Samsung SyncMaster 2243NW Resolution Problem

Hello all.
After searching the forums couldnt find a solution to my problem so decided to make a post to ask for your help.

I installed 11.3 open SuSE x86_64, with the build in drivers I could apply resolution 1680x1050 @ 60.
When I am installing the proprietary Catalyst 10.12 maximum resolution is set to 1600x1200.

I have tried the workarounds found in the forum with no joy.

It is my belief that the problem resides on the incapability of the system to read or even retrieve the EDID information form the monitor.

I am using:
AMD Athlon 7550 Dual-Core
ATI Radeon HD 3850


xorg.conf file:
Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "aticonfig Layout"
	Screen      0  "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0" 0 0
	Screen         "aticonfig-Screen[0]-1" RightOf "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
EndSection

Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	Option	    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
	Option	    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
	Option	    "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-1"
	Option	    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
	Option	    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
	Option	    "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Driver      "fglrx"
	BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]-1"
	Driver      "fglrx"
	BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
	Screen      1
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
	Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-1"
	Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-1"
	Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-1"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

xrandr output:
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1440 x 900, maximum 1600 x 1600
DFP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
CRT1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
CRT2 connected 1440x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
   1600x1200      60.0 +
   1400x1050      60.0  
   1280x1024      60.0     47.0     43.0  
   1440x900       59.9* 
   1280x960       60.0  
   1280x800       60.0  
   1152x864       60.0     47.0     43.0  
   1280x768       59.9     56.0  
   1280x720       60.0     50.0  
   1024x768       60.0     43.5  
   800x600        60.3     56.2     47.0  
   720x576        50.0  
   720x480        60.0  
   640x480        60.0  
TV disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
CV disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Xorg.0.log

Before installing Catalyst drivers the monitor was detected as Samsung 21". After installing the drivers the monitor is detected as unknown.
I used the script ati upgrade to install the drivers.

Also dont know if its any use but when running Computer>YaST>Hardware Information, I get accurate information about the monitor including all the supported resolutions. However when I save to file this is what I get:

62: None 00.0: 10000 Monitor
  [Created at fb.71]
  Unique ID: rdCR.EY_qmtb9YY0
  Hardware Class: monitor
  Model: "Generic Monitor"
  Vendor: "Generic"
  Device: "Monitor"
  Resolution: 1600x1200@77Hz
  Driver Info #0:
    Max. Resolution: 1600x1200
    Vert. Sync Range: 50-90 Hz
    Hor. Sync Range: 31-96 kHz
  Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown

I have tried to edit the xorg.conf file but nothing changed. I might not doing it right however so any suggestion would be welcomed.

If there is any need for more input I would be glad to provide it.
Thanks for your time and help in advance.

On 02/02/2011 02:36 PM, k-a wrote:
> I installed 11.3 open SuSE x86_64, with the build in drivers I could
> apply resolution 1680x1050 @ 60.

you didn’t happen to have had that monitor hooked up to the same
graphics chip with an earlier version of openSUSE (or other Linux) did
you?

and, maybe have a copy of the xorg.conf still sitting in a backup
archive somewhere?


DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP posted w/openSUSE 11.3, KDE4.5.5, Thunderbird3.0.11, nVidia
173.14.28 3D, Athlon 64 3000+]
“It is far easier to read, understand and follow the instructions than
to undo the problems caused by not.” DD 23 Jan 11

Nope. Unfortunately no. I had similar issues with Windows instalation though. 1280x1050 resolution was not detected neither the Monitor. Easy fix was to install monitor drivers so the monitor would be identified correctly and the resolution would be enabled. Cant find linux drivers for the monitor though.

I did a bit more reading and apparently when using fglrx drivers they do not read the xorg.conf file unless you tell them to.
That actually explaines why the changes I did in xorg.conf had no impact.

So either I have to set up teh Catalyst drivers through aticonfig, which is a problem as I cant find the manual and aticonfig --help just generates way too many pages to handle, or i have to edit xorg.conf and then use “aticonfig --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf” to make the drivers read and take the settings form the file.

I will have a go and keep this thread updated.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated as it is the first time I come across such a problem.
Thanks.

