[ale] Video problems

[Jim Lynch]

On 10/17/2013 07:51 AM, Jim Lynch wrote:
> Returning the channel to a Linux technical question, I have a Centos 6 
> system running on a fairly late model ASUSTeK Computer Inc. P5KPL-VM 
> Motherboard.  It has an Intel 82G33/G31 Express Integrated Graphics 
> Controller.  The monitor is a 19" Hanns G with native resolution of 
> 1440 x 900 at 60 hz.  It looks crappy.  I was running it at 1024  x 
> 768 and it looked crappy but it wouldn't go above that without some 
> encouragment.  So I did a cvt 1440 900 and got a mode line, which I 
> used with xrandr to increase the resolution, thinking it was because 
> the monitor wasn't running in native mode.  It still looks crappy.  
> It's a bit hard to describe, but there these "artifacts" that are very 
> indistinct.  They look a bit like smears. Vertical lines, appear to 
> have multiple images to the right each one getting more indistinct and 
> fading out after a while.   I keep cleaning my glasses to try to fix 
> it.  Text just isn't clean and distinct. It's not exactly blurry 
> either.  It's hard to explain.
>
> So is there a software fix?  Do I replace the monitor?  the computer? 
> get a decent video card?  This is more or less a server that gets put 
> into desk top duty to program an Arduino sometimes.
Thank you all for replying.  A combination of your responses led me to 
disconnect the Cubieboard that was also hooked up to the DVI port. The 
Centos system was connected to the VGA port via a standard VGA cable. 
The Cubie wasn't powered on but for some reason it affected the analog 
side of the circuitry.  It was a cheap monitor so I'm not surprised.  
Now that I think of it, the digital display from the Cubie didn't have 
the same issue.

Another thing that has happened that I don't quite understand. Before I 
disconnected the digital port, the system named the monitor "unnamed 
monitor" or some such, meaning it didn't sense the monitor.  Now it 
finds the monitor and names it "HSD 17" (sorry, I thought it was a 
19").  I'll bet I don't have to use xrandr to set the mode line anymore 
either.  It did this sometime while I was screwing around with the 
cables 'cause I didn't do a restart.

But it looks great now.  Thanks again,

Jim.