Connecting a T400 to a projector for PowerPoint slide shows

[OverKnight]

I have been trying to connect my T400 to an InFocus X2 projector to display PowerPoint presentations, and I’ve encountered numerous problems. These are the specifications of my system:
• Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit, Service Pack 1
• Intel Core 2 Duo, T9600 @2.80 GHz
• 4 GB RAM
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007

My presentations are just static slides, with no sound or video. I want the connection to be “extend”, so I can see multiple slides on the T400 with the slide show on the projector. A frequent problem is the #1 and #2 screens are reversed, with the slide show on the T400 and the view of multiple slides on the projector. I’m supposed to be able to toggle this with Fn/Spacebar, but this does not work. Today, the resolution of the projector was too low, with the outside margins not visible. Finally, the times I have been able to successfully connect to this projector, the resolution on the T400 decreases from 1440 x 900 to (I’m guessing) around 800 x 600.

All drivers for the ATI adapter are up to date. It seems that this should be simple, but I’m clearly missing something. Any ideas?

Thank you.

[theterminator93]

There should be settings on the slide show tab in PowerPoint which allow you to choose onto which monitor and at which resolution to display the slide show.

I use the Windows key + P to cycle between the different display modes...

[mpcook]

Apparently the Infocus X2 is limited to 800x600 and 4:3. You will need a projector capable of 16:10 or 16:9 to get close to what you see on your T400.

[OverKnight]

Thanks, theterminator93. I admit that I forgot about the settings in PowerPoint, and I didn't know about Windows key / P. I won't be able to try these until Thursday, but I'll give them a try them.

Thanks, mpcook, I suspected that might be the case with the InFocus projector. Do you know if my T400 can be configured to maintain 1440 x 900 on the T400 screen while the InFocus projector is set to 800 x 600?

Thanks again.

[theterminator93]

In 'extend' video mode, that's exactly how it works. You configure both displays independently of each other. Pull up "resolution" by right-clicking the Windows desktop to configure this with the projector connected. You can also configure which display is "primary", aka which has your icons, taskbar etc.