External Widescreen Monitor w/T43

[uberT]

Guys, I need to run a slideshow from my T43 this weekend and was hoping to use my 17" widescreen I use at work with the T61.

When I plug the VGA connector into the T43 I get nothing. Even when toggling (using Fn+F7) there is no response from the external monitor.

I contacted the mfr and they say a driver is not needed. He kept asking me to verify whether the VGA port was turned on or not. I don't know how to verify this on the T43 since some of the older utilities I'm used to seeing no longer exist on the T43 (laptop configuration utility).

So, I'm hoping that I'm missing something so basic that it's just silly....or....the video card in the T43 doesn't support the widescreen config.

Thanks for any clues.

[basketb]

Right-click anywhere on your Windows desktop and select Properties. Then click on the Settings tab. Do you see the two monitors and can you select and activate the external monitor? If not, you may need to update to the latest video driver for your machine from Lenovo or install the ATI Omega driver (google it, if you don't know what it is). If that doesn't help, your VGA port may be dead.

[uberT]

I did play around with the monitor graphics as you mention. I don't believe I was able to select monitor #2.

I'll look for that driver. Thanks for the heads up on that.

[james2008]

I have to do a lot of fiddling with the default ATI driver to get the display configured the way I want it.

The procedure is something like:

1.) On the settings tab of the display properties screen, click on the "Display" combo box, and select the second item listed (there should be two).

2.) Click "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor." You should now have blank desktop space on your 17" monitor.

3.) Go back up to the combo box and re-select the 1st item in the list.

4.) Click Advanced, and go to the Displays tab.

5.) On the Displays tab, click the "1" button in the Monitor section, and click apply. Now, you should have the reverse situation: blank desktop space on your laptop screen, and the full display on the monitor screen.

If you're okay with having the extended display on your laptop screen, you can now just go back to the display properties, select the *first* item in the combo box list (this is now your external monitor, when previously it was your laptop monitor), and change the associated resolution if necessary.

If you'd rather have the laptop screen off, after changing the resolution on the external monitor (if necessary), select the second item in the combo box (now your laptop screen), and uncheck "extend display to this monitor."

Once you have things set up the way you'll want them for your presentation, go back to the displays tab (you'll have to have the first item in the combo box selected to make the Avanced button show you the displays tab), and set up a hotkey for your "scheme."

That way, when you have your presentation, all you'll have to do is hit the key combination to switch to your desired display configuration.

You'll be warned that you have to enable the ATI tray application for the hotkey to work.

This may not be the best way of getting it done, but if you just mess about with it for a while, you'll figure it out. It's a horribly designed system. The Intel system I've used on newer thinkpads is much, much better.

[uberT]

James, thanks very much for this recommendation. I gave it a try and the widescreen monitor quickly came to life! I also checked in the ATI driver setup GUI and see that the widescreen monitor is listed now.

While the aspect ratio on the widescreen monitor is off*, it worked well enough for our purpose.

Thanks again!

*everybody appeared short and stout

[james2008]

It's strange that the aspect ratio was off. Did you change the resolution for the external monitor?

The ATI 7500 in my T42 can output widescreen resolutions just fine. 1680*1050 works well.

[uberT]

Yes, I did play around with that setting and couldn't get it to the correct setting. IIRC, the external monitor is 16:9.

[basketb]

One of my external monitors allows to select either 4:3 or 16:10 aspect ratio (no matter what the input signal is). Maybe your monitor has this too.