Laptop display inverted but reverts to normal when external monitor is added

You could try:

xrandr -o normal

Or remove the software that is glitching against the hardware:

sudo apt-get remove iio-sensor-proxy

Thank you for the suggestions.
Neither worked unfortunately even after powering off and on again.

My jaw dropped. I could see the first suggestion not working, but the second one really should have... it removes the software that inverts the screen.

Do you have Nvidia card in your notebook?

My external monitor, which isn't the issue, is mounted vertically. Upon performing the second instruction, it was displaying in the default horizontal again.

The laptop is this one...
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-flex-series/ideapad-flex-5-14-(intel)-2-in-1/len101i0013?orgRef=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Ah... yes that makes a difference...
If you need, you can reinstall with

sudo apt install iio-sensor-proxy

According to this:
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-IdeaPad-1xx-3xx-5xx-7xx-Edge-LaVie-Z-Flex-Notebooks/IdeaPad-Flex-5-Ryzen-4700-Sensors-for-automatic-screen-rotation/m-p/5021403?page=2#5477109

The 5.15 kernel addresses some of these issues.
Zorin OS is on the 5.13 kernel, currently.

You might try installing the TuxInvader kernel or the Liqouirix kernel and see if that resolves the issue.

1 Like

Is this a good reference for installing the different kernel?

I got over my nervousness and tried it anyway seeing how it's from Zorin itself. I was rewarded with an error...

dave@Zorin-Flex5:~$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tuxinvader/lts-mainline
[sudo] password for dave:
Ubuntu mainline kernels (Index of /~kernel-ppa/mainline) built for LTS releases

You can install specific kernels or install a release meta-package to automatically track point releases of the kernel.

Eg: sudo apt-get install linux-generic-5.12

This PPA has 5.12.x kernels, See lts-mainline-previous for 5.11.x or lts-mainline-longterm for 5.10.x. Alternatively use my container to build your own.

The source packages for this PPA are built using this container: Docker Hub

Source packages are built with:

docker run -ti -e kver= -v /usr/local/src/cod/mainline:/home/source -v /usr/local/src/cod/debs:/home/debs -v ~/.gnupg:/root/keys --rm tuxinvader/focal-mainline-builder:latest --btype=source --exclude=udebs --sign=D55F2FAA00B8D37A473BAB468EE9C89D12DF10CC --rename=yes --buildmeta=yes --maintainer="..." --flavour=generic

More info: lts-mainline : TuxInvader
Press [ENTER] to continue or Ctrl-c to cancel adding it.

