Linux – NVIDIA card not shown as device by `lspci | grep -i vga`

You can try setting your resolution to the desired level manually.

First, run this command, changing the example 1920x1080 resolution to the resolution you want:

cvt 1920 1080

That will spew out something like this:

# 1920x1080 59.96 Hz (CVT 2.07M9) hsync: 67.16 kHz; pclk: 173.00 MHz
Modeline "1920x1080_60.00"  173.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync

We're only interested in the chunk after the quotes and before the -hsync, e.g.

173.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1120

Use that in the next command to add a graphics mode:

xrandr --newmode clever_name 173.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1120

Now, add your new mode to your VGA output:

xrandr --addmode VGA1 clever_name

Finally, switch your VGA monitor to use it:

xrandr --output VGA1 --mode clever_name

Now that that works, you can make it take effect every time you log in. To do so, create the following files somewhere:

fix-resolution.sh with what is called a shebang line and then the last three commands you ran that got it working before, e.g.:

#!/bin/sh
xrandr --newmode clever_name 173.00  1920 2048 2248 2576  1080 1083 1088 1120
xrandr --addmode VGA1 clever_name
xrandr --output VGA1 --mode clever_name

fix-resolution.desktop with the following contents:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=fix resolution
Exec=/usr/bin/local/fix-resolution.sh

Now, copy the files to the appropriate places on your hard drive and make the script executable. From a terminal:

cp fix-resolution.sh /usr/local/bin
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/fix-resolution.sh
cp fix-resolution.desktop /etc/xdg/autostart

This will run the commands that force your monitor to the proper resolution every time someone logs into your computer.

With help from the answer by @thane and a few other places, I was able to get it working. I wrote down exact the steps I followed in case I (inevitably) run into this problem again:

If the ethernet is not recognized and doesn't show up in ifconfig -a:

• Download this file (Google "compat-wireless") and save it on a flash drive.
• Plug the flash drive into the server and wait for it to be recognized, then perform the following commands:

     # sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
      # cp /mnt/compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2 ~
      # cd ~
      # tar xvjf compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2
      # cd compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2
      # ./scripts/driver-select atl1c
      # make               NOTE: If you get an error like 'make: gcc: command not found' follow the steps in the next troubleshooting section, then repeat this step and continue.
      # sudo make install
      # sudo modprobe atl1c
      # sudo ifconfig eth0 up
      # sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces
      Add the following to the end of the file:
          auto eth0
          iface eth0 inet dhcp
      # sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

If you get an error like make: gcc: command not found:

• Insert the Ubuntu 10.04 Server 32-bit CD.
• Restart the computer
• Perform the following commands:

     # sudo apt-cdrom add
      sudo ln -s /media/apt/pool /cdrom/pool
      sudo apt-get update
      sudo apt-get install build-essential