Abstract
This set of tools allows you to configure your graphical display. With it you will be able to change your video card, your resolution and your monitor. It can be useful if you happen to change one of your graphical components after the initial installation.
![]() | Tip |
---|---|
If you cannot boot into
graphical mode and you end up in a console (command-line
interface), log in as |
The graphical configuration tools are accessible through different icons in the Mandrakelinux Control Center Hardware section.
This tool allows you to change the monitor type
currently in use. When you click on it a window pops up, listing
many monitor models (see Figure 14.2, “Choosing a New Monitor”). If your monitor was
automatically detected it will be listed as Plug'n
Play along with its model.
If your monitor wasn't automatically detected, you can choose it from the list. If you don't find your monitor or a compatible one, choose one with parameters corresponding to your own monitor from the Generic entry, at the bottom.
This tool enables you to change the
current screen resolution (
800x600
,
1024x768
, etc.) and the color depth. Simply
choose the one you wish to use. The monitor in the window
displays what the desktop will look like with the chosen
configuration (see Figure 14.3, “Changing the Resolution of your
Screen”). If it looks good, click
on OK.
The changes will be activated after you quit and restart your graphical environment.
By default, the available
resolution list only shows resolutions supported by your video
card and monitor combination. There is a special entry
named Other which adds more possible
resolutions along with their ratio. Bear in mind that most
monitors are designed with a 4:3
horizontal
vs. vertical ratio.
If you happen to change your video
card after installing your system, or want to have full control
over the graphic configuration, run as root
,
XFdrake from a console. The tool shown in Figure 14.4, “XFdrake Main Window” will be shown.
Let's look at the interface. The first three buttons allow you to change certain aspects of the graphical configuration:
The button displays the name of the graphic card currently configured. If you wish to change it, just click on it. Depending on your card, different servers may be available, with or without 3D acceleration. You may need to try different ones until you get the best result.
In case you cannot find the graphic card you have, but you know which driver supports it, select it from the Xorg entry at the bottom.
Enables you to change the monitor with the tool described in Section 2.1, “Changing the Monitor”.
Enables you to change the pixel resolution and the color depth with the tool described in Section 2.2, “Changing Resolution”.
![]() | Tip |
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If you are using KDE you can also change the screen resolution on the fly by using the Section 2.3, “Changing Screen Resolution”. |
Test. Click on this button to verify that your modifications actually work. It is highly recommended you do test it, because if it does not work, it will be harder later to recover a working graphical environment. If the test fails simply wait until it ends. If you are not satisfied with the suggested settings, choose XFdrake's main menu.
during the test, and you will be returned to![]() | Note |
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Depending on your video card, video testing may not be available. You will be warned of such a situation. If it happens that the settings are incorrect and your display does not work, refer to Chapter 21, TroubleshootingChapter 21, Troubleshooting to use XFdrake's text version. |
Options. You can choose to start the graphical server when your system boots. Answer if you prefer to have a text login. Selecting will launch the graphical login manager at boot time.
Quit. If you modified your graphical display in some way, the current configuration will be displayed and XFdrake will ask you whether you want to keep your changes or not. This is your last chance to go back to the old configuration. If all seems OK, click on . If you wish to restore the previous parameters, click on .
The changes will be activated after you quit and restart your graphical environment.