Hit:1 http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable InRelease
Hit:2 Index of /ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:3 Index of /stable/ focal InRelease
Hit:4 Index of /patches/ focal InRelease
Hit:5 Index of /apps/ focal InRelease
Hit:6 Index of /drivers/ focal InRelease
Get:7 Index of /ubuntu focal-updates InRelease [114 kB]
Hit:8 Download - Zorin OS focal InRelease
Hit:9 Index of /ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:10 Index of /ubuntu focal-security InRelease [114 kB]
Hit:11 Index of /deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:12 Index of /ubuntu focal-backports InRelease [108 kB]
Get:13 Index of /tuxinvader/lts-mainline/ubuntu focal InRelease [18.1 kB]
Hit:14 Index of /zorinos/apps/ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:15 Index of /ubuntu focal-updates/main amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [278 kB]
Hit:16 Index of /zorinos/drivers/ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:17 Index of /ubuntu focal-security/main amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [40.7 kB]
Get:18 Index of /ubuntu focal-updates/universe amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [390 kB]
Get:19 Index of /ubuntu focal-security/universe amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [66.2 kB]
Get:20 Index of /ubuntu focal-updates/multiverse amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [940 B]
Get:21 Index of /ubuntu focal-security/multiverse amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [2,464 B]
Get:22 Index of /ubuntu focal-backports/main amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [7,992 B]
Get:23 Index of /ubuntu focal-backports/universe amd64 DEP-11 Metadata [30.5 kB]
Hit:24 Index of /zorinos/patches/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:25 Index of /zorinos/stable/ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:26 Index of /tuxinvader/lts-mainline/ubuntu focal/main amd64 Packages [4,700 B]
Get:27 Index of /tuxinvader/lts-mainline/ubuntu focal/main i386 Packages [2,480 B]
Get:28 Index of /tuxinvader/lts-mainline/ubuntu focal/main Translation-en [2,220 B]
Fetched 1,180 kB in 4s (314 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
dave@Zorin-Flex5:~$ apt update
Reading package lists... Done
E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/apt/lists/lock - open (13: Permission denied)
E: Unable to lock directory /var/lib/apt/lists/
W: Problem unlinking the file /var/cache/apt/pkgcache.bin - RemoveCaches (13: Permission denied)
W: Problem unlinking the file /var/cache/apt/srcpkgcache.bin - RemoveCaches (13: Permission denied)
dave@Zorin-Flex5:~$ sudo apt update
Hit:1 http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable InRelease
Hit:2 Index of /stable/ focal InRelease
Hit:3 Index of /patches/ focal InRelease
Hit:4 Index of /apps/ focal InRelease
Hit:5 Index of /ubuntu focal-updates InRelease
Hit:6 Index of /drivers/ focal InRelease
Hit:7 Index of /ubuntu focal-security InRelease
Hit:8 Download - Zorin OS focal InRelease
Hit:9 Index of /ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:10 Index of /deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:11 Index of /ubuntu focal-backports InRelease
Hit:12 Index of /ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:13 Index of /tuxinvader/lts-mainline/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:14 Index of /zorinos/apps/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:15 Index of /zorinos/drivers/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:16 Index of /zorinos/patches/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:17 Index of /zorinos/stable/ubuntu focal InRelease
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
2 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.
dave@Zorin-Flex5:~$ sudo apt install linux-generic-5.16
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package linux-generic-5.16 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
E: Couldn't find any package by glob 'linux-generic-5.16'
dave@Zorin-Flex5:~$ ^C
dave@Zorin-Flex5:~$

Please run

sudo apt upgrade

first.
Next, looking at the TuxInvader repo, he currently is offering the 5.18 kernel.
This is normal for Tux, as he stays ahead. So a tuxInvader kernel install always requires checking the repo for the current package version. The command

sudo aptinstall linux-generic-5.18

Should get you rolling.

I followed the install of generic 5.18 and now the system doesn't boot. In the recovery menu I had to select going back to 5.13 again.

I'm unable to get the error message about being on 5.18 to appear again after rebooting.

Does anyone else have a possible solution

?? ... help please

Sorry, @emaildave , I have been in the boonies for a while.

I am honestly not sure on what is going on with this computer... It won't boot on a later kernel... and on the 5.13, it inverts the display even with iio-sensor-proxy removed.
Did you ever specify your Graphics Card?

The graphics is the default that came with the laptop.

Amazon's website states it has an "‎Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics"

1 Like

I believe that should be the AMD Radeon™ HD 7000G Series graphics.
You may try the Open Source drivers:

sudo apt install --reinstall xserver-xorg-video-ati

I installed and reboot but still upside down
:frowning:

Do the terminal comamnds:

xrandr -o inverted

Or:

xrandr -o normal

Have any effect when the screen display is inverted?

So the xrandr -o normal causes my vertically orientated external monitor to go back to the default horizontal view. My laptop has no effect. When I unplug the external monitor and run the command again via the up arrow, the laptop then rights itself as it should be. Yeah :slightly_smiling_face:
Only then once I unplug the external monitor again, the laptop becomes inverted all over again. :slightly_frowning_face:

Ok, so this can be corrected, normally, as long as the external Vertically positioned monitor is not plugged in?
This makes me wonder if the vertical monitor also has an orientation chip in it, in addition to the one in your notebook computer.

It wasn't doing this behavior until about a month ago. The system ran fine since installation about a year ago.