force configuration of unplugged laptop's monitor

[PLX]

Hi everyone, I'll explain my problem: I've always used an external monitor and it always worked fine (so it's not a hardware problem).
For six months now, my 1920x1080 monitor blinking and fleackering and I have to plug in a smaller 1366x768 monitor.
In the meantime, I've tried everything:
- I uninstalled compiz
- I changed the hdmi cable
- I have tried all possible configurations of xorg
- I have installed several drivers for intel graphic
- I tried old versions of MX, MX kde and other distros
- I changed the resolution of the display layout
- I changed the refresh rate
But nothing seems to work.
I had an insight the other day, the 1920x1080 monitor is not working since I unplugged the laptop's internal monitor removing lid.
So I ask some super hero, is it possible to force the configuration of the screens to also have an internal monitor disabled? maybe it will solve my problem as it worked fine before

[JayM]

Please run Quick System Info and post your system information whenever asking for help as per the forum rules (which please read.) Just run it then right-click paste in a reply, don't copy/paste. Instructions are here if you need them. Thanks.

[PLX]

Code: Select all

System:
  Host: <filter> Kernel: 5.10.0-5mx-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
  parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-5mx-amd64 
  root=UUID=<filter> ro quiet splash 
  Desktop: Xfce 4.14.3 tk: Gtk 3.24.5 info: xfce4-panel, plank wm: xfwm4 
  dm: LightDM 1.26.0 Distro: MX-19.4_ahs_x64 patito feo March 31  2021 
  base: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Acer product: Extensa 2540 v: V1.18 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Acer model: BA40_SL v: V1.18 serial: <filter> UEFI [Legacy]: Insyde 
  v: 1.18 date: 01/02/2019 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT1 charge: 42.1 Wh condition: 42.1/48.9 Wh (86%) volts: 15.3/15.2 
  model: COMPAL 004B384234314341 type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:
  Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i3-6006U bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Skylake family: 6 model-id: 4E (78) stepping: 3 microcode: EA 
  L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 15999 
  Speed: 1046 MHz min/max: 400/2000 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 500 2: 500 
  3: 500 4: 500 
  Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled 
  Type: l1tf 
  mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT vulnerable 
  Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI 
  Type: spec_store_bypass 
  mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp 
  Type: spectre_v1 
  mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization 
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Full generic retpoline, IBPB: conditional, 
  IBRS_FW, STIBP: conditional, RSB filling 
  Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode 
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] 
  vendor: Acer Incorporated ALI driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
  chip ID: 8086:1916 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.10 driver: none compositor: compton 
  v: 0.1~beta2+20150922 resolution: 1366x768~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 520 (SKL GT2) 
  v: 4.6 Mesa 20.3.4 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: Acer Incorporated ALI 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3 chip ID: 8086:9d70 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.10.0-5mx-amd64 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet 
  vendor: Acer Incorporated ALI driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 3000 
  bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
  IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter> 
  IF-ID-1: usb0 state: unknown speed: N/A duplex: N/A mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 28.60 GiB (6.1%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Crucial model: CT500MX500SSD1 size: 465.76 GiB 
  block size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s 
  serial: <filter> rev: 023 scheme: GPT 
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw size: 31.25 GiB size: 30.63 GiB (98.03%) 
  used: 10.53 GiB (34.4%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 44.0 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list 
  1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates main contrib non-free
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list 
  1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian buster main contrib non-free
  2: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main contrib non-free
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/estmob-sendanywhere.list 
  1: deb [arch=amd64,i386] http://update.send-anywhere.com/linux/debian/ stable main
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list 
  1: deb http://it.mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ buster main non-free
  2: deb http://it.mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ buster ahs
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/various.list 
Info:
  Processes: 228 Uptime: 1h 28m Memory: 3.67 GiB used: 1.44 GiB (39.2%) 
  Init: SysVinit v: 2.93 runlevel: 5 default: 5 Compilers: gcc: 8.3.0 
  alt: 8 Shell: quick-system-in running in: quick-system-in inxi: 3.0.36 

[Huckleberry Finn]

Here's a live example:

This (famous :D ) very old laptop's monitor was broken by accident, so I removed even the lid and since a long time using it like a desktop with an old monitor with a simple VGA cable :)

When you boot (no matter you make any settings or not) monitor works. Also (though not required) I disabled LVDS1 (off) and left only VGA (and marked as primary).. Furthermore put a script in Autostart (to keep that setting) .. Consequently: directly external monitor as primary and nothing else.. no LVDS :)

[PLX]

Here's a live example:

This (famous :D ) very old laptop's monitor was broken by accident, so I removed even the lid and since a long time using it like a desktop with an old monitor with a simple VGA cable :)

When you boot (no matter you make any settings or not) monitor works. Also (though not required) I disabled LVDS1 (off) and left only VGA (and marked as primary).. Furthermore put a script in Autostart (to keep that setting) .. Consequently: directly external monitor as primary and nothing else.. no LVDS :)

Thank you for your reply, I don't understand how to implement your solution ... from grub? from xrandr?
I plugged the 1920x1080 monitor to test and I have difficolt to read and write since it blinking... therefore this is my output of xrandr

Code: Select all

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 1280mm x 720mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+  50.00    59.94    30.00    25.00    24.00    29.97    23.98  
   1920x1080i    60.00    50.00    48.04    59.94  
   1680x1050     59.88  
   1400x1050     59.95  
   1280x1024     60.02  
   1440x900      59.90  
   1280x960      60.00  
   1280x800      59.91  
   1280x720      60.00    50.00    59.94  
   1024x768      60.00  
   800x600       60.32  
   720x576       50.00  
   720x576i      50.00  
   720x480       60.00    59.94  
   720x480i      60.00    59.94  
   640x480       60.00    59.94  

[j2mcgreg]

PLX wrote:

I've always used an external monitor and it always worked fine (so it's not a hardware problem).
For six months now, my 1920x1080 monitor blinking and fleackering and I have to plug in a smaller 1366x768 monitor.

Just because a device has a history of working doesn't mean that it will always work. You need to test the 1920x1080 monitor with another laptop to see if the problem recurs.

We also need the make and model of this monitor.

[Huckleberry Finn]

Yep, the best is to be sure first on another machine whether it's still healthy. (Meanwhile you can also use ARandR from Menu).

[j2mcgreg]

On the bottom side of your Acer laptop there will be a square black sticker (with some white space at the bottom). The white space will have the exact model make and model as written by Acer. I'll need that info.

Also, which cable type are you using to connect the 1920 x 1080 monitor -- VGA, DVI, or HDMI?

[Huckleberry Finn]

Looks like HDMI:

HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080

[j2mcgreg]

Looks like HDMI:

HDMI1 connected primary 1920x1080

I missed that, thanks.

Here's my thinking on this: If the 1920 x 1080 monitor tests fine with another laptop, then the cause of the flickering could be a bad cable, a loose connection on either the monitor or the laptop, or the wrong refresh rate being used for the monitor.