monitor resolution?

**new dumbie** · 09-17-2003, 11:33 PM

Greetings.
I can't seem to get my monitor to act right in my very first foray in the world of Linux and Knoppix. I have an old computer and moniter. It just looks crazy, with what appears to be several images of the desktop and the mouse pointer on it. I have tried to go back out into Windows and change the resolution and that didn't work. I've also tried the "cheats" suggested in some of the other related posts I could find in this site like "ctrl alt + " I'm assuming that is during the boot up of Koppix? I'm very new and very dumb. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! If you give me command line prompts, you will have to tell me how to get to where I will enter them!

**bitey** · 09-19-2003, 03:54 AM

Type this at the boot prompt:

knoppix screen=800x600

or if the monitor is really, really old:

knoppix screen=640x480

Hope that helps.

**Stephen** · 09-19-2003, 04:57 AM

You may also want to add xvrefresh=60 to the above mentioned cheat codes and maybe the xmodule=??? code for your video card.

**new dumbie** · 09-19-2003, 08:41 AM

Thanks bunches! I'll fumble and bumble around and see if I can find a place to punch that stuff in.

Thanks again!

New Dumbie

**Gnu Penguin** · 09-19-2003, 04:34 PM

If you are booting from the Live CD, hit F2 when the CD first starts up, then you can enter the cheats, something like:

knoppix screen=800x600; knoppix xvrefresh=60

I think the xvrefresh cheat is the key one. Knoppix seems to set the vertical refresh rate higher than older monitors can handle.

**new dumbie** · 09-19-2003, 09:57 PM

Thanks! It worked!

Now I've been trying to switch the desktop from the KDE to Ice or whatever that other one is. I have the cheat code, but it has a symbol in it that isn't on my keyboard. "desktop=fluxbox l icewm" The character inbetween fluxbox and icewm is what? I have used a lower case L to type here, but it doesn't work for inputting in the command line. Also, do I add the spaces inbetween the character and the fluxbox and icewm? Additionally, do I put Knoppix in before the command string? I have a "standard" USA 101 key, keyboard.

Thanks for bearing with my ingnorance!

New Dumbie

**Stephen** · 09-19-2003, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by new dumbie

Now I've been trying to switch the desktop from the KDE to Ice or whatever that other one is. I have the cheat code, but it has a symbol in it that isn't on my keyboard. "desktop=fluxbox l icewm" The character inbetween fluxbox and icewm is what? I have used a lower case L to type here, but it doesn't work for inputting in the command line. Also, do I add the spaces inbetween the character and the fluxbox and icewm? Additionally, do I put Knoppix in before the command string? I have a "standard" USA 101 key, keyboard.

The character you refer too is the pipe ( | ) or broken-bar key on my keyboard it is shift \. You do not need it to use a different desktop it is just being used as a seperator in the documents to use the Icewm for a cheat code you would boot with knoppix desktop=icewm if you want to use fluxbox then knoppix desktop=fluxbox you would of course add your other cheats to the line to boot properly.

**new dumbie** · 09-20-2003, 12:14 AM

Wow

I actually got it to work! Thanks alot! May not seem like a big deal to you, but to enter Knoppix Lang=En Knoppix Desktop=Fluxbox and get it to fly is definitely a milestone for my feeble 'puter skills! Now my old dinosaur seems to respond a bit better and perhaps I can navigate around better and start learning something! I was starting to get kinda frustrated, but now it's OK...still having some trouble figuring out how to resize the entire screen size....it all seems to extend too far beyond my screen...but I'll figure it out...hopefully.

Thanks for your help!!!

Off topic, I know.....but when and if I ever do get the hang of working with any type of a Linux OS.....I'm looking for some OBJECTIVE input on which ONE to go with? I know how Lindows is looked at by the mainstream Linux crowd...and I'm not too wild 'bout their pay structure, but may end up with one of those Wal-Mart machines...I'm kinda leaning towards Libranet right now.....I'm strictly a HOME (only M$ experience) user and will have to have SOME Windows 98 and other M$ crap on my machine. Still, if there is another way to get going in Debian, well I dunno. I just want something that works. Not interested in writing code or buying new machines. Also not very thrilled about having to use the command line for input, but maybe I'll get over that.

Any input greatly appreciated, as usual!

New Dumbie