I have the same problem.
It was marked as resolved in bug 157139.
(kde4.1 beta2 in kubuntu)

I can confirm this behaviour and have a "bandaid" resolution.

**THE SYSTEM**
I'm running a unstable (~x86) Gentoo Linux system.
I've built KDE from R908976 of the 4.2 SVN branch. 
I'm using QT version 4.4.2
I'm using version 6.9.0 of xf86-video-ati on an AGP R420 (Radeon X800)
I'm using version 7.4 of xorg-x11.

**THE BUG**
This behaviour is seen when setting KDE's resolution to anything lower than the
display adaptor/monitor's maximum resolution, then logging out, and logging
back in.
Repro recipe for a system with a maximum resolution of 1600x1200:
* Start KDE.
* Open the "Display" System Settings applet.
* Set the "Size" of your monitors to something smaller than 1600x1200.
* Click "Apply".
* Close the System Settings window and log out.
* Start KDE.
* Watch the display size be set to 1600x1200.
** Opening the "Display" System Settings applet correctly reset the screen
resolution.
** Starting krandrtray also correctly resets the screen resolution.

I've repro'd this with a monitor whose max resolution was 1024x768 and one
whose max resolution was 1856x1392. I would imagine that this bug is triggered
regardless of max resolution.

**THE PROPOSED BANDAID**
Add krandrtray to the list of applications that get started at default.

**THE RATIONALE**
The prototypical visually-impaired grandma with the 24" CRT that her geeky son
set to 1024x768 will have to reconfigure her system each and every time she
logs in. This would get really annoying, really fast. (It's annoying when it
happens to me, at least.)
Also, -unless the "automatically start Strigi, Nepomuk, and Akonadi" setting is
stored somewhere other than ~/.kde4- we're starting Strigi, Nepomuk, and
Akonadi on startup as well. I imagine that an average user would care about his
desktop resolution decision being constantly ignored long before he worried
about file indexing.

And, Half-Left in #kde spoke to Aaron Seigo about it. Siego agreed that it
should be started by default.

Let me know if I can provide more info. I'm not afraid of applying patches or
experimental code, either!

Woah! 640x480! This is a very old resolution and you will see thing so big! Why
you want to change to so few resolution?

That annoying bug happened to me from 1st installation of Kubuntu 8.10 with KDE
4.13, then updated to 4.12 Beta2 adn 4.2 RC1 and is not solved! I dont know why
so many effects with KWin (that Im affraid to use from fist version for turned
black my creen) cause that is MOST IMPORTANT cs evetime I had to set it to my
res! I have reolution set to 1024 and Im not "visually-impaired" or have an 24"
CRT, Ive a 19"LCD. It si for fonts are very small (size 9) and hard to read, in
Konqueror more, this didnt happened in Kubuntu 8.04 with KDE 3.5.9. Iv to force
to 96DPI, and this is not fixed too!I like big icons, btw some install the
Apple panel that has more big icons...
I started krandrtray in first kde 4 versions but when I reboot disapeared from
SysTray and res was set to max. I ran it now on KDE 4.2 but when IO reboot prob
I ll get he same error. As I dont know how to add krandrtray to the list of
applications that get started at default and I think that is better find a
solution at the root of that really fixes the problem to future releses but I
dont understand las solution Kenet said:

" **THE RATIONALE**
The prototypical visually-impaired grandma with the 24" CRT that her geeky son
set to 1024x768 will have to reconfigure her system each and every time she
logs in. This would get really annoying, really fast. (It's annoying when it
happens to me, at least.)
Also, -unless the "automatically start Strigi, Nepomuk, and Akonadi" setting is
stored somewhere other than ~/.kde4- we're starting Strigi, Nepomuk, and
Akonadi on startup as well. I imagine that an average user would care about his
desktop resolution decision being constantly ignored long before he worried
about file indexing.

And, Half-Left in #kde spoke to Aaron Seigo about it. Siego agreed that it
should be started by default."

