this has been a nautilus bug since they first came out with nautilus:
http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=42479
if you download the source you can look at it yourself: currently tbrl (top-bottom-right-left, the ordering you want) isn't implemented and just uses tblr instead. so you have to hack it yourself or wait for an official fix. there seems to be not much progress in it though.
Post-installation and removal Nvidia, I noticed a strange(and a good one at that) behavior. And that its that the GUI response in the second monitor has become much improved.
And I also noticed that the xorg.conf has a different setting, pasting it for your reference,
jpvel@jpvel-M11xR3:~/Downloads$ sudo cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf.04192015
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "layout"
Screen 0 "nvidia"
Inactive "intel"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "intel"
Driver "intel"
BusID "PCI:0@0:2:0"
Option "AccelMethod" "SNA"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "intel"
Device "intel"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "nvidia"
Driver "nvidia"
BusID "PCI:1@0:0:0"
Option "ConstrainCursor" "off"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "nvidia"
Device "nvidia"
Option "AllowEmptyInitialConfiguration" "on"
Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT"
EndSection
I suspect that the existing nouveau driver seems to start honoring the configuration and appropriately instruct the graphics card to send the output to the external monitor. As
For those souls who tried using the DVI port or HDMI to VGA adapter, let me forwarn you, it does not work. As neutrino pointed out, the HDMI port is welded with Nvidia card in Alienware laptops
Edit from 2nd answer:
I went for the reinstallation and again tried using the latest Nvidia drivers from ppa:xorg-edgers/ppa for Nvidia-340, it ended up mucking the UI. So I decided to uninstall and live with the existing setup.
However, with the fresh installation, I am able to work with a dual monitor setup that is not perfect, but usable. I mirrored the displays and ensured that the intel's graphics driver could do the rendering(but it is lousy though I admit)
Best Answer
The cause
Most likely, the issue is the result of a bug (related to the video driver). I assume the second screen is not remembered somehow, and "virtually" re- connected in a rather late stage in the start up (log in) process.
Work around
As often, even if it is a bug, it doesn't mean we cannot find a work around. If we:
effectively the bug is worked around.
How to read the icon position on the desktop
You can get the position on the desktop of an icon by the command:
This will a.o. output the coordinates of the icon on your desktop, which we can save into a file. If we make a snapshot this way of your desktop before shutting down the computer, we can subsequently restore the icon's position afterwards, with the command:
(for example)
A script to take such a snapshot, and restore the icon layout (depending on the argument) would be:
To use it:
restore_desktop.py
In the head section of the script, in the line:
set the localized name of your desktop folder ("Bureaublad" in Dutch)
To take a snapshot of the current icon layout, run the command:
To restore a previously taken snapshot:
then click on the desktop and press F5 to refresh the desktop.
To use the script in our situation would however take a few additions
The desktop still needs to be refreshed from the command line to actually apply the restore of the icons. This can be done by either restarting
nautilus
, or press F5 with the desktop in front. Since we use it on startup, the first option might be the most elegant one.We need to take a snapshot on log out as the current user to make sure the last icon layout is recorded into a snapshot. So far, I could not find a way to do that. However, as always, there is a workaround. If we include the command
in our script, we can simply call the script (with the right arguments) to include the shutdown procedure and take the snapshot.
The solution
The final script then becomes:
How to use
restore_icons.py
In the head section of the script, set the appropriate (localized) name of the
Desktop
folder:Test- run the script by running the command:
A snapshot of the current layout will be take. De shut down menu appears on your desktop, but cancel it by clicking outside the menu on your desktop.
Then deliberately mess around with your icons (positions) on your desktop.
Finaly, run the script again with another argument:
Wait for 20 seconds (see Note at the bottom why that is included in the script) and your desktop icons will be restored to how it was before you took the snapshot.
If all works fine, add a shortut key: Choose: System Settings > "Keyboard" > "Shortcuts" > "Custom Shortcuts". Click the "+" and add the command:
This will be the shortcut you need to use, to shut down your computer.
Add the restore command to Startup Applications: Dash > Startup Applications > Add. Add the command:
Now 20 seconds after startup (log in), your icons will be exactly like you left them on shut down.
Note
The 20 seconds break is to make sure the second monitor is found and reconnected before the restore command runs.