Step by step guide to setup display resolutions in xorg

Question

The default xorg configuration file created does not allow me to set up the display resolution I want (1360x768).

The auto configuration command xorg -configure didn't create the proper configuration file either (see below).

What's steps do I need to follow in order to manually add the resultion I want as one of the available ones?

Update:

I'm running this:

• CentOS 5.5, Linux 2.6.18-53.el5
• X Window System Version 7.1.1
• Gnome version 2.16

Auto-configuration:

• The same hardware with other linux distribution worked fine right after installation, allowing me to set up the display to 1600x900.
• The xorg.config file created during the installation allows me to set only 800x600 and 1024x768.
• If I raun xorg -configure, then X server won't start (it says that it could not be started with that configuration file). I had to manually go back to the previous xorg.config file.

Answer 1

I recommend you use "xrandr" command for setting up resolution and multiple displays. Currently xorg.conf is on it's way to death, more and more Linux distributions rely on xrandr and they tend to ignore xorg.conf.

PS: Just to be clear, this means you use xrander to set up different stuff for your display, but you will still use the same X.org server.

PPS: Ah ... and you use xrandr on the fly, after you have xorg started and you have a graphical interface. Changes are applied immediately, but they are not saved, so if yo screw up something a restart fixes you problem. After you are finished with your setup, just put all the xrandr commands into a file, make it executable, and add it to your DE's startup.

EDIT (as requested ;) ):
- xrandr documentation page: http://www.x.org/wiki/Projects/XRandR
- an online version of 'man xrandr': http://www.manpagez.com/man/1/xrandr/