Using nvidia-settings I am able to get my external monitor correctly positioned to the right of my laptop just as I like. However, when I reboot, restart X, and login I find I am back to where I started with the two monitors mirroring each other (rather than the display extending from laptop to the external monitor on my right).
I have read that the correct solution is to invoke the command
nvidia-settings --load-config-only
in one's .xinitrc
file. I tried putting this command there, and in my global /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
file, and neither approach worked for me.
I suspected that perhaps the global
/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
file, as well as $HOME/.xinitrc
were not being
read in. So, I decided to test the action of nvidia-settings -load-config-only
in isolation.
Here's what I did (which didn't work, and I am wondering:why oh why?) :
Start state: external monitor on right / not mirrored
rm ~/.nvidia-settings-rc
invoke '
nvidia-settings
' and then, via 'X Server Display Configuration', deliberately change monitor configuration from 'extend to right' to 'mirrored'.[ I change the position of external monitor to 'Same As' laptop monitor, and that gets it to work as if it is mirroring ]
Hit Apply then, hit OK.
To cover all bases, I also select 'Save to X Configuration File'
[ /etc/X11/xorg.conf ]
Still nothing in
~/.nvidia-settings-rc
, so I click on nvidia-settings Configuration on bottom of left panel, and then select 'Save Current Configuration'Now, I see stuff in
~/.nvidia-settings-rc
Restart
nvidia-settings
and change configuration so that laptop monitor is extended to the right of my external monitor. Hit apply and verify the changes took effect (I am now in my desired state).Now, Quit
nvidia-settings
GUI configuration sessionrun
nvidia-settings --load-config-only
Expected result would be that I see my monitors being mirrored, since that is the configuration I saved. But that does NOT occur.
It seems that the configuration is not being loaded, or maybe it got incorrectly saved to begin with.
Any advice on what might be happening? Maybe someone could tell me what to look for in my ~/.nvidia-settings-rc
file? There didn't seem to be anything related to monitor placement there.
Just for completeness, I am copying the contents of that file below.
PS: I am using xfce window manager.
#
# /home/chris/.nvidia-settings-rc
#
# Configuration file for nvidia-settings - the NVIDIA X Server Settings utility
# Generated on Sun Oct 18 17:43:09 2015
#
# ConfigProperties:
RcFileLocale = C
ToolTips = Yes
DisplayStatusBar = Yes
SliderTextEntries = Yes
IncludeDisplayNameInConfigFile = No
ShowQuitDialog = Yes
UpdateRulesOnProfileNameChange = Yes
Timer = PowerMizer_Monitor_(GPU_0),Yes,1000
Timer = Thermal_Monitor_(GPU_0),Yes,1000
Timer = Memory_Used_(GPU_0),Yes,3000
# Attributes:
0/SyncToVBlank=1
0/LogAniso=0
0/FSAA=0
0/TextureSharpen=0
0/GammaCorrectedAALines=0
0/TextureClamping=1
0/FXAA=0
0/AllowFlipping=1
0/FSAAAppControlled=1
0/LogAnisoAppControlled=1
0/OpenGLImageSettings=1
0/FSAAAppEnhanced=0
0/GammaCorrectedAALinesValue=16
[DPY:VGA-0]/RedBrightness=0.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/GreenBrightness=0.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/BlueBrightness=0.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/RedContrast=0.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/GreenContrast=0.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/BlueContrast=0.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/RedGamma=1.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/GreenGamma=1.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/BlueGamma=1.000000
[DPY:VGA-0]/Dithering=0
[DPY:VGA-0]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:VGA-0]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:VGA-0]/DigitalVibrance=0
[DPY:VGA-0]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-0]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-0]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-0]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-0]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-0]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-0]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-1]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-1]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-1]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-1]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-1]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-1]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-2]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-2]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-2]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-2]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-2]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-2]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-3]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-3]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-3]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-3]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-3]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-3]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-4]/RedBrightness=0.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/GreenBrightness=0.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/BlueBrightness=0.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/RedContrast=0.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/GreenContrast=0.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/BlueContrast=0.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/RedGamma=1.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/GreenGamma=1.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/BlueGamma=1.000000
[DPY:DP-4]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-4]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-4]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-4]/DigitalVibrance=0
[DPY:DP-4]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-4]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-4]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-5]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-5]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-5]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-5]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-5]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-5]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
[DPY:DP-6]/Dithering=0
[DPY:DP-6]/DitheringMode=0
[DPY:DP-6]/DitheringDepth=0
[DPY:DP-6]/ColorSpace=0
[DPY:DP-6]/ColorRange=0
[DPY:DP-6]/SynchronousPaletteUpdates=0
System is running RHEL7; Desktop Environment is XFCE
~/.config/monitors.xml