Most of the time, X.org — that’s the software that drives your video card and provides the foundation for the GUI, whether you’re running GNOME, KDE, Xfce, or another window manager — "just works" when you install Ubuntu. In fact, most Ubuntu users never even have to think about their video settings. But, sometimes you need to reconfigure X.org because Ubuntu hasn’t detected your video card and monitor properly, or maybe you’ve just purchased a shiny new video card and need to get it working with Ubuntu. Whatever the reason, it’s good to know how to reconfigure X without having to edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf by hand.

To run through the configuration, use

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

at the console or in a terminal window. Then you’ll have a chance to specify your monitor and video card, the resolutions and color depths you want to run the server at, and so forth.

Since every setup is different, it’s hard to give concrete advice for configuring X, but it’s generally OK to accept the configuration defaults. Also, you’ll be given a choice between Advanced, Medium, and Simple methods for giving your monitor’s specifications. As a rule, it’s probably best to go with Simple unless you really know what you’re doing, or the Simple method doesn’t work for you.

Tags | Ubuntu