Primary Monitor and XFCE Behavior

rd · 2018-10-25 19:28:16

Hi All,

First post....

While using XFCE on an Mx Linus install (both fully up to date), I had continual problems with XFCE opening windows and keeping the panel on the primary monitor for a laptop/external monitor setup.

I tried all the tools I could find for setting the the external monitor as primary and while setting it primary was easy, getting XFCE to consistently open windows on the primary monitor and keeping the panel on the primary was never successful. I can easily get the panel on the primary monitor by setting the output to 2, but if I put it on auto, the panel switches to the non-prime monitor.

Help appreciated. I can't stand when things do work correctly and I can't fix them, so I've put windows 7 back on the laptop. But, if you can help me figure out the monitor issue, I'm back to Linux.

I've also tried setting montiors via Xrandr, but that did not cure the issue.

Thanks,

rd

System Info:

System:
Host: mx1 Kernel: 4.15.0-1-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3
Distro: MX-17.1_x64 Horizon March 14 2018

Machine:
Type: Laptop System: Acer product: Aspire M5-581T v: V2.10

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.2 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
resolution: 1366x768~60Hz, 1920x1080~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Ivybridge Mobile v: 3.3 Mesa 13.0.6

Last edited by rd (2018-10-25 22:39:48)

MountainDewManiac · 2018-10-25 20:56:32

Hi rd,

As far as I can tell, the developers decided that the proper name for the desktop environment was to be "Xfce" (not "XFCE") some years back. Not complaining - lots of people still refer to it as "XFCE" - just informing.

I'm no Xfce guru, or even an especially talented user (and that is an understatement), but have observed ToZ and others here help others troubleshoot their issues for a while, now; long enough to know that you will be asked for some information so that these kind folks have some hope of helping you. Without such information, attempting to help you becomes comparable to the auto mechanic who receives a telephone call from someone asking, "Why won't my car start?"

Please refer to this thread:
https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=9278
...notably, the instructions for retrieving - and posting - version numbers and GPU (graphics) information.

Additionally, I have read in the past that proper monitor identification can, at times, be problematic. It appears that not every hardware manufacturer cares substantially about this (in other words, this seems to be more of a general issue than an Xfce-related (or even linux-related) one). But it has occurred to me that the OS (et cetera) not "knowing" exactly what type/brand/model of monitor(s) are in use... could add difficulty to the process of figuring out issues. It's an older thread (and, thus, might not be quite as useful as when it was current), but this one might help you determine exactly what your monitor devices are identified as being:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/371261/ … mmand-line
...I do not know, but my guess is that a misidentified monitor could add to monitor-related "gremlins."

Good luck on your issue. I am sure someone with knowledge will be along soon to assist you with it. Hopefully, you will have been able to add more information before that happens, in order that things go quicker for everyone concerned.

Regards,
MDM

Last edited by MountainDewManiac (2018-10-26 00:29:03)

rd · 2018-10-25 22:40:24

Thank you!!! I've updated my OP to provide system information.

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#1 2018-10-25 19:28:16

Primary Monitor and XFCE Behavior

#2 2018-10-25 20:56:32

Re: Primary Monitor and XFCE Behavior

#3 2018-10-25 22:40:24

Re: Primary Monitor and XFCE Behavior

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