Ubuntu 7.10 screen trouble

[Bedlore]

I've done heaps of forum / manual reading and can't resolve this problem. I need some help please to get screen resolutions working in my linux guests (windows guests work fine). My host is on my HP NW9440 laptop with a 1920x1200 screen. Guest Additions is installed fine. I've set the screen to a Generic LCD 190x1200 (tried both widescreen and not widescreen checkbox). If I select 1920x1200 nothing changes except I see the popup box say "keep setting" etc, however if select any lower resolution settings, 1280x1024 for example, Then the screen and hosting window do resize. But the screen is very unclear, like the refresh rate is out of sync or something.

Below is my xorg.conf I would really appreciate some help getting this to work.

Thanks

<code>
# xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "vboxmouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Boardname "VESA driver (generic)"
Busid "PCI:0:2:0"
Driver "vboxvideo"
Screen 0
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Vendorname "Generic LCD Display"
Modelname "LCD Panel 1920x1200"
Horizsync 31.5-74.5
Vertrefresh 56.0 - 65.0
modeline "640x480@60" 25.2 640 656 752 800 480 490 492 525 -vsync -hsync
modeline "800x600@56" 36.0 800 824 896 1024 600 601 603 625 +hsync +vsync
modeline "800x600@60" 40.0 800 840 968 1056 600 601 605 628 +hsync +vsync
modeline "1024x768@60" 65.0 1024 1048 1184 1344 768 771 777 806 -vsync -hsync
modeline "1280x960@60" 102.1 1280 1360 1496 1712 960 961 964 994 -hsync +vsync
modeline "1280x1024@60" 108.0 1280 1328 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 +hsync +vsync
modeline "1400x1050@60" 122.61 1400 1488 1640 1880 1050 1051 1054 1087 -hsync +vsync
modeline "1600x1200@60" 162.0 1600 1664 1856 2160 1200 1201 1204 1250 +hsync +vsync
Gamma 1.0
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Generic Video Card"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
Defaultdepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Virtual 1600 1200
Modes "800x600@60" "1024x768@60" "800x600@56" "1280x960@60" "640x480@60" "1280x1024@60" "1400x1050@60" "1600x1200@60"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
screen 0 "Default Screen" 0 0
Inputdevice "Generic Keyboard"
Inputdevice "Configured Mouse"

# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
# InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
Inputdevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "glx"
Load "GLcore"
Load "v4l"
EndSection
Section "device" #
Identifier "device1"
Boardname "VESA driver (generic)"
Busid "PCI:0:2:0"
Driver "vboxvideo"
Screen 1
EndSection
Section "screen" #
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Defaultdepth 24
Monitor "monitor1"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "640x480@60"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "monitor" #
Identifier "monitor1"
Vendorname "Plug 'n' Play"
Modelname "Plug 'n' Play"
modeline "640x480@60" 25.2 640 656 752 800 480 490 492 525 -vsync -hsync
Gamma 1.0
EndSection
Section "ServerFlags"
EndSection
</code>

[Frank Mehnert]

Moment, what do you mean by 'the screen is very unclear'? The refresh rate is irrelevant since the VM is only displayed in a window of your host's screen.

And please make sure that you assign enough video memory to the guest. The default is 8MB which is sufficient for about 1680x1050 at 24bpp but not for bigger resolutions.

[Bedlore]

Thanks Frank,
Regarding the refresh rate I was just trying to describe how it looked, its unreadable, extremely blurry and squished up, appears to be repeating at higher resolutions but hard to tell.
I have the same problem even at lower resolutions like 1024x768 so I don't think its memory, but I will increase just incase.

Any other ideas?

[morvael]

I have the same problem and I have done the same things as Bedlore and got the same results. Ubuntu 7.10 guest on Windows XP SP2 host with VirtualBox 1.5.4... My laptop is FL90+ with GeForce 8600M GT & 1440x900 screen.

When I get back home I can post how the "unclear" screen looks like. It looks like you would take those 800 pixel wide lines and painted them one after another on 1024 screen with wrapping (when I tell the system to use 1024 resolution) which results in complete, unreadable mess on the screen.

Of course the ideal option would be to run full screen but for now I'm just trying to get 1024x768.

I have assigned 64MB for video and 512MB for the system.

[Bedlore]

Thanks for your input morvael

I'm really anxious to solve this issue, for me VirtualBox is an absolutely brilliant solution that has been simply crippled by the inability to utilise reasonable screen sizes. I also use XP SP2 so perhaps there is something in that common element.

Please VirtualBox team!

[morvael]

Ok, the Guest Additions were installed which I have confirmed by using common clipboard between guest and host. So I should have the vboxvideo driver available but in /etc/X11/xorg.conf it was not used so I have issued the command:

Code: Select all   Expand viewCollapse view

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

On the list of possible drivers there was vboxvideo driver so I have chosen it and then on the next screen I have chosen proper resolutions for my LCD.

