Knoppix 6.4.3 external monitor: only 30 lines used

[fergus]

I always start with knoppix 2 to get nice sparse working environment.
All the following is *not using X*.
Version 6.4.3 knows when my laptop is connected to an external monitor and diverts straight to it. (Good!)
BUT
However many additional cheatcodes I try, only 30 lines of the screen are used, though the typeface is nice and compact. Suspect width is restricted too as (with wide output) I get "early" word wrap. Poss only ?80 characters (sorry: ought to have counted: haven't).
Effectively, only the top left-hand quadrant of the screen is utilised.
I've tried screen=1280x1024, fb1280x1024, vga=normal, vga=733 all to no avail.
Any ideas?
This screen is 1280x1024; I've another one that is 1680x1050.
Fergus

[kl522]

May not be the most elegant solution, but you can try manually set up COLUMNS and LINES :-

# echo $COLUMNS
# echo $LINES
# LINES=50
# COLUMNS=100
# echo $LINES $COLUMNS

Perhaps 'resize' will do it properly for you? I don't know, but you can try :-

# eval `resize`

[fergus]

Thank you kl522 for suggestion.
Unfortunately no change: echo $COLUMNS $LINES reveals that initially both are set high anyway - but not implemented.
Changing them triggered no implementation.
The "resize" command is understood neither by 6.4.3 CD nor by 6.4.3 DVD.
But thanks anyway. Will keep watching and hoping.
Fergus

[kl522]

How about these :-

# stty rows 50
# stty columns 160

[kirol]

This screen is 1280x1024
Have you tried vga=ask? According to this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_BIOS_Extensions#Linux_video_mode_numbers), you could also try vga=794...