Fixing the screen resolution in Ubuntu when running in Microsoft Virtual PC is quite a task, but I did a small research and I found some ways around it.
Here is the fix, with a little help from my friends of course. Once you logon to Ubuntu GUI, go to Application, Accessories, Text Editor:
And copy the following 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″³
Option “XkbLayout” “us”
EndSection
Section “InputDevice”
Identifier “Configured Mouse”
Driver “mouse”
Option “CorePointer”
Option “Device” “/dev/input/mice”
Option “Protocol” “ImPS/2″³
Option “ZAxisMapping” “4 5″³
Option “Emulate3Buttons” “true”
EndSection
Section “InputDevice”
Driver “wacom”
Identifier “stylus”
Option “Device” “/dev/input/wacom”
Option “Type” “stylus”
Option “ForceDevice” “ISDV4″³ # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section “InputDevice”
Driver “wacom”
Identifier “eraser”
Option “Device” “/dev/input/wacom”
Option “Type” “eraser”
Option “ForceDevice” “ISDV4″³ # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section “InputDevice”
Driver “wacom”
Identifier “cursor”
Option “Device” “/dev/input/wacom”
Option “Type” “cursor”
Option “ForceDevice” “ISDV4″³ # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section “Device”
Identifier “Generic Video Card”
Driver “vesa”
BusID “PCI:0:8:0″³
EndSection
Section “Monitor”
Identifier “Generic Monitor”
Option “DPMS”
HorizSync 30-70
VertRefresh 50-160
EndSection
Section “Screen”
Identifier “Default Screen”
Device “Generic Video Card”
Monitor “Generic Monitor”
DefaultDepth 16
SubSection “Display”
Depth 16
Modes “1280×1024″³ “1024×768″³ “800×600″³
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section “ServerLayout”
Identifier “Default Layout”
Screen “Default Screen”
InputDevice “Generic Keyboard”
InputDevice “Configured Mouse”
# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
# InputDevice “stylus” “SendCoreEvents”
# InputDevice “cursor” “SendCoreEvents”
# InputDevice “eraser” “SendCoreEvents”
EndSection
Save the file as Xorg.conf in your profile folder. Close out of Text Editor, and open terminal by going to Applications, Accessories, Terminal. Do a backup of your current xorg.conf file just in case something goes wrong by typing the following command:
sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup
Now replace the old xorg.conf file with new one we saved earlier by typing the following command on terminal:
sudo cp xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Restart your machine.Ubuntu should reboot just as it did before, but before asking you for the username and password it should display this window:
Click on configure. On the next screen click on Plug N, Play tab:
Select “Monitor 1280 X 1024″ from the list:
Click OK. For Resolution choose “1280 X 1024 @ 60Hz“ then select Test.
You should get a larger “˜gray’ window with option to keep the confguration. Select the option to keep it.Now the size of Ubuntu screen should be bigger, and the resolution better.
Whoa! you destroyed my xorg.conf file!!
I got no such window, i got a window asking to troubleshoot or start ubuntu in low graphics mode!
Now can you tell me how replace that backup of previous xorg file with the current xorg?
Can you update this for 9.04? I get a slightly different screen after the reboot. I choose the closest option to "configure" (I believe it says "reconfigure")but it doesn't take me to the screen you show next.
I've seen this instruction set elsewhere and have the same issue as Bradley. Ubuntu 9.04 does not give you the option to go into a configure mode after doing all of the above. Still staring at 800×600…
thanks for this.
once i fixed the typos in this code (quotes, graphics and superscripts), it worked fine. perhaps you might consider reposting in plain text? or providing a correctly-configured xconf.org file for download?
Don't just copy/paste the above, there are special characters that screw everything up. Look carefully after pasting it in. You'll have to replace the pasted "quote" characters on each side of each quoted text with real quotes (use the text-editor's search/replace function and paste into the "find" box a quote from the left side of any given quoted text, then replace it. Then do the same with the "quote" on the right side of text.).
There may be other special characters to get rid of too. I had dice-like wingdings and the numeral "3" as an exponent in several places.
After doing those replaces to get the quotes right, everything worked fine.
I was able to fix the funky characters/quotes using the text editor using VPC 2.7 and Ubuntu 9.04 so that Ubuntu boots up with the replacement xorg.conf. However, the display size is 1600×1200 with a 1280×1024 window so that I have slider bars (I have a Dell flat panel that can go up to 1280×1024). When I go to the Preferences->Display I have a lot of other resolution choices like 1280×1024, 1152×864, 1024×768, 896×600, 800×600 and 800×512. But the only ones that work are 1600×1200 and 800×600 (but the 800×600 is not like the original low resolution 800×600 – it is severely stretched out making it unusable). And all the other modes are just unreadable blurry lines so I have to use Alt-R to restore the original 1600×1200. Anyone know how this can be fixed? Ideally would like to use either 1280×1024 or 1024×768.
It's working fine if you exclude the "1280×1024" resolution from the conf file.
This worked~! …eventually. You have to be real careful and remove all the extra non-textual characters. There were about 3 quotes that looked regular , but close exam showed them to be sorta italicized, but were messing things up so I removed those. That helped. I found though the line that bore most watching was:
"Modes “1280×1024″³ “1024×768″³ “800×600″³".
Replace the stray characters. Get rid of those 3 & A-thingies and replace the – with an small x. I found this a tech republic and it helped. http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/opensource/?p=2…. Using nano ensured just text was used. But it worked and my screen came up 1280-1024!!!! Changing resolution though forced me to do an Alt-R so you're on your own there. But 1280-1024 was all I wanted on my PC host 1600-1200 screen
I tried to increase screen resolution following these steps. I have Ubuntu 10.04 installed on Virtual PC. It looked promising the first time: Screen resolution increased to 1280×1024, excellent screen. But, as soon as I typed password and pressed Enter, the screen went to some weird mode with overlapped lines and four cursors on it :-( and the screen size went back to 800×600. It is not readable at all.
I would appreciate any ideas.
Thanks, it worked for me after removing "nonay" (funncy chars) and replacing "-" in the resolution path with "x".