it in the future. You've been very patient with me, but sooner or later I have to return this computer to full functionality.

Or do you have something else I might try?

Hi,

check in BIOS to see if it has a "ACPI Enabled" switch and switch it off or on depending what position it is set to.

You can try disabling bits of Compiz which I think might be a partial cause of the problem?, do you have Gnome and KDE compatability switched to on?:

Gnome compatibility is switched on. Frankly, I know essentially nothing about the the other Compriz settings, which ones might or might not conflict.

Really, thanks for all your help, but I think I'll be better off if I switch this computer back to Xubuntu. Actually, I only installed Zorin because I wanted to test it out for some computer illiterate friends. If there are any quirks like this that need workarounds, it will mean at least one trip to their house. They'll have a different netbook and a different monitor, so I won't be sure that any solution that works for me also works for them.

So again, many thanks for all your help. I'll keep checking on Zorin, since I really like the look and feel. Maybe after the next major upgrade I'll try it again.

Hi henro,

try Zorin Lite, it dosn't have all the bell & whistles but runs fine and you never know, it just might work!.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4835