Forwarding this bug from Ubuntu reporter ullix:
http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-intel/+bug/413788

[Problem]
xrandr and the Display Preferences both show that the monitor is correctly recognized as being 1024x768, but the desktop is extending beyond the edges of the screen.  The OSD of the monitor indicates that the vga output is actually setting 1152x900.  xrandr shows TV1 active even with no device connected.


[Original Description]
A fresh karmic-alpha4 install on a computer with motherboard Intel D945GCLF2 (w. atom330) and an IBM 14" flat screen with native resolution of 1024x768.

As can be seen in the attached screenshot (taken by camera) the Display Preferences show that the monitor is correctly recognized as being 1024x768, but the desktop is extending beyond the edges of the screen; the maximized Synaptic window does not fit on the screen. The reason is that, as visible from the OSD of the monitor, the resoltíon provided by the vga outlet is actually 1152x900.

xrandr also states a max res of 1024x768 at 60Hz being available, but this is not what the monitor receives.

I can, via Display Preferences set resolutions on 800x600, 0r 640x480, and both desktop image and OSD agree. But then setting it back to 1024x768 results in the above described inconsistency.

The monitor does behave correctly in other setups.

one more thing: I cold booted with both the VGA monitor (as before) plus now also a US TV-set are attached.

The TV shows a clone of the vga in color (but in a horrible quality) and does seem to show the full desktop.

During booting the vga monitor receives a 1024x768 signal, which is switching to 1152x900 probably with the start of the xserver.

When switching to a terminal with CTRL-ALT-F1 the signal also changes to the correct 1024x768, and goes back to the wrong 1152x900 when switching back to the desktop.

I realized that indeed there was a connection on TV1 to a TV, which was not only switched off but also unplugged from power for at least a month. I kind of dismissed the connection statement of xrandr as just another bug ...

However, playing with the connect led to the discovery that VGA settings depend on TV connect status and sequence of steps, which I don't think is the intended behaviour. Also, there is a severe, reproducible crash of the xserver.

I did various cold boots with two scenarios: either only VGA connected, or also the TV (via the s-video outlet of the motherboard), and attach camera-screenshots and dmesg and Xorg.0.log files. I did not do most of the things you had asked for, as I believe the sitation has changed, but if you need more/other please tell me.

When booting, only the vga - even if the tv is connected - gets a signal, which seemingly at random fluctuates between 800x600, 720x400, 640x480, 640x400 settings, too fast to follow. At the point where the ubuntu logo with the progress bar appears, the signal switches to 1024x768. Up to here all is independent of whether only vga or also tv is connected. If tv is connected the same picture is visible also on the tv (see pic imgp2060.jpg).

When the xserver starts the signals depend on what is connected. With both connected the resolution becomes 1152x900 (imgp2065.jpg), when only vga connected it remains 1024x768 (imgp2069.jg). This is kept into the desktop, whereby in the dual connect case xrandr pretends it is connected with 1024x768, while the monitor osd says otherwise (imgp2066.jpg). In the single connect case the two agree (imgp2071.jpg). Only the vertical refresh rates are correctly stated in both cases as 60Hz, or 75Hz, resp.

When, in the dual case, I unplug the tv cable from the mb, nothing happens. But after a xrandr command the signals change and the vga now receives a 1024x768 signal (imgp2067.jpg). Note, however, that both the signal frequency and the polarities are different from the other 1024x768 signals!

When I then re-insert the tv cable into the mb (nothing happens) and issue xrandr, then the xserver crashes. keyboard (PS/2 connected) and mouse (USB connected) are dead. I can ssh into the computer from another machines, and see xrandr and Xorg running. From remote I can kill xrandr, but Xorg resists all kill attempts. (Frame buffer allocation issue? see last line in Xorg.0.log-commented).

The attached Xorg.0.log_commented is for the dual-screen scenario. I inserted comments (search for ullix) between the steps described above. The dmesg_commented is the matching dmesg file (no changes though due to the steps). Dmesg_vga-only and Xorg.0.log_vga-only are from the other scenario.

Booting with only vga attached is unfortunately no solution. Beyond the xserver crashing, the desktop is shifted downwards by about half the height of the lower panel and makes it illegible, and a black space is inserted at the top (compare picture imgp2071 with 2066 or 2067). I can press the monitor OSD button, and it jumps up, only to jump down again after 5-50 sec. This IBM monitor worked perfectly well with older versions of Ubuntu.

I noticed in both Xorg.0.log files that the xserver does 8 (!) rounds of determining the connected monitor hardware, every time with the same result as far as I can see. That can't be intended behaviour???