Hand Crafting your XF86Config

GNU/Linux Desktop Survival Guide
by Graham Williams

Hand Crafting your XF86Config

Sometimes it is easiest to hand craft a basic /etc/X11/XF86Config file. Here is one for the NeoMagic chipset NM2160 found in many laptop computers. This one works for 16 bpp at 1024x768:

Section "Files"
    RgbPath    "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/freefont/"
    FontPath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/sharefont/"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
EndSection

Section "Keyboard"
    Protocol          "Standard"
    AutoRepeat        500 5
    LeftAlt           Meta
    RightAlt          ModeShift
    RightCtl          Compose
    ScrollLock        ModeLock
    XkbKeymap         "xfree86(us)"
EndSection

Section "Pointer"
    Protocol           "PS/2"
    Device             "/dev/psaux"
    Emulate3Buttons
    Emulate3Timeout    50
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "Dell SyncMaster 17GLi"
    VendorName  "Dell"
    ModelName   "SyncMaster 17GLi"
    HorizSync   31.5 - 48.5
    VertRefresh 55-65
    Modeline    "1024x768" 65 1024 1032 1176 1344 768 771 777 806 -hsync -vsync
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier  "NeoMagic"
#   Option      "intern_disp"
    Option      "extern_disp"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Driver      "svga"
    Device      "NeoMagic"
    Monitor     "Dell SyncMaster 17GLi"
    DefaultColorDepth 16
    Subsection  "Display"
        Depth       16
        Modes       "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
EndSection

This setup is used when the notebook is docked with display being to an external monitor. Both internal and external displays don't work together and so you need to manually edit the XF86Config file each time you change between the external and internal display (could be done with a script, but essentially you swap the "#" around, which is used to identify a comment line). It is reported that having both enabled can destroy the internal display. It certainly makes it go pretty ugly momentarily. According to the Linux on the Dell Latitude CPi A366XT page http://www.radcyberzine.com/linux/linux-dell.html page, you can't just switch between internal and external displays without updating your XF86Config and restarting X, or YOU CAN DAMAGE YOUR DISPLAYS!

The value for the Vertical Refresh rate of 55-65 was suggested by Charlie Hedlin since ``LCD's don't need 80Hz and the like.''

XF86Config for the clgd7543

I hand crafted a simple XF86Config for the clgd7543 that worked to get 8 bpp at 800x600:

wirehaze public archive

Hand Crafting your XF86Config