Fix the Monitor from xorg.conf

Most Linux distros have some sort of control centres from where we can change display settings and make it optimum for our monitors or graphics cards. Sadly sometimes we come across a distro which doesn't support the resolutions native to our card or monitor, in such cases we can directly modify the 'xorg.conf' file which is responsible for the changes in the display.

Before you proceed, back up your old 'xorg.conf'

$sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf_backup

Now, open up 'xorg.conf' in any text editor you have, I'll use gedit for this example.

$sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Here's an example xorg.conf file from my machine, only the section corresponding to the monitor is shown

Section "Monitor"
Identifier   "0-CRT1"
Option     "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option     "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option     "DPMS" "true"
Option     "PreferredMode" "1280x1024"
Option     "TargetRefresh" "60"
Option     "Position" "0 0"
Option     "Rotate" "normal"
Option     "Disable" "false"
EndSection

Take care before you change any value, its very tempting to try a high resolution, but it might damage your monitor permanently, so always get the specs right from the manufacturers before you change any value.