Fix NVIDIA Laptop Brightness FN Button Issue In Ubuntu 11.04,10.10

Some Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.04 (Natty Narwhal)users with NVIDIA laptops are having problem with using the FN key to change the screen brightness from their keyboard. A solution to this problem is to edit xorg.conf. Below is a simple method to make the keyboard key functional for controlling brightness in Ubuntu operating systems (NVIDIA users only).

Important Note: Before making these changes, it is advised to backup your system to revert back to former settings in case of any possible issues. The below mentioned practice is not advised for non-NVIDIA users. WML Cloud administration will not be responsible for any system issues which may occur due to the below mentioned method.

Open a Terminal window and enter below command. this will open the xorg.conf file for editing:

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

When the file opens, find Section “Device” and add this line “RegistryDwords” “EnableBrightnessControl=1″ (as shown below in red color). Then hit Ctrl+S to save it. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Section “Device”
Identifier “Default Device”

Option “NoLogo” “True”

Option “RegistryDwords” “EnableBrightnessControl=1″

EndSection

 

This tip was posted in the Ubuntu Forum, thank to Guskuma . This method sucessfully resolved the FN key (brightness) issue for NVIDIA users with different kinds of laptop models.

[via Ubuntu Sharing]