x2go resolution from windows client

Question

I'm happily using x2go to connect to a remote Ubuntu Server 16.04 with XFCE installed from my local pc with a local resolution of 1920x1080 on a HiDPI screen (13''). If I run the x2go client from a virtualized Linux (Linux Mint 18.03 with XFCE), everything works well and I can see a really sharp image of the remote desktop. Problem is, when I try to connect directly from Windows 10 the image is blurred and the resolution is wrong. I tried to play around with the x2go client settings but no way, the image is always terrible. I also tried to use PyHoca and different X-servers but the result is the same.

Is it a well-known problem? Any suggestion on how to fix it?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I had a very similar problem: A Dell laptop with an Nvidia graphics card, having a resolution of the built-in flat panel of 1280x800. I connected this to an external screen with HDMI with a resolution of 1920x1080. However, X2Go seemed to pick up the resolution of the built-in screen instead of the actual screen, making everything seem blurry (interpolating 1280x800 to 1920x1080).

This is what fixed it for me: Navigate to the C:\Program Files (x86)\X2GoClient\VcXSrv\ directory in Explorer. Select the vcxsrv.exe file and right-click it, choosing Properties from the popup menu. Go to the Compatibility tab, and in the Settings section there, select the option "Override high DPI scaling behavior. Scaling performed by:" and then select "Application" in the combo-box below.

Restart the X2Go Client to have its X server start with this new setting.

Answer 2

This fix also solved X2Go Windows Client crashes in my setup.

I have basically the same scenario: connecting from a high DPI Windows laptop to KDE on Debian, in my case for Desktop Sharing. The client would connect okay, but display only a portion of the remote host's screen.

Keyboard shortcuts would not scroll the client window.

Any attempt to show more (maximize, go full screen, click-and-drag client window border) would seem to work for a second, then crash.

The Compatibility scaling change fixed the instability - no more crashes, yay! - but did lead to slow repaints as noted by Algeboy.

Upgrading to a newer version of VcXsrv also did not resolve the crashes - Compatibility change still required, but screen repaints are quicker.

To upgrade, download and install the latest VcXsrv in its own directory. Using Explorer or whathaveyou, apply the HiDPI setting to vcxsrv,exe.

Start x2go client but don't start a session. Click Options, Settings, then X.Org Server settings tab. Select "use custom x server". Point to the newly installed vcxsrv.exe and click okay. Restart the x2go client.

This apparently takes the version from 1.20.6.0 supplied by x2go to 1.20.14.0 (2022-04).

Screen refreshes are quicker if I minimize all applications on the host, allowing it to repaint the desktop, then restore whatever I want to work on.