Screen resolution in Red Hat 6.1

[Oxymoron]

hiya.
I guess I'm a newbie to Linux, but am fine at partitioning, and loading red hat, however I recntly got a new computer, with a great 22" screen, but it is a-bit old, and as I discovered incompatible.
Windows 98 puts it under the description of standard 1024x800. I use this resolution as standard, but when I tried to install Red hat, the instillation would not allow me this resolution, and keeps appearing as 640x400 =(
Please if anyone knows a command which would allow me to fiddle with the settings ("xconfig" or something similar, as I said I'm a newbie)
Please Help I really like Linux, but can't stand using such a blocky resolution.
any and all comments welcome!!
thanx y'all
JoE

 

[danns]

You need to know the horizontal and vertical refresh rates of the monitor. Once you have these, you can edit /etc/X11/XF86Config and change these setting in that file. You must do this as root.

Becareful that you have these values correct as you could damage the monitor. Especially an older monitor.

 

[Oxymoron]

Thanks very much, I'd heard something about needing to know the refresh rates, but didn't know where to go.
Anyway, cheers, one more thing, do you know if there's a way you can track the monitor's refresh rates in Windows or Linux, because I don't have any documentation with my monitor.
If there is that'd be great!!
Thanx!
bye JoE

 

[ktighe]

In windows, you can download a small program called 'powerstrip' that has lots of good info about your system. If you are using a generic driver, though, it probably won't help too much....I have no idea how to find that stuff out in linux.
Who makes the monitor? Have you tried going to the manufacturer's web site to look up specs? I would imagine that you should be able to find that info somewhere on the web.
Kevin

 

[MrTom]

the refresh rate in windoze probably won't be the best your monitor can do if it can't detect it properly.

i have a problem with mine, in both windoze and X. windoze says it will only do 1200x1024@75Hz when it can do 1600x1200@85Hz. I eventually managed to get X to work but windoze was just so stupid i gave up trying to get the extra 10Hz.

i've seen a few databases of monitors and their specs on the net when i had trouble finding out what mine could do. make sure you've searched on google for your make.

 

[Oxymoron]

Thankyou all.
Now this is oing to sound absolutely pathetic to all you Linux expets, but I am a terrible Newbie.
But the destination "danns" gave me /etc/X11/XF86Config
......how do I get to it, I have located it in the file navigator, but cannot execute it from there. I'cve opened Xterm, but I do not know the command, can anyone help??
sorry this sounds terrible, but any help would be great.

 

[MikeT]

Have you tried opening it in a text editor?