newrez: Increase Screen Resolution For Linux Netbooks

Sometimes, the maximum netbook resolution can be inconvenient for the end user. This is particularly the case for people who suffer from a weak eye sight. Newrez is a Nautilus-based script that enables enhancing the screen resolution of Linux computers by specifying a resolution higher than the available resolutions. For example, if your maximum resolution is 1024×600, then you can scale it up to 1280×800 or higher (depending on your eyesight). The good thing about Newrez is that it does not overclock the actual hardware of your laptop, and instead, it builds an image with a higher resolution, which is located in a buffer. This image is then scaled to fit your screen for better visibility. This means that you are not constrained to standard resolutions anymore.

To get started, download and extract the Newrez script archive from the download link given at the end of this post, and copy the files (newrez and newrez-v) to ~/.Gnome2 –> Nautilus-Scripts (after hitting CTRL+H in the Home folder to reveal hitting directories, including the Gnome 2 directory). This will add the two scripts to the right-click context menu of your operating system. For example, if you are an Ubuntu user, then the script can be accessed from the Ubuntu context menu. Select the newrez script to change your resolution. The newrez-v script is for users who may not be able to run the newrez script. Selecting the script via the context menu will provide you with an option to choose a new resolution.

New Rez 2

Please note that this script depends on the “xrandr –scale” option for creating a framebuffer at a chosen resolution, which can then be scaled to fit the screen. This requires xrandr version 1.3, and also a supported video driver. You can also try “xrandr -v” (in case the former does not work). It is also worth mentioning here that this script currently does not support “non-free” nVidia and ATI drivers, as they do not support xrandr 1.3.

Download Newrez