Multiple Monitor Issue

[FL999]

Hi guys. recently installed Windows 7 64-bit on my laptop and so far everything's been working fine except for my second screen. When I plug it into the VGA slot, my main monitor flickers and adapts like it should to accomodate the second screen and windows detects the second screen but the latter wont switch on. I tried about 4 screens and they all dont receive a signal even though windows detects the screen. Can anyone help on this one?


DELL Vostro 1500 Laptop, Intel centrino Duo T7100 1.8ghz, 4GB DDR2 Ram, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB, 160GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit

[green granite]

Go to the video card manufacturer's site and see if they have a driver for it for W7 64bit, the one W7 uses may be a generic one, the one it used for my wife's lappy was wrong but Acer had the correct one on their site.

[FL999]

got the latest drivers and everything for Win 7 64. Everything works as its supposed to except that the damn screen wont detect any signal! \

Basically Windows detects the monitor but the monitor wont detect windows

[Saab Dastard]

Is there a Function switch to toggle between lappie screen, external screen, both?

Is there anything in the BIOS to enable external screen?

If all else fails, RTFM



SD

[Mike-Bracknell]

The standard on most (all?) Dell laptops is Fn+F8 to toggle between 3 modes:

- internal panel
- external connector
- both outputs

[green granite]

From the user manual page 43, W7 will be similar:

Windows Vista
1 Click the Windows Vista Start button , and click Control Panel.
2 Under Appearance and Personalization, click Adjust screen resolution.
3 In the Display Settings window, click the monitor 2 icon, click the Extend
the desktop onto this monitor check box, and then click Apply.
4 Click OK to close the Display Settings window.

[Simonta]

FL999

Try turning down both the resolution and refresh rate of the 2nd monitor. It's possible that combinations of res/refresh can fuzz up your monitor.

If that's no good, I would go for a BIOS update.

Good luck

[FL999]

Thanks guys., ive tried everytihng to no avail. Ive tried a new screen and this time the No Signal sign disappears but the screen remains black and its power light keeps on flashing. Im out of ideas!

[green granite]

From another forum and a guy with the same problem.

Hey everybody...
i got it going...

i ended up installing the original drivers my machine came with way back in 04 from Dell's website...and then ran them in XP in compatibility mode...when i rebooted it recognized my card and Samsung display and im up and running and its looking great.

Thanks to everybody who replied