Um, I'm getting this even when I *do* set my screen resolution to maximum.
(1680 x 1050). The only possible exception I can think of is that I have a
second monitor plugged in but not being used. Maybe "maximum resolution" here
is defined as using the big desktop (both screens)?

Anyway, I'm still getting this today with Jaunty-Dev using KDE 4.2 and
Kdebase-workspace 4:4.2.0-0ubuntu8

You mean, 2 monitors in a graphic card with TV output? Cause my old nVidia FX
5200 has TV output too, but I dont think that is the problem as when I started
using Kubuntu 8.10 with KDE 3.5.9 that bug didnt occur..

with the same graphic card I mean.

I can confirm this bug on KDE 4.2.1. (openSUSE 11.1 64 bit, KDE4 Factory
Desktop repository).

I'd brought a new monitor. Initially, the old monitor's resolution was set to
1280x1024 (max. resolution). Then I installed this new LCD, changed the
settings in System Settings Display applet to 1680x1050 (max. resolution).
After restart the resolution was 1280x1024, but when I start the Display applet
(after every restart) the resolution automatically changes to 1680x1050.

*** This bug has been confirmed by popular vote. ***

Is there any progress with resolving this bug? Because right now the settings
made in Display section at System Settings are totally useless. It doesn't
matter what I set, because it doesn't get working after each logout->login,
until I open the System Settings -> Display again.

Is there a fast way for the screen config(.kde4/share/config/krandrrc I think
it was) to gets loaded right after each login in kde4? It is good solution for
me if I should add it as a Startup script in kde4 configuration.

KDE 4.3.3

(In reply to comment #9)
> Is there any progress with resolving this bug? Because right now the settings
> made in Display section at System Settings are totally useless. 

I agree! And I can confirm this bug- have had the issue under jaunty, karmic
and now lucid. I am running kubuntu 10.04 with the 31-22 kernel and kde 4.4.3
on a Toshiba Satellite w P4-M 2.0 ghz, nvidia geforce 460 go (using default
drivers not nvidia drivers) and 1gb ram.

From surfing around it appears that this bug has been known for about 18 months
and seems to be independent of video card (ati, nvidia, intel) as well as
indifferent to native resolution and secondary displays.

cheers, ransom

I'm seeing this issue (restoration of the wrong resolution* on login) only
since the update to KDE 4.4.3, but it's still annoying to have to change the
resolution to the preferred one on login.

I'm on Debian testing (Squeeze).

* I thirst thought KRandR restores always the default resolution of the screen
on login, but by accident I've discovered, that it seems to keep/restore the
resolution in which KDM ran. And KDM starts up (for me) with the default
resolution of the screen. But when I logout, KDM is loaded with the last used
resolution (that is higher than the default resolution). This higher resolution
is kept/restored after I relogin to my account. After a reboot KDM starts with
the default resolution again, which is then set for the session itself and not
changed by KRandR on its start-up.

This is so annoying.
I'm running KDE4.4.4 inside VirtualBox. I don't want to screen set to its max
resolution since then I have to scroll the VirtualBox window.

This bug and some relevant feature reqests have been reported several timeas
already (#220079, #235883, #238278 among others). It is annoying and it makes
the Display section of the System Settings useless and misleading - "System
Settings" sounds very much like something that should be saved and restored
when appropriate, while leaving temporary configuration changes (e.g. for use
with beamers on laptops) to the KRandRTray and the likes.

Additionally, the assignee, Gustavo Pichorim Boiko, is reportedly no longer an
active KDE developer. I've got nothing against the guy, it was his right to
quit, but it would be nice if someone stepped up for the task because right
now, loads of bug reports related to display configuration are being assigned
to a dead email address.

You are welcome to be this somebody.

