Windows Extended Desktop Problem

scorpius

scorpius

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Alistair
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Hopefully someone on here might be able to resolve a problem I'm having with a laptop at the moment.

I have a Toshiba laptop running XP Home SP3 which is used in our church to project hymns etc. onto a screen using the VGA out port and extended desktop. It worked perfectly until a few weeks ago when I was stuck in India and my wife tried to use it and some how has managed to break it. I sent her instructions on how to use the extended desktop but managed to miss out a step and she says after hunting around she ended up on a screen with a list of loads of numbers and picked one. We've gone through what she did but can't find the screen she ended up on.

You can still set it up to operate an extended desktop but it isn't sending a signal to the secondary monitor. Myself and a friend have tried it with a number of screens both LCD and CRT and just can't get it to send the video signal.

We've set it up with a CRT that was in stand-by and when the laptop was changed to use the extended desktop the CRT powered up but no video appeared. So it looks like the VGA port is still at least alive

We've updated the drivers and gone through all of the options and checks we can think of but to no avail. :bang:

Any ideas anyone
 
Things I would try / investigate and I expect you have already:

Disable and re-enable the extended destop
Maybe a refresh rate / resolution issue on the extended desktop
If you are not using a specific graphics control app (e.g. ATI Catalyst) then display properties,settings, select the second display, identify
If using 3rd party video software e.g ATI Catalyst then use the option to restore to default settings
Go back to just outputing the laptops display to the CRT/projector to make sure there is no port problem
 
neil_g said:
is there any options under advanced in the graphics options?

does it work if you do a straight clone of the primary display?
Click to expand...

Neil,

I've tried the clone option and get exactly the same result as the extended desktop, nothing.

I do get options under the Advanced part of graphics if I go in under the Display option of Control Panel. It gives you various tabs including General, Adapter, Monitor, the Intel Graphics info and Color Mangement. The monitor is set as plug and play and the graphics chip is an onboard Intel 82852/82855.
 
robbino said:
Things I would try / investigate and I expect you have already:

Disable and re-enable the extended destop
Maybe a refresh rate / resolution issue on the extended desktop
If you are not using a specific graphics control app (e.g. ATI Catalyst) then display properties,settings, select the second display, identify
If using 3rd party video software e.g ATI Catalyst then use the option to restore to default settings
Go back to just outputing the laptops display to the CRT/projector to make sure there is no port problem
Click to expand...

Rob,

We've checked the refresh rate/resolution and that hasn't changed from before and is nothing special just being 1024/768 and 60Hz.

We've tried the Identify option and it identifies the laptop screen as 1 but gives nothing for the second monitor.

It's running the default Intel drivers and these have been uninstalled and replaced with the lastest versions, to no avail.

If I try the LCD monitor as the Primary I get absolutely nothing.
 
ChrisH said:
Scorpius where's she based, if not too far from Manchester I could pop over.

I run a dual monitor setup.
Click to expand...

Chris thanks for the offer but the laptop and me are in Edinburgh.
 
normally on laptops there is a funciton key that cycles through the display outputs..

on my gf toshiba its fn+F5 but it might differ, look for one of the F keys along the top with a relevent symbol.

press fn+whichever key once, wait a few seconds and see if the external display powers up, then repeat, and repeat, repeat 5-6 times see if anything happens.
 
I might sound odd but have you tried reinstalling the graphic drivers as there are chances that it might wade off any changes made to it and then try configuring it to the projector, hope that it works for you. I would also like to know what do you mean when you said that it broke, was it the laptop or the OS, this would help you have some better suggestions.
 
jclynadms said:
I might sound odd but have you tried reinstalling the graphic drivers as there are chances that it might wade off any changes made to it and then try configuring it to the projector, hope that it works for you. I would also like to know what do you mean when you said that it broke, was it the laptop or the OS, this would help you have some better suggestions.
Click to expand...

Sorry when I said broke it I meant that extended desktop doesn't work now, nothing broke as such either hardware or OS.

The drivers have been reinstalled and not change.
 
Screen with numbers.... Mrs didn't stumble into the bios and find a way of turning it off there? Or as neil says Fn key + something turned it off?

Assume you have tried more than just the one vga cable?
 
neil_g said:
normally on laptops there is a funciton key that cycles through the display outputs..

on my gf toshiba its fn+F5 but it might differ, look for one of the F keys along the top with a relevent symbol.

press fn+whichever key once, wait a few seconds and see if the external display powers up, then repeat, and repeat, repeat 5-6 times see if anything happens.
Click to expand...

Neil,

I've tried the Fn (it is F5) and still no change.
 
RobertP said:
Screen with numbers.... Mrs didn't stumble into the bios and find a way of turning it off there? Or as neil says Fn key + something turned it off?

Assume you have tried more than just the one vga cable?
Click to expand...

She may have but my mate who's much more PC/Laptop literate than me had a rummage in the bios for that and reckoned it was OK.

Yes I'm now on the 3rd VGA cable and they all worked with other laptops etc.
 
scorpius said:
She may have but my mate who's much more PC/Laptop literate than me had a rummage in the bios for that and reckoned it was OK.

Yes I'm now on the 3rd VGA cable and they all worked with other laptops etc.
Click to expand...

it sounds like she just found the standard windows graphics options with the big 1 and 2 on the screens
 
scorpius said:
We've set it up with a CRT that was in stand-by and when the laptop was changed to use the extended desktop the CRT powered up but no video appeared. So it looks like the VGA port is still at least alive
Click to expand...

I had an IBM laptop that sometimes refused to accept there was a second display attached. Solution was to boot it with the external display attached. It then detected it was there and gave the option to use it. Thought you had done that when i first read the above but maybe not.

Worth a try :) . Also have you had device manager scan for new hardware when the external display is attached?
 
other things to try:

another monitor
boot in safe mode and see if the monitor appears in the screen display properties.
Does you laptop have DVI or TV out output, if so try one of them instead of the VGA
Try Fn+F8, this usually cycles through LCD,VGA,LCD+VGA
Many years ago I remember sometimes you would come across a CRT's that would not work with a PC, you got "no signal" bouncing around the screen, tried another CRT and it would work fine.
 
This may sound daft but bear with me here.
When in the Settings tab of display properties how many screens are shown as options for extended desktop? there are often 3 screens in total, if so try extending to screen 3 instead of 2.

Before anyone jumps in, this happens all the time at work, especially with HP LP2275w monitors!
 
There is a function key / F key combo that switches the second monitor off on a toshiba

(function key = "fn" bottom left keyboard, use it like the shift key)

Find out which one it is before proceding (google it) it varies from model to model

it usually goes in a cycle:

LCD only, LCD+External, External only etc..

so you may need to press the key combo a few times
 
Where abouts in Edinburgh are you? If it's on my passing by to work (I work in Edinburgh) I could have a look at it for you. As I run a similair set up with my 50" TV.

T.
 
Thanks for all the help folks, I've now passed the laptop on to somebody who knows a lot more about them than me to see if he can resolve the issue.
 
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