The Refresh Rate Catch-22

[nemorathwald]

My Linux box is still set up to the resolution or refresh rate of that monitor which burned out last week. On every other monitor I use it with, it looks fine through the booting phase showing the Ubuntu logo above a scrolling list of things that are happening. But just when it is about to get to the desktop, the image shuts off and is replaced with the words "OUT OF SYNC".

I already tried booting from a Live CD. I have several dozen of direct-from-Canonical officially-stamped Ubuntu Breezy Badger live CDs. They each initialize an install process which insists that the CD lacks files that it needs.

The Lojbanists in our web-based chat room told me I need to alter my config file. I don't know how to get a command line though. They suggested I try to SSH into the computer from another computer. This is a process that I don't know, and I don't know the IP address of the machine.

Someone suggested that pressing CTRL-ALT-F1 during the bootup process might give me a command line. If that works, I could type "vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf" and I would be editing my config file. Then I would just have to figure out what part sets the resolution or refresh rate, and figure out what to change it to through trial and error.

I think I'll erase my hard drive and reinstall Ubuntu. It sounds easier. I probably won't lose much, because 90% of the data on my Ubuntu machine also resides online, or was copied from my Windows box to begin with.

Comments

[phecda.livejournal.com]

It would be a good exercise to dink with the config file first.

Now I set things up so my linux systems boot to CLI so this is never an issue. You can download puTTY onto your winbox to ssh into your ubuntu box. You'll have to check the lan router for your system's IP address (assigned by DHCP, so it may change from boot to boot).

And your fall back position is a reload.

[zifferent.livejournal.com]

That's not the only one way to do it. A good way mind you, but only one out of a few ways, and not necessarily the easiest way. I was thinking you could go into single-user mode, but since you use Ubuntu and there isn't a root account that won't get you very far. Try the CTRL-ALT-F1 thing, but wait until X starts (about 2 or 3 minutes after your monitor goes blank.) This will send you to a console where you can login and type 'sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg' and breeze through the setup process.