SVN commit 1170315 by lunakl:

- move the somewhat long krandr setup code from startkde
  into its own separate script that is called from startkde
- use properly krandrrc instead of kcmrandrrc in the script
- implement support for randr1.2 (non-legacy) setup, which
  is done by kcm_krandr simply saving a list of CLI xrandr commands
  and those are executed by the script
- add a buttom to kcm_krandr to save the current setup
  as the default to be used during desktop startup

FEATURE: 157839
FEATURE: 219704
FEATURE: 235883
FEATURE: 238278
FEATURE: 163707
FEATURE: 141999
FEATURE: 229529
BUG: 246298
FEATURE: 183143



 M  +5 -0      kcontrol/randr/CMakeLists.txt  
 AM            kcontrol/randr/krandrstartup  
 M  +5 -1      kcontrol/randr/legacyrandrconfig.cpp  
 M  +22 -0     kcontrol/randr/legacyrandrscreen.cpp  
 M  +1 -0      kcontrol/randr/legacyrandrscreen.h  
 M  +46 -0     kcontrol/randr/randrconfig.cpp  
 M  +2 -0      kcontrol/randr/randrconfig.h  
 M  +8 -1      kcontrol/randr/randrconfigbase.ui  
 M  +31 -2     kcontrol/randr/randrdisplay.cpp  
 M  +3 -1      kcontrol/randr/randrdisplay.h  
 M  +31 -0     kcontrol/randr/randroutput.cpp  
 M  +1 -0      kcontrol/randr/randroutput.h  
 M  +11 -0     kcontrol/randr/randrscreen.cpp  
 M  +1 -0      kcontrol/randr/randrscreen.h  
 M  +7 -48     startkde.cmake  


WebSVN link: http://websvn.kde.org/?view=rev&revision=1170315

Just upgraded my arch linux to 4.5.2, but krandrtray is still not restoring
screen resolutions.
Did this fix go into 4.5.2?
Is there anything special to do to make sure it restores screen resolutions?

Apparently, the 1170315 fix is sadly NOT included for kde-4.5.2, in Gentoo or
any other distro I've used.  I'm extremely disappointed, as this has gone on
for so long it's becoming a kde deal-breaker for me.  As far as I'm concerned
there's no excuse.  No use repeating it all here, so anyone interested see my
posts (wrc1944) on the Gentoo forum praising this fix in kde-live (svn), and my
rant about this long standing problem not being addressed in any 4.x.x release
for almost 2 years. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-844013-start-0.html

Unfortunately it is not fixed here too, in KDE 4.5.2 (with Kubuntu).

1170315 does work great on my kde-live (4.6 svn) install on the Gentoo kde
overlay.  I was considering trying to untar.bz2 the released 4.5.2
/workspace/kcontrol/krandr source file and copy over all the relevant 1170315
files from my kde-live source files, replacing the 4.5.2 versions.  However, it
probably isn't as simple as that, and might cause a bunch of other problems
with related 4.5.2 packages. I read that it won't be in until kde-4.6.x (maybe
something to do with qt-4.7?). I am successfully using qt-4.7 on my kde-live
install.  But even if 1170315 files worked on 4.5.2, you'd have to do it on
4.5.3, and 4.5.4, until 4.6.0 was actually released (next March?).  Not sure
it's worth the trouble, but I sure can't see running kde-live 4.6 on all my kde
installs, either Gentoo or other distros.

*** Bug 253792 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

This is not working for me as line 9 in krandrstartup is wrong:

$ cat test
#!/bin/sh
krandrrc_display_startupcommands="xrandr --output "VGA1" --pos 0x0 --mode
1680x1050 --refresh 59.9543\nxrandr --noprimary"
echo -e "$krandrrc_display_startupcommands" | \
while read command; do
   echo "$command"
done

$ ./test
-e xrandr --output VGA1 --pos 0x0 --mode 1680x1050 --refresh 59.9543
xrandr --noprimary

As you can see, the "-e" is included in $command which then obviously fails.
If I remove the "-e" it sort of works, but I still have the wrong resolution in
kdm

Stefan, that issue was reported in #275360.

Issue is still not fixed. I tried it here with openSUSE 11.4, Tumbleweed
repository and KDE 4.6.5.

Changing the resolution to 1680x1050, logging out and in again brings back the
native resolution of 1920x1080.

All changes have been made with the KDE system controls.