Xorg -config failure

[Harry Putnam]

Harry Putnam <reader at newsguy.com> writes:

> Setup:
>
> Single user machine running Debian (wheezy) 3.0.0-1-686-pae
> Graphics card: Nvidia FX 5700 LE
>
> At present X is setup without any xorg.conf.  I'm able to `startx'
> with no problems.
>
> However, I wanted to use an old setting from previous OS's on this
> same hardware that was set in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
>
> I thought I'd generate an xorg.conf and try to edit in my changes.
>
> The desired addition from previous os (Gentoo linux). 
>
> From Section "Screen"
>
>   [...]
>
>     Subsection "Display"
>         Depth       24
>         Modes       "1280x1024" #"1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
>         Virtual     2048 1536 
>         ViewPort    0 0
>     EndSubsection
>
>   [...]
>
> Its the virtual size I'm after.  Its worked on this same hardware in
> the past under Gentoo linux.
>
> But I'm not able to get this far because `Xorg -configure' fails
> without generating a file.

[...]

Responding to my own post with a additional question:
Does anyone know offhand if the Nouveau driver is incompatible with
virtual size and panning?