Dual screen: running the thinkpad screen at lower resolution

[AndyKH]

Hi

At work I have two displays: An old 18" thinkvision LCD with a 1280x1024 resolution connected to a T43 with a 14.1" 1400x1050 display.

I like to use the external display as my primary one, and then extend the windows desktop to the thinkpad display, but the text is often too small for me to read as it's not as close as when using the thinkpad alone without external screen, keyboard and mouse.
So... I would like to set a lower resolution on the thinkpad display, but when I do that, the image just uses a smaller area on the display instead of stretching to fit the screen. When using the thinkpad display as the primary, this doesn't happen, and in this configuration the external display will happily strectch to fit the screen if I select a lower resolution for this.

Is there a workaround for this?

Thanks in advance
Andreas

[Rob Mayercik]

Sounds like screen expansion in the TP is turned off. There should be a setting somewhere in the Thinkpad Configuration program to fix that (at least, that's where it is in TP Config on my old 600).

Only thing is, I don't know if that will impact the external monitor. It probably shouldn't, but I can't say for sure.

Rob

[schen]

I don't know the model number, but I saw a Samsung 19" LCD on a Fry's ad last week that was 1400x1050 resolution! That should solve your problem!

[AndyKH]

Thanks for the replies

But I think I have been a bit vague in describing my problem.

The problem is not that external LCD has too small a resolution, but that the thinkpad display has too great a resolution when used with an external screen and keyboard (and mouse). Therefore I would like to reduce the resolution on the thinkpad, but this doesn't work when the thinkpad display is set to be the secondary display - it wont stretch the image to fit the screen. This is not a problem when the thinkpad display is the primary display - both the thinkpad and the external display will stretch the image regardless of resolution.

/Andreas

[Talon88]

:::

You should turn the "Screen Expansion" on at
Thinkpad Configuration.

Somethings I don't understand. I keep seeing that
people saying the text is too small on their Hi-Res
LCD (Like 1440x1080) & what to set it to like 1024x768.

I don't understand, how can you stand to watching at
a resolution other than NATIVE Resolution of a LCD.
Come On, It's a LCD, Not a CRT....???? LCD can't change
the resolution. Only have 1 resolution, the native one.

Why buy a Hi-Res Screen & paid high price at the begining
but not going to use? What's the point to do so ....??

P.S.: These Questions is not really for OP AndyKH,
I just Don't understand why people doing this kind of
Fuzzy setting on their Hi-Res Screen....

:::

[GomJabbar]

Why buy a Hi-Res Screen & paid high price at the begining but not going to use? What's the point to do so ....??

I think people buy into the hype of Hi-Res without having experienced it for themselves. Many buy a ThinkPad, sight unseen. I know I did. I wondered if I should get a SXGA+ or XGA display when I ordered my 14.1" T42. I wanted the best display I could get, but I was concerned about the fonts being too small for me. I had a 13.3" 600E with a XGA display, and I felt I did not want smaller fonts than what I was seeing on the 600E. Others are blessed with better eyesight than I and have no trouble at all reading small text. The potential notebook purchaser needs to consider their eyesight when buying sight unseen.

[AndyKH]

Thanks for the additional replies

The problem is, though that screen expansion is already activated. The screen expansion setting works perfectly well when the thinkpad display is the primary