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m5405 use with external monitor corrupts LCD display?

post #1 of 9
12/21/04 at 7:22pm
Thread Starter 
Folks,

I got one of the $599 Best Buy M5405s, but am having trouble using the external video port simulaneously with the LCD display. I wrote the eMachines technical support and got a non-answer (we only support our hardware and software, not devices connected to it...) Can anyone please either verify or refute my findings? To reproduce the problem -

1) Set LCD display resolution to 1280x1024. You should see the normal LCD display, except that you can pan it up and down a little (since the physical display is only 800 pixels high.

2) Connect an external monitor capable of displaying 1280x1024 characters.

3) Press Fn+F4 to enable both the external monitor and the LCD. The LCD display changes to only display 1024 characters stretched across the 1280 character display, causing characters to be malformed. You can also now pan the display horizontally. Note that the display on the external monitor is corrupted in the same way.

4) Press Fn+F4 again to display on only the external monitor. The display should look fine.

If I can't get both the LCD and external monitor to display simultaneously and display the full 1280 pixels without panning, I'm returning it.

Thanks,
Kim
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post #2 of 9
12/21/04 at 8:55pm
Fn+F4 is intended for swtching sources. To set-up multiple displays, you will need to use hydravision or properly configure the displays in the advanced displey properties for what you are wishing to achieve.
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post #3 of 9
12/21/04 at 8:56pm
moved
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post #4 of 9
12/21/04 at 9:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunder_PC
Fn+F4 is intended for swtching sources. To set-up multiple displays, you will need to use hydravision or properly configure the displays in the advanced display properties for what you are wishing to achieve.
Hydravision is an ATI solution, the M5405 has an SIS graphics controller. I have tried the advanced display settings with the exact same results.

I think that the external monitor (switched on using Fn+F4) ought to be able to mirror what's being displayed on the LCD without causing the LCD display to become corrupted. I've used a number of IBM laptops in this mode with no difficulty.

Oddly enough, if you set up for multiple monitor display using the advanced display settings, say setting the LCD to 1280x800 and the external monitor to 1280x1024, the LCD still only shows 1024 pixels across without panning.

Thanks,
Kim
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post #5 of 9
12/21/04 at 9:18pm
Oopsie, brain fart on the hydravision

Properly setup the external monitor can mirror the LCD Exactly. Make sure you set the LCD up to primary and the external is not set to "extend my desktop" yadda yadda. There should then be mirroring options in the Advanced properties. By setting the second display to 1024x768, you are dropping both displays back to 1024x768 if you have mirroring enabled. You cannot have a mirror image if you have two different resolutions, especially one WS and one 4:3.
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post #6 of 9
12/28/04 at 2:23am
Thread Starter 
I just wanted to follow up and say that I've been unable to resolve this problem. The easiest way to demonstrate it is to use the SIS Utility Tray - right click and select Display Property->Driver Mode settings. Attach an external monitor and press "Display devices detection". It should detect the external monitor, but not enable it. Now click the "power on secondary device" checkbox to enable the external monitor. The LCD display now "stretches" and becomes distorted. The "Driver Mode Setting" has controls to use the second display as a mirror or extended desktop, as well as to control the resolution of the LCD and external displays. No matter how you set these the LCD display is still stretched. The only way to "unstretch" it is to uncheck "Power on secondary device" to disable the external monitor.
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post #7 of 9
12/28/04 at 2:32am
If your not able to get the LCD set back to it's native resolution, it is either corrupted drivers, or just poorly written drivers.
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post #8 of 9
12/28/04 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 
Epilog - On page 43 of the user's manual, there's an "Important note" saying that if
the external monitor connected has LESS resolution than 1280x800, the LCD display "stretches" itself for "optimal display". In my case, it's "stretching" regardless
of the resolution of the external display - I've tried up to 1600x1200! Since the
machine was not operating as stated in the manual, I returned it to Best Buy as defective and got a full refund.
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post #9 of 9
1/30/05 at 11:44am
Krochat - have you, in your devices configuration, changed your second monitor (external) to be 'Plug and Play Monitor'? If not, it uses 'Default Monitor' and assumes both monitors are the same device. Thus, you can not manage them seperately.
I have managed to get my displays acting totally seperately by creating two different descriptors, but it was a tricky process. I would still like to find a better driver for the video.
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