External Monitor Resolution Fix for Ubuntu Jaunty

There is a lot of false information floating around the interweb about this one, but here’s how to get the right resolution on your external monitor when running Ubuntu Jaunty on a Macbook 2-1:

1. Edit the xorg.conf file by typing the following into the terminal: sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
2. Edit that file to look like this:

   Section "Monitor"
       Identifier    "Configured Monitor"
   EndSection
   
   Section "Screen"
       Identifier    "Default Screen"
       Monitor        "Configured Monitor"
       Device        "Configured Video Device"
       SubSection "Display"
           Virtual    2048 2048
       EndSubSection
   EndSection
   
   Section "Device"
       Identifier    "Configured Video Device"
           Driver          "intel"
   EndSection

3. Log out and log back in again.
4. Open display preferences (System -> Preferences -> Display) and click on the rectangle that represents your external monitor. The Resolution pull down menu should now list the correct resolution.

And while you’re at it, you might as well turn off the screen on your laptop, since you’re not using it anyway.