dell docking station issue

Hi all,
I have a dell d630 latitude laptop and a pr01x docking station. I wanted to dual boot windows and linux so i dl linux mint 13 i did a fresh install of windows leaving space on the hd for linux. I installed linux and now i am able to boot to windows 7 or linux. My problem is now when i try to dock the laptop linux will not reconize the 2 external monitors plugged to the docking station. I want the dual monitors. If I can't get them to work I will kill linux and just use windows. I can see the grub menu when i start but after that nothing and i have to open the laptop lid to see linux. windows 7 sees the dock fine and everything works. in linux everything but the displays work. I get sound and the mouse, keyboard and network all work but no monitors. the laptop has an intel video card. I would like to dual boot but if i can't get this combo to work I will do a vm.

Thanks for any help !!

This one is not easy to answer.

In the old day it is common for a distro not getting the correct video driver and so the communication is broken if the display is lost.

In the old day X window used a configuration file /etc/X11/xorg.conf so that in the current case a user can alter the video driver to get back the display. Between something like fbdev, vesa, which the generic drivers for VGA, one can get the display working again. The full list of the drivers can be found in standard location like /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers.

Now the kernel does away with the configuration file so one have to generate one first before able to alter the video driver.

The command that does the generation is

Code:

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Xorg :1 -configure

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which cause a copy of xorg.conf.new deposited in /root. The file should be moved to /etc/X11 directory for operation.

To me your first priority is to display Mint by one monitor first. Once this is achieved then configure it for two monitors.

Dual screen normally can to be configured by xorg.conf using screen0 and screen1.

Quote:

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saikee

In the old day X window used a configuration file /etc/X11/xorg.conf so that in the current case a user can alter the video driver to get back the display. Between something like fbdev, vesa, which the generic drivers for VGA, one can get the display working again. The full list of the drivers can be found in standard location like /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers.

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From what I can find this is not a video driver issue, his docking station has its own set of drivers that the Linux kernel needs. I used to have a old docking station and it came with its own setup disks to get windows to see and use it.

kpcman

I don't know how much time you want to spend on this problem, you may need to compile the drivers for the docking station into the kernel. It maybe that dell makes linux drivers for that docking station but I didn't have any luck finding one with the time I spent looking.

Don't think my Dell laptop uses any driver on the docking station. It is plug and play and I have changed the screen once. It is a proprietary device so I suppose if there could be drivers then it might already been embedded in the operating system which is a Windows 7. My office uses two types of docking stations too but haven't come across any driver yet. May be the IT people have hidden them away.

Must admit I haven't tried a Linux on a docking station which I always thought it is just a central link to the monitor, keyboard, USB ports and mouse.

:D I am posting this from the linux boot on DUAL SCREENS!!!!!

The good news is I now have dual monitors in Mint 13 KDE while docked to the dell pr0x1 docking station. One of the down sides is if I want to use just the laptop with no external monitors I have to connect to an external monitor to change the display settings. (It may do it by itself but not yet.)(Looks like I could have 3 displays going if i had the laptop on the same table top as the other monitors instead of on a shelf below them, that would probably allow me to have a display when just using the laptop.)

What I did to fix:
1. Had to go into the Bios and change the video settings from defaulting to the dock stations video to use the laptops intergrated video. I had tried that before posting the first time but it didn't work.

2. Next the key element was to connect one monitor at a time and then go into the display and monitor settings and configure the new monitor. once the picture was present then close the display and monitor settings.

3. Now plug in the second monitor. (Mint will actually give you a message that it has detected another monitor. Go back into display and monitor settings and configure the second monitor.

4. I have my LVDS1 (laptop display) disabled. (as stated above) A KEY POINT HERE BEFORE TRYING TO REBOOT BECAUSE YOUR PROUD OF YOURSELF FOR FIGURING IT OUT. !!!!! CLICK ON SAVE AS DEFAULT !!!!!!! OTHERWISE YOUR DOING THE WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN :D SAYING TO YOURSELF WHAT HAPPENED DUMB ***, IT WAS JUST WORKING.

There are a couple of minior issues however.

First: I had this working at work on one docking station. At home I had to redo the process because the docking station I had at home (same model) didn't work. I will have to look at my work setup and see whats different from home.

Second: With the laptops display disabled I can't see the logon screen. Not sure why i can't get the dual monitors to display at first boot up. I can see the grub menu however but after that nothing. I can logon with the blank dual screens however, once the logon is complete i get the displays.

Thanks for the help. And if there are any ideas on how to have the laptop display enabled for just laptop use or how to get the dual monitors to display at bootup. Please let me know.

Thanks