Problems viewing on a projector using XP Pro

[pileyrei]

Hi

I've posted this question in the past but never got a resolution (oh the pain).

EQUIPMENT DETAILS:

Dell D600 Laptop
Windows XP Professional

PROBLEM:

If I connect the laptop up to a projector and press the function key and F8 to have the screen show on the laptop and projector screen (for a presentation) it doesn't work. I get the screen on the laptop but not on the projector screen. If I toggle FN F8 a few times it does show on the projector screen for about 2 seconds and then goes blank. The annoying thing is that my colleague has the exact same laptop and it works fine on his one.

TROUBLESHOOTING I HAVE TRIED:

1. Checked the refresh rate. This worked on another model of laptop before, it was too high. This model only has 60hz which I'm told is correct.
2. Updated the bios
3. Updated the video card drivers
4. Swapped the hard disk with the "working" laptop

So far, no luck.

I even posted on the Dell website forum.......man...its like a ghost town there.

I dropped the resolution down to 800x600 and that worked but the graphics etc look terrible.....putting it up to 1024x768 brings the problem back.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Pileyrei

 

[Rick998]

This sounds like a hardware problem with the video output port or mainboard of your laptop inasmuch that this works on a colleague's identical laptop.

If so, swapping the hard disk will have no effect as the problem isn't to do with software, i.e. video drivers and/or screen refresh rate.

I'm not familiar with the BIOS settings on Dell's but is there a setting for 'Simultaneous' output (to laptop screen and video port).

If so, then this would eliminate the problem being with the FN and F8 function key combination not sending the correct signal to the mainboard.

 

[bcastner]

Maybe:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&c2coff=1&sa=N&tab=wg

 

[pileyrei]

Thanks very much Rick and bcastner.

I'll look into your suggestions and post back.

Regards

Pileyrei