After restarting X (Ctrl Alt Backspace) I got a login screen at 1440x900 but after logging into Ubuntu my screen was resized to 1024x768 (but that's still better than 800x600). My mouse cursor disappeared but I have fixed that by changing "mouse" to "vboxmouse" in the proper section of xorg.conf and restarting the X again.

Unfortunately I have only managed to get 1440x900 on the login screen and only 1024x768 inside Ubuntu. I hope this will help you a bit and maybe someone will direct us how to use better resolutions inside Ubuntu.

[Bedlore]

Thanks Morvael

I followed your instructions to the T but sadly didn't get the same result, still just the same old 640x480 and 800x600 available. So the resolution drop down didn't even reflect what was written in xorg.conf strangely.

Is anyone from the VirtualBox team interested in helping please!

[Frank Mehnert]

I still have no idea how this /etc/X11/xorg.conf could ever have worked for you. BTW, which version of VirtualBox are you using? And which version of VirtualBox guest additions did you install?

Your /etc/X11/xorg.conf should not contain such specific modes. The display section for 24-bit modes should contain a line like this

Modes "1920x1200" "1600x1200" "1280x1024" "1024x768"

Which VirtualBox frontend are you using? You should use the Qt frontend. And you should make sure that at first your host (Windows XP) is able to display the desired resolution correctly. After that, try to start the guest X server. Perhaps remove some of the bigger resolutions from that modeline first. Check which modes are working and which not. And please give detailed information what is wrong.

The display frequency just cannot be wrong because the guest is drawing the output to a virtual framebuffer which is then displayed in a host window.

[Bedlore]

I still have no idea how this /etc/X11/xorg.conf could ever have worked for you.

BTW, which version of VirtualBox are you using? And which version of VirtualBox guest additions did you install?

Those modeline were created automatically for me when I set the screen as a 'Generic LCD Display' in the virtual.
VirtualBox 1.5.4
VirtualBox 1.5.4 Guest Additions for Linux

Your /etc/X11/xorg.conf should not contain such specific modes. The display section for 24-bit modes should contain a line like this

Modes "1920x1200" "1600x1200" "1280x1024" "1024x768"

I changed and simplified it but still not joy.

Which VirtualBox frontend are you using? You should use the Qt frontend. And you should make sure that at first your host (Windows XP) is able to display the desired resolution correctly. After that, try to start the guest X server. Perhaps remove some of the bigger resolutions from that modeline first. Check which modes are working and which not. And please give detailed information what is wrong.

There was only one windows version available here http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads, how can I tell if it is the Qt frontend?

I confirmed my host can display all resolutions, it did appear to not support a Depth of 24 bit, so I changed this to 32 bit but still no joy yet even in small resolutions like 1024. Oddly no matter what values I place in there gnome only gives me the option of 800x600 and 640x480?

Thank you for helping!

[morvael]

I have once again tried the procedure (as above):

Code: Select all   Expand viewCollapse view

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

choosing vboxvideo driver and 1440x900,1024x768,800x600 and 640x480 modes but this time having the guest in full screen mode (Host+F on boot) all the time and after restarting X I got full screen as desired , the only problem being with mouse cursor disappearing (changing mouse->vboxmouse in xorg.conf and restart X fixed it).

So now all works as desired for me!

[pablochacin]

the only problem being with mouse cursor disappearing (changing mouse->vboxmouse in xorg.conf and restart X fixed it).

So now all works as desired for me!

I can't find this mouse in the xorg.conf. Could you please post the section(s) of your conf file on which you define and reference the vboxmouse? Thanks.

[Bedlore]

Well done morvael, I'm glad you've got it sorted out for yourself. Unfortunately no luck at my end, I tried your newer method but still no progress, whatever I try I only ever get 800 and 640 options. Like you I am able to copy / paste from host into guest so my guest-addtions appear to be fine. Starting to think its simply a bug in VirtualBox. Does anyone know if there are been any reports of successful Gutsy installations on a winXP host?

Also of interest I noted that if I try and configure my screen adapter from within Gutsy no vbox driver is found there is a vmware one. But if I reconfigure from shell as suggested by morvael I do see a vbox driver.

pablochacin: for an example of vboxmouse check the first post in this thread.

[pablochacin]

Hi

I finally got the thing working, but the process wasn't smooth at all. I first run the command

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Which allowed me to changed the resolution. However, the pointer disappeared (as other had reported). I solved this changing the /etc/X11/xorg.conf to define the vboxmouse, but then the display configuration went back to low resolution.

If I ran the dpkg-reconfigure command to restore the graphics, the pointer disappeared again. It was very frustrating.

At the end, I just re-installed the extensions and repeated the steps and worked, but I wanted to know if there is some "logic" behind this or I was just lucky.

[Bedlore]

Just wanted to report back on this issue. I updated to 1.5.6 and this problem has now gone. Full screen no problems!

Thanks

Now if we can get 3D support that would be the icing on the cake.