Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hello
When I start xenial64 with HDMI tv attached, 1920x1024, the bottom of the screen on the laptop is missing.
The laptop is a Dell E6230, 4gb mem, 2.7gHz, i5.
I am running xenial64 but find Fossapup 9.5 a bit better as it has a multiple monitor setting but still no bottom of screen. The tv runs at 1920x1024 (maybe 1980) and laptop at 1366x1068.
Is there anyway to solve this missing bottom of screen, preferable with xenia64 but any more up to date Puppy that is better at this.
Help appreciated.
number77

You can setup your monitors using xrandr.

If you type xrandr in a text terminal (console) it should show the available screens.

For example, I am using my HDMI monitor (tv) and have my laptop screen off.
Like this:

xrandr --output LVDS --off
xrandr --output HDMI-0 --auto --primary

Type xrandr --help

I'm hopeless at monitors and screen sizes but
laptop at 1920x1024,
and screen at 1366x1068.
Where does the extra 500 pixel lines of height go to then?

I'd imagine you would have to resize the output somehow to match the screen display capability wouldn't you?

If you have multpiple monitors at different resolutions, Xwindows will create one big screen big enough to fit both (all) screens, and each screen will be a viewport of the big screen that shows just that small screen.

for example, if you have your 1920x1024 screen to the left of the 1366x1068 screen, it will make a big 3286x1068 screen.

The left screen will be the 1920x1024 pixels of the big screen, starting at the top left corner.
The pixeks from 1921 to 3286 will not be shown.
The pixels from 1025 to 1068 will not be shown.

The right screen will be the pixels from 1921 to 3286, and from 1 (the top) down to 1068.
The pixels from 1 to 1920 will not be shown.

A screenshot will be a picture of the entire big screen, including the parts of the big screen that is not shown.

In this screenshot, the bottom left rectangle is not used. This is 1 big screenshot, 1 single picture.

The machine I'm using also boots Windows. Dual monitors, Windows makes a compromise and chooses a low resolution ( something like 800x600 ) that mirrors both screens.

In Puppy/JWM you're going to want to adjust to your small monitor reflecting only a portion of the larger one, which displays the small in the upper left rectangle as williams2 calculated.

The easiest way to see this is to open a browser and maximize it. The full window on your smaller monitor is just a portion of the larger.

If you turn off the small and restart JWM, you'll realize the full screen. It's typically more useful to do this, or have the monitors pan contiguously.

I would only need a mirrored monitor if someone else were looking at it from a different angle.

It looks like I am asking too much to get an exact mirrored screen on both. It would need the video card to be able to output two different video resolutions at the same time, I hadn't thought of that. The laptop is a bit old for that. I will just have to compromise.

williams2 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 13, 2021 10:42 pm

You can setup your monitors using xrandr.

If you type xrandr in a text terminal (console) it should show the available screens.

For example, I am using my HDMI monitor (tv) and have my laptop screen off.
Like this:

Code: Select all

xrandr --output LVDS --off
xrandr --output HDMI-0 --auto --primary

Type xrandr --help

Fossapup seems to have this facility included. I may have to change to Fossapup.

xrabdr is included in puppy_xenialpup64_7.5.sfs

/usr/bin/lxrandr
/usr/bin/xrandr
/usr/sbin/xrandrshell
/usr/share/applications/lxrandr.desktop

There is probably a GUI (graphical user interface) to configure multiple monitors somewhere in the menu, maybe in the xorg video wizard.

Or you can type xrandr commands in a text terminal (console icon.)
you have more control over the configuration that way.

Look on the archwiki for good info about xrandr.
If you have a command (set of commands) that work, you can make a script with it and put it in /root/Startup.
I just need this with 2 screens:

xrandr --output eDP-1 --mode 1920x1080 --output HDMI-2 --mode 1280x1024 --right-of eDP-1

You could install zarfy with the PPM and use it, if it is not included.
IIRC, fossapup uses lxrandr as well.
These are just UI for xrandr.

can I have multiple monitors with Xenial32?