Help using LCD & External Screens to display dup. desktop

[PaulaG]

I have a frequent need to run with both the LCD panel and an external hi-res VGA projector or screen. When I plug in an external high-res device and select Duplicate Screen, the W530 LCD drops to 800x600 and the external device goes blank ... not helpful.

If I select Extend Screen then it jumps back to hi-res and displays 1/2 my desktop on the LCD and 1/2 on the external screen, which is as I would expect but not what I need.

We have 2 W530s, one with the NVIDIA 1000 and the other NVIDIA 2000. Both behave the same.

Running Win 7 Pro. BIOS set to NVIDIA Optima mode.

I've been through all sorts of display configuration craziness but I can't seem to find a combination that allows me to have the same desktop on both display devices, even when both are the same hardware res.

Has anyone run into this and found a way to actually duplicate the desktop on both devices?

[ss08x]

Hi PaulaG, I haven't tried the Duplicate Screen mode on my W530, but I thought I would try it out and let you know how it went. I dug out a VGA cable and attempted Duplicate Screen on an external display and could not do it. The W530 monitor would immediately jump to what looks like 800x600 and the external monitor is black (even though the external monitor is 1680x1050), and then both monitors flash to actual Duplicate Screens for a second, teasing you that it works, and then flashes to Projector Only mode (the last mode used). I plugged my monitor back in using my DVI-DP cable and decided to try to duplicate it with the digital connection. I got identical results.

I tried the same test on my T430 and it worked flawlessly (both screens displayed a mutual resolution of 1440x900), which is funny because my T430 is unable use the proper resolution on a 720p TV in any of the display modes: duplicate, extended, or projector only.
I didn't dig out my old W500 to test, but I remember it worked well in all the display modes on all the displays and projectors I've used in the past (much like your T60).

If by chance you are only using PowerPoint, PowerPoint works with Extended Screens and will display the presentation on the external display, while giving you a more detailed (presenter view) display on the W530. (my preferred display method for PPT's) If you are doing anything else, well, you probably need duplicate screens.

I don't know how to fix the problem, but I hope someone here does. Please post your solution when you figure out how to duplicate screens on both displays. Thanks.


Notebooks I used in this post:
W530: i7-3740QM, K1000M, FHD 1920x1080, 8GB, 256GB Samsung 840 SSD, 500GB WD 7200 HDD (ultrabay), W7 Pro.
T430: i5-3320M, integrated graphics, HD+ 1600x900, 4GB, 320GB HDD, W7 Pro.