Need some help with configuring desktop monitor resolution

English Hardware
1

Hi, I’m new to OpenSUSE, and I currently have a little problem with my display resolution.

When i inserted the LiveCD into my PC, OpenSUSE could only load a 800 x 600 resolution.

This also happened in Ubuntu, but one of the work arounds i was taught in Ubuntu was to modify /etc/X11/xorg.conf into a minimalistic script like this:

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

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
	HorizSync	50-95
	VertRefresh	75-110
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
	Device		"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
EndSection

(This is the actual xorg.conf file from my current Ubuntu machine and it works properly.)

This trick worked for Ubuntu Hardy all the way to the Alpha release of Jaunty.

Since it worked well on Ubuntu, i tried to apply the same minimalistic xorg.conf setting to OpenSUSE while on the LiveCD and then logged out for the changes to X to take place.

Ended up crashing X and was thrown into the CLI.

Can anyone please tell me what i am doing wrong? Would really love to adventure into other distros other than Ubuntu, but i cannot do anything if i cannot even get the GUI up and running.

Thanks in advance.

2

At the CLI, log in as root and enter
SaX2
and allow SaX2 to configure your monitor for you.

3

Unfortunately, auto-detection does not work: it just restarts X in 800 x 600 again.

I have read that this is a common problem in some CRT monitors, hence the need to actually force feed xorg.conf with the raw tech specs of the monitor for correct display res and color depth. And i’m using an old 19" ViewSonic CRT monitor. (conversely, LCD monitors are usually detected correctly by X)