[tlug] Adjusting screen resolution in Debian2

[Joseph Essertier <essertier@example.com>]

Sorry for the delay in responding, after Stephen and Botond had kindly
answered my plea.  I had left too many messages on my mail server, so
for the last 2 or 3 days I wasn't able to download my messages, or send
any messages out.  Bad timing.  But the problem is fixed now.

Please forgive me for starting a new thread, because none of the
messages from the original thread I started have come into my mail box,
so I cannot respond to the original one.

Stephen:  
No.  Configuring an unknown card is black magic, way beyond what a
distro's docs should be trying to tell you about.

Joe: 
I see.

Stephen:
True VGA maxes out at 640x480.  What makes you think your board can do
better than that?  

Joe:
The screen tells me every time I turn the computer on that the
resolution should be set at 1280x1024.

Stephen:
Whatever it is may give you a clue to the identity
of your board.

Joe:
I just found out what the display adapter ("video chip"?) is.  It's a
VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro IGP.  And I went to www.unichrome.sourceforge.net
where after reading I got the sense that this is a tricky one actually.
Although it worked from the get-go in Ubuntu.

Stephen:
I can't find the Cards database on my Debian installation; I don't
know if there are any supported VIA chipsets.  ISTR that it's in
/usr/X11R6/etc/Cards or /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/Cards (maybe "cards" in
lowercase).  You could try something that seems to have a similar
name.  (If you don't terribly fear frying the card or the monitor).

Joe:
I wouldn't worry about the card since that could be replaced
inexpensively (right?), but the monitor was a little expensive actually,
and it's brand new.

Are you sure you're using XFree86 and not X.org?  (You probably are
using XFree86, but it's worth asking).

Joe:
Yes, I'm pretty sure.  Because I don't have an X.org file, but I do have
an XFree86 file.

Thank you!
Joe