I did a bit more reading and apparently when using fglrx drivers they do not read the xorg.conf file unless you tell them to.
That actually explaines why the changes I did in xorg.conf had no impact.

You’re correct in that xorg.conf is not actually required as far as Xorg is concerned, however any entries you do add will be used (where applicable). The configuration sections have now been split up into separate files, and reside in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory, and can be edited if necessary. These Samsung Syncmasters seem to be notorious for EDID issues.

The native resolution for this model is 1680x1050 (based on the specs I found via Google), so the open source driver actually provided the correct display mode.

For the fglrx driver, I found this page which you may want to read first. It looks like this is dependant on the driver version you’re using, so you may need to uninstall, then change versions if possible. (I don’t use this driver now because of old ATI hardware, so I can’t really advise specifically on this).

You could try adjusting the xorg.conf you created with aticonfig. (You’ll need to edit it with root permissions). If using KDE4

kdesu kwrite /etc/X11/xorg.conf

For Gnome

gnomesu gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Add the required modeline to the monitor section

Modeline "1680x1050" 119.0 1680 1728 1760 1840 1050 1053 1059 1080

and in the screen section, make sure it has this mode reference

Section "Screen"
    Identifier "Default Screen"
    
    DefaultDepth     24
    SubSection "Display"
        Viewport  0 0
        Depth     24
        Modes    "1680x1050"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

You may also need to disable DDC (device section) with

Option "NoDDC"   "yes"

When finished editing, save and restart the X-server with CTRL-ALT-Backspace (twice).

See how that goes.

Thanks for the response and for your time mate.

I spend a lot of time, approximately 4 days, attempting to solve the problem with procedures as you described, before I made this post. Unfortunately the changes I did in xorg.conf file did not seem to apply.

I am still in process on the path of the solution I described above.
Edit xorg.conf file and use “aticonfig --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf” to pass the changes to Catalyst.

Basically I need to edit the xorg.conf correctly which is the problem atm since the information are scattered all over the internet and it takes time. At least for me that I am not familiar with the syntax of xorg.conf and its contents.

I wonder if I could discard the xorg.conf and edit the contents of /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d directory instead. How would I pass the contents of these files in Catalyst configuration though?

EDIT: Yes the native resolution is 1680x1050 @ 60.

Ok so I made the changes in xorg.conf.
Restarted and no change.
Went in level 3 as root used the aticonfig --input=etc/X11/xorg.conf command and still no change in the available resolutions or the default one.

I will remove the xorg.conf and make the same changes in the appropriate files in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory.

Ill report any progress.

EDIT: During the attempts to edit the xorg.conf I made some mistakes with frequency changes which resulted in X server to fail to initiate due to monitor errors. That tells me that the changes actually took place but the monitor could not response. After removing the frequency ranges X server starts but no change seems to be applied.

I made the changes in the appropriate files in xorg.conf.d directory but x server could not start.
I moved 50-screen.conf file to another directory and X server was able to start.

Maybe the answer is to try and somehow feed the system the information from EDID file? Is that possible?

Apparently the cause of pain to me and to others with same monitor is the fact that the monitor has only D-sub input.
Most Graphic Cards have DVI outputs so you need an adapter to connect the monitor cable to the output of the Graphic Card.
The adapter somehow interferes with the way the EDID data are transferred by request to the system.

I found some information on how to retrieve the EDID data and save it to an .INF file.
I guess that would be my next approach.

Maybe the answer is to try and somehow feed the system the information from EDID file? Is that possible?

No, unfortunately only the nvidia proprietary driver allows you to do this.

However, the other drivers typically allow one to disable EDID and use manual modelines etc. For fglrx I think these options are available:

Option "IgnoreEdid" "true"
Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false"
Option "NoDDC" "true"

(I have read of accounts where modelines weren’t honoured by the driver, but you’d need to check this for yourself with experimentation).

You may also need to adjust /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-monitor.conf (or /etc/X11/xorg.conf if thats what you’re using) to make sure that these lines are uncommented (no # character)

HorizSync 28-85
VertRefresh 50-100

Apparently the cause of pain to me and to others with same monitor is the fact that the monitor has only D-sub input.
Most Graphic Cards have DVI outputs so you need an adapter to connect the monitor cable to the output of the Graphic Card.
The adapter somehow interferes with the way the EDID data are transferred by request to the system.

Yes, that can be a factor unfortunately. However, there is no way to make the fglrx driver read the EDID from a file, although it would be useful if it could :slight_smile:

First of all thanks a lot for the help, your contributions is greatly appreciated.

I have tried to input the frequency values retrieved from the specifications of the monitor. Should I replace them with the ones you posted?

Sad thing I cant feed the EDID with the fglrx drivers. I will go with your advice to disable the EDID feed and provide my own resolutions.

It will have to wait till tomorrow though, I spent too may hours in front of a blurry monitor and my eyes refuse to cooperate.

Thanks again for your time I will post any progress made. Hopefully it will save time for others that experience the same problem.

No problem. Unfortunately, getting the fglrx driver to co-operate with manual resolutions can be a challenge (from what I’ve read online). However, the good news is you’ve already proved that the graphics card can work with 1680x1050, (via the open source driver) so that is a start.

I have tried to input the frequency values retrieved from the specifications of the monitor. Should I replace them with the ones you posted?

Just make sure that they span the range supported by your monitor. They are used instead of monitor probing when supplied.

Sometimes its difficult to tell what may work or not with all the information (and disinformation) out there, so experimentation is the key here. Post your xorg.conf or 50-monitor-conf files if you get stuck. It might help others to see if there are any entries missing, or requiring adjustment etc.

Thanks again for your time I will post any progress made. Hopefully it will save time for others that experience the same problem.

Thats the spirit. :slight_smile:

I removed the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.
In the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory I have edited the following files as they appear:

50-screen.conf

Section "Screen"
 	Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
	Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
		Modes "1680x1050"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

50-monitor.conf

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	Option	    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
	Option	    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
	Option	    "DPMS" "true"
	HorizSync 28-85
	VertRefresh 50-100
	ModeLine     "1680x1050_60.00" 146.2 1680 1784 1960 2240 1050 1053 1059 1089 -hsync +vsync
EndSection

50-device.conf

Section "Device"
  	Identifier  "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Driver      "fglrx"
	BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
	Option "IgnoreEdid" "true"
	Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false"
	Option	    "NoDDC"   "yes"

EndSection

Here is the /var/log/xorg.0.log file

I would like in particular to point out the following lines of the xorg.0.log file

   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "IgnoreEdid" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "UseEdidFreqs" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "NoDDC" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "VendorName" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "ModelName" is not used

Apparently the options with which I am attempting to configure the files, in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory are not valid or they need to be predefined prior to usage. Could that be a hierarchy issue created by separating the sections of former xorg.conf file into different files?
It seems that if xorg.conf file is absent, xorg scans the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory for layout.conf file. If that is absent then moves to screen.conf file. Maybe I should create a layout.conf file for these Options to work? What would be the correct syntax to use when creating such a file?
Clearly as showed in the beginning of the xorg.0.log file, the screen section file is identified and successfully function in binding the screen and monitor section files. However, and that might be a wrong assumption, it seems that not all the options used in xorg.conf file can be used in the section files of xorg.conf.d directory.

I am all dried out of ideas atm so any help from someone familiar with editing these files would be appreciated.

EDIT:It seems I cant find a manual for aticonfig. Can someone help? It might be a less time consuming approach to solve the same problem.

   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "IgnoreEdid" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "UseEdidFreqs" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "NoDDC" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "VendorName" is not used
   412.050] (WW) fglrx(0): Option "ModelName" is not used

It seems those options are no longer valid for the fglrx driver, so just remove them from your config files. Reading online, I see this has been a major criticism of the proprietary driver that EDID detection can no longer be disabled!

I note you used this modeline

ModeLine     "1680x1050_60.00" 146.2 1680 1784 1960 2240 1050 1053 1059 1089 -hsync +vsync

The screen section reference then needs to match


        SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
		Modes "1680x1050_60.00"
	EndSubSection

You could also try this reduced blanking modeline generated with ‘cvt 1680 1050 -r’

Modeline "1680x1050"  119.00  1680 1728 1760 1840  1050 1053 1059 1080

(I stripped away the +hsync and -vsync, and renamed it to simplify it. The X-server is only interested in the numeric values after the mode reference really).

It seems that if xorg.conf file is absent, xorg scans the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory for layout.conf file. If that is absent then moves to screen.conf file. Maybe I should create a layout.conf file for these Options to work? What would be the correct syntax to use when creating such a file?

Yes, xorg.conf takes presidence over the other config files if it exists, so you should remove it if you’re using the new files. I’m not aware of layout.conf files though.

I am referring to the following lines of the xorg.0.log file

   411.163] (==) Using config directory: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d"
   411.163] (==) No Layout section.  Using the first Screen section.

It seems to me it looks for a layout section and if its absent it moves to Screen section. Since all sections are separate files in xorg.conf.d directory I just jumped to the conclusion that the layout section its looking for its a file as well. Ofcourse I might be totally wrong.

Anyway back to the issue I will apply the changes and be back to report any progress, forward or backwards :P.

Again thanks for the help.

I note that Xorg.0.log contains

fglrx(0): Not using mode "1680x1050" (width too large for virtual size)

Makes me wonder if adding ‘Virtual 1680 1050’ might help (hopefully not deprecated like the other options)

Section "Screen"
 	Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
	Device     "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
	Monitor    "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
		Modes "1680x1050"
                Virtual 1680  1050
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Earlier in the thread you mentioned

Apparently the cause of pain to me and to others with same monitor is the fact that the monitor has only D-sub input.
Most Graphic Cards have DVI outputs so you need an adapter to connect the monitor cable to the output of the Graphic Card.
The adapter somehow interferes with the way the EDID data are transferred by request to the system.

However, when I check the specs for your monitor, it mentions that this model does have a DVI input. If so, that will almost certainly fix any EDID-related issues. Are you sure that yours only has a VGA input?

Ok I changed the files in xorg.conf.d to match with defined Freq and without.
Changed the cvt output I got with the one you posted.
I added the “Virtual 1980 1050” line.
It seems that essentially it didnt affect anything.

Here is the /var/log/xorg.0.log

Yes I am wondering about those lines as well. Most weird is the fact that the resolution 1980x1050 is the first that brings out such result (width too large for virtual size) but at the same time the monitor OSD displays a message saying “Not Optimum Mode. Recommended Mode: 1680x1050 60Hz” on any other resolution applied.

Yes I am positive. I am not aware of any models released with DVI inputs but I have never seen one in the market. If you are referring to the manuals such as the ones found in this linkhttp://www.samsung.com/uk/support/detail/supportPrdDetail.do?menu=SP00&prd_ia_cd=&prd_mdl_cd=LS22MYNKB/EDC&prd_mdl_name=2243NW&srchword=2243NW they are generic to cover a wide range of products.

I find this line from xorg.0.log strange. dont recall seeing it before, although I might have missed it.
" 15.477] (II) fglrx(0): Output DFP1 using monitor section aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
What is a DPF monitor?

On 02/03/2011 05:36 PM, k-a wrote:
> I am all dried out of ideas atm so any help from someone familiar with
> editing these files would be appreciated.

just a wild idea:

consider how much your time is worth per hour, then buy a new graphics
card and monitor known to work well with Linux.

and, sell the ones you have on ebay…i bet if you had done that days
ago you would have saved a lot of time, and time equals money!


DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP posted w/openSUSE 11.3, KDE4.5.5, Thunderbird3.0.11, nVidia
173.14.28 3D, Athlon 64 3000+]
“It is far easier to read, understand and follow the instructions than
to undo the problems caused by not.” DD 23 Jan 11

DPF => Digital Flat Panel

I’m not sure that there are any more tricks that can be done here. Although, the graphics card is not really the issue here, it is possible that different graphics hardware and drivers may co-operate better with this monitor (eg over-riding EDID, or reading from a file). However, if you search online, you’ll see numerous issues reported with SyncMasters (and especially those connected via VGA cables). I think you’re at the end of the road with this monitor. Get one with a DVI connector, and maybe do some online research first.