Setting Hardware Preferences

This section describes the monitor and sound configurations that you can set.

Monitor Preference Tool

Use the Monitor preference tool to configure the monitors that your computer uses.

Choose System -> Preferences -> Monitor to display the Monitor preference tool.

Drag the graphical representations of the monitors in the upper left part of the window to set how your monitors are arranged. Monitor Preferences displays small labels in the top left corner of each monitor to help you identify which rectangle corresponds to which monitor.

Changes you make in Monitor Preferences don't take effect until you click the Apply button. Settings will revert to their previous settings unless you confirm the changes. This is to prevent bad display settings from rendering your computer unusable.

The following table below describes the monitor preferences

Table 9-12 Monitor Preferences

The following list explains the options you can set for each monitor. The currently selected monitor is the one whose graphical representation has a bold black outline. It is also indicated by the background color of the section label.

• On / Off – Individual monitors can be completely disabled by selecting Off.

• Resolution – Determines the resolution to use for the currently selected monitor. Resolution refers to the pixel dimensions of the screen. A larger resolution means that more items fit on the screen, but everything will be smaller.

• Refresh rate – Determines the refresh rate to use for the currently selected monitor. The refresh rate determines how often the computer redraws the screen. A refresh rate that is too low (below 60) makes the monitor flicker and can cause visual discomfort. This problem is less noticeable on LCD displays.

• Rotation – Determines the rotation for the currently selected monitor. This option might not be supported on all graphics cards.

Sound Preference Tool

The Sound preference tool enables you to control devices and volume for sound input and output. You can also specify which sounds to play when particular events occur.

Choose System -> Preferences -> Sound to display the Sound preference tool.

You can customize settings in the following functional areas:

• Sound Events

• Input

• Output

You can change the overall output volume using the Output volume slider at the top of the window. The Mute option enables you to temporarily suppress all output without disturbing the current volume.

Sound Effects Preferences

A sound theme is collection of sound effects that are associated to various events, such as opening a dialog, clicking a button, or selecting an item in a menu. One of the most prominent event sounds is the System Bell sound that is often played to indicate a keyboard input error. Use the Sound Effects tab of the Sound Preference tool to choose a sound theme and modify the bell sound.

The following table lists the sound effects preferences that you can modify.

Table 9-13 Sound Effects Preferences

Sound Input Preferences

Use the Input tab to set your preferences for sound input. The following table lists the sound input preferences that you can modify.

Table 9-14 Sound Input Preferences

Sound Output Preferences

Use the Output tab to set your preferences for sound output. The following table lists the sound output preferences that you can modify.

Table 9-15 Sound Output Preferences

Application Sound Preferences

Use the Applications tab to control the volume of sound played by individual applications. Each application that is currently playing sound is identified by its name and icon.