Xfce Forum

makem

Member

Registered: 2019-12-25

Posts: 36

Unable to make the right hand monitor Primary in dual monitor setup

I am using Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS with a GA106 [GeForce RTX 3060 Lite Hash Rate] in an XFCE desktop computer with two monitors. Both monitors are connected only to the NVIDIA card (1) via a DP cable, the other (2) by an HDMI cable.

Monitor (1) is the better of the two and I require this to be Primary. The second monitor (2) is on the LEFT of (1).

The current xorg.conf settings always default to the Primary monitor being on the LEFT. This is fine if it IS on the left!

I can change this via nvidia-settings but I am unable to save the settings because I get the error:

ERROR: Unable to open X config file ‘/etc/X11/xorg.conf’ for writing.

I have tried being ‘root’ with the same effect.

I am hoping somebody in this forum has enough knowledge of this card when used with Ubuntu and XFCE (maybe other NVIDIA cards) to be able to make and save an xorg.conf file. Or, even has a basic dual screen.conf file where I can edit the screen locations.

This is my research to date:

https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/unable-to-make-the-right-hand-monitor-primary-in-dual-monitor-setup/233660

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 11,485

Re: Unable to make the right hand monitor Primary in dual monitor setup

I can change this via nvidia-settings but I am unable to save the settings because I get the error:

ERROR: Unable to open X config file ‘/etc/X11/xorg.conf’ for writing.

Sounds like you are not running this program with root privileges.

I have tried being ‘root’ with the same effect.

Exactly how were you root?

This might help.

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makem

Member

Registered: 2019-12-25

Posts: 36

Re: Unable to make the right hand monitor Primary in dual monitor setup

I can change this via nvidia-settings but I am unable to save the settings because I get the error:

ERROR: Unable to open X config file ‘/etc/X11/xorg.conf’ for writing.

Sounds like you are not running this program with root privileges.

I have tried being ‘root’ with the same effect.

Exactly how were you root?

This might help.

makem@makem-22:~$ sudo su
[sudo] password for makem:
root@makem-22:/home/makem# nvidia-settings

(nvidia-settings:6479): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: 14:28:32.581: g_object_unref: assertion 'G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
** Message: 14:28:32.703: PRIME: No offloading required. Abort
** Message: 14:28:32.703: PRIME: is it supported? no
Package xorg-server was not found in the pkg-config search path.
Perhaps you should add the directory containing `xorg-server.pc'
to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
No package 'xorg-server' found
Error executing /usr/share/screen-resolution-extra/nvidia-polkit: Permission denied

ERROR: Unable to open X config file '/etc/X11/xorg.conf' for writing.

Last edited by makem (2022-11-15 14:32:47)

KBar

Member

Registered: 2021-11-05

Posts: 689

Re: Unable to make the right hand monitor Primary in dual monitor setup

Just run

sudo --preserve-env nvidia-settings

to preserve the environment.

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Remember to edit the subject of your topic to include the [SOLVED] tag once you're satisfied with the answers or have found a solution (in which case, don't forget to share it as well), so that other members of the community can quickly refer to it and save their time. Pretty please!

makem

Member

Registered: 2019-12-25

Posts: 36

Re: Unable to make the right hand monitor Primary in dual monitor setup

Just run

sudo --preserve-env nvidia-settings

to preserve the environment.

Just run

sudo --preserve-env nvidia-settings

to preserve the environment.

The command opens NVIDIA Settings as shown below:

makem@makem-22:~$ sudo --preserve-env nvidia-settings
[sudo] password for makem:

(nvidia-settings:2336): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: 18:24:11.896: g_object_unref: assertion 'G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
** Message: 18:24:12.012: PRIME: No offloading required. Abort
** Message: 18:24:12.012: PRIME: is it supported? no

I then move (1) to the right of (2)

Then I only have the option to Apply, Quit or to Apply the changed settings.

The first time I ran the command I selected 'Apply'. I then had the choices Quit or to Apply the changed settings. I selected 'Apply the changed settings'.

I received the same error that the file could not be opened as I had previously.

I chose to 'Quit'.

I have attached a picture of the resulting screens. Although (1) is on the right, my desktop is on (2) as it was when (1) was on the left of (2)

The only difference being that the mouse travels smoothly from (1) to (2) and back, which it did not do. Instead it appeared to assume (1) was on the right of (2)

https://imgur.com/a/d2S6pwj

Last edited by makem (2022-11-15 20:14:29)

makem

Member

Registered: 2019-12-25

Posts: 36

Re: Unable to make the right hand monitor Primary in dual monitor setup

If you right click on the panel and go to panel-preferences under display-general. Click on Output and select the monitor you want to freeze the panel to.

Thats got my panel onto the correct primary (1) screen.

Then right click on desktop and select Desktop Settings. Under Icons select Show Icons on Primary display.

I don't see an obvious place [tag] to mark this thread as solved. Perhaps that can be done for me please.

Many thanks for the assistance.

Last edited by makem (2022-11-15 21:30:16)