15.5 Configuring Video under Linux
The setup utility in most recent
Linux distributions automatically probes and configures the video
adapter and display. Setup prompts you to confirm the hardware it
detects and to choose display settings such as resolution and color
depth. To reconfigure video settings under Linux, log on as root and
run Xconfigurator or whatever equivalent utility your distribution
provides. For example, Red Hat Linux 9 uses redhat-config-xfree86.
The Red Hat utility allows you to change resolution or color depth
using the Display page of Display Settings, shown in Figure 15-4. Other GUI configuration utilities, such as
the Mandrake Control Center, provide similar options. These GUI
utilities are simply frontends. Each of them writes the necessary
configuration information to the file
/etc/X11/XF86Config, which you can edit manually
if you are certain you know what you are doing. After changing
settings, you must log out and then log back in to restart the X
server before the changes take effect.
The Advanced page of Display Settings, shown in Figure 15-5, allows you to configure the display type and
video adapter type. If the video adapter and driver support 3D
acceleration, the Enable Hardware 3D Acceleration checkbox appears
and is enabled by default. If you run 3D applications, leave that
checkbox enabled. If you run only 2D applications and experience
video problems, disabling this checkbox may help.
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