Monitor "out of range"

NotMe

I've downloaded two linux live cds - Ubuntu and Knoppix. They work fine on one computer but when I try them on an older computer I get a monitor out of range error. The only thing I can do is press ctrl-alt-backspace and reboot. If I installed Linux on this computer would it be difficult to fix this? Or is there a better distribution for running on an older system?

garthv

wudnt that be resolution problems not OS problems?

Mutant_Fruit

start it in 640x480 @ 60hz mode. That should solve your problems. If that works, gradually increase the resolution/refresh rate until it stops working, then you know the maximum refreshrate/resolution you can use.

pickarooney

First thing - switch monitors around and check if it's the graphics cards resolution/refresh settings that are too high on the older machine or the monitor which is limited.
You should have a file called either xorg.conf or XF86Config-4 in /etc/X11. Post that (if you can copy it to a machine that has X enabled and internet access) and the exact model of the monitor and graphics card.

Capt'n Midnight

When knoppix starts F2/F3 to get the menu, you can then override the resolution / frequency to see which works best. -look up the cheatcodes file.

hscan=60 screen=640x480 xkeyboard=gb

NotMe

Great! I got it working by editing XFConfig-4. I just commented out the high resolutions at the top and it works now. Thanks everyone.