Using T60 with Wide Format External Monitor

[Simrod]

I am developing a database for someone who uses 19” monitors at a resolution of 1440 x 900. My project is based on one I developed previously on my T60 using its native (maximum) resolution of 1400 x 1050 (adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon X1400; driver version: 8.442.3.0).

Using my wife’s 16/10 format Fujitsu/Siemens external monitor seems to be the simplest way of adjusting the new database to the client’s format. Perhaps I could install a new adapter/driver on my T60 to achieve 1440 x 900 but a quick look at postings on this Forum suggests mucking around with video drivers can lead to all kinds of problems. Is this worth the candle?

[crazyfrog]

T60 with any graphics option is naturally capable of driving a 2nd monitor (even it's a widescreen) via its VGA port. There is no need of tuning the video driver/adapter.

But if you want better viewing experience, you need to get a ThinkPad Advanced Mini dock or a ThinkPad Advanced dock to drive the 2nd monitor via the DVI port.

What the guys were talking about here is to add more than one external monitor to a T6x or to achieve higher graphical performance. Then you need some extra hardware (certain video adapter) and sort out the driver issue.

[Simrod]

Many thanks, crazyfrog - but I wasn't referring to any discussion about more than one external monitor. On the Display Properties > Settings dialogue screen I can see the required resolutions for the LCD and external monitor by clicking on the '1' and '2' screen icons.

With the 'Extend my Windows desktop...' box ticked, the external display is an extension of an area off to the right of my laptop screen: when I move my mouse beyond the right-hand border of this screen the cursor appears on the external display.

With the box unticked, I get a message on the monitor asking for a display mode of '1440 x 900 with 60Hz' - precisely what is set up under Display Properties.

I've tried using my Advanced Mini dock but this makes no difference, nor does rebooting. And yes, I've cycled through the various Fn + F7 options. Try as I may, I can't get my laptop screen to reproduce itself in full on the external monitor. There's something I am not 'getting' about all this - can anyone offer further advice?

[basketb]

I'm not exactly sure what you want to accomplish. You seem to have it all figured out. You can't mirror a WXGA+ resolution on your internal SXGA+ LCD and the external monitor. You can only use this combination in the "extend my desktop" mode (at least I have not found a way to do it). Why doesn't this meet your needs? If need be, you could make the external screen your primary monitor.

[Simrod]

Thanks, basketh. As you can see, I'm a bit confused by the options available. All I want to do is use an external monitor in place of my T60 display. 'Extend my desktop' gives me a hugely expanded (therefore small) blank slice of somewhere in the ether to the right of my original screen, which is no use to me. You say I could make my external screen my primary monitor - how exactly?

[basketb]

... You say I could make my external screen my primary monitor - how exactly?

In the "display properties" control panel, "Settings" tab, right-click on the external monitor (presumably monitor "2" in your case), and select "primary" (second option from the top). Then click on Apply/OK.
(not to confuse further, but if you need to switch often between the external screen and the internal screen as the primary/only monitor, it may be worthwhile setting up a couple of Presentation Director profiles for this).

[Simrod]

I am most grateful for your help. I have tried selecting 'primary' on the external monitor but this remains greyed out, even when 'Attached' is ticked.

Far from being confusing, Presentation Director (which I have never needed to use before) seems far more intuitive than the Display Properties dialogue screen. However it does suggest there is a problem. I tried editing existing display schemes, but cannot influence the external monitor settings; also establishing a new scheme - consisting of the external monitor alone - but no combination of resolution, colour quality and refresh rate passes muster when the Test button is clicked.

Meanwhile my wife's Toshiba continues (separately) to control the same monitor at a resolution of 1440 x 900.

[basketb]

Make sure the latest drivers for your video card as well as the latest version of Presentation Director are installed. If they are, it may be worthwhile to reinstall them (don't forget to reboot after uninstalling them). I have once had Presentation Director become corrupted (for unknown reasons) and reinstalling fixed it for me.
Also, if I remember correctly, in the BIOS there is an option for what your primary/boot display should be (LCD, DVI, VGA, or a combination thereof), maybe you need to fiddle around with that one too (sorry, that I can't be more concrete but it's been a while since I set up my two monitor set up and I don't remember it being that complicated). But now I do not have any problems to either choose the Thinkpad LCD or my external WUXGA monitor (even with a WXGA+ resolution) as the primary and only monitor (or as a dual-screen setup). The only thing I can't do (like you) is mirror the same image on the SXGA+ and WUXGA monitors.

[Simrod]

I have now installed the latest version of Presentation Director and the latest video drivers, within the ATI 80MB package (yikes! my first proper computer's hard drive held a total of 12MB) and I've tried adjusting the BIOS settings. There is absolutely no difference: whatever I do, I still can't get a picture on the external display. It's not a hardware fault as I have used this machine with other, lesser monitors in the past.

Uncharacteristically for me, I give up. It's not that I'm pusillanimous - I simply haven't the time. My thanks to those who offered advice.

[sjthinkpader]

Right click on your desktop and bring up the Display Properties Window.
Select the Settings tab then Advanced button.
Select the Monitor Tab then uncheck the Hide modes that... check box.
Go back to the Settings tab and move the Screen resolution slider to resolution you want then click Apply.
Use Fn F7 to toggle to your external monitor.

[basketb]

I'm not exactly sure what you want to accomplish. You seem to have it all figured out. You can't mirror a WXGA+ resolution on your internal SXGA+ LCD and the external monitor. ...

I have to take this back. While I was not able to do this in the past. I was all of a sudden this morning. I can't really explain it, just describe what happened. My T60p was undocked yesterday, and put in stand-by mode. This morning I docked it (still while in sleep mode) (Advanced Dock connected to a WUXGA monitor) and pressed the Fn key. The Thinkpad presented itself in a horrible screen resolution (1280x1024) on both on the internal screen as well as on the external widescreen monitor (to make matters worse on that one it was even stretched to make up the whole screen). So I played around with this and was able to set the resolution to 1440x900 on both screens (of course this means slight vertical stretching and horizontal scrolling on the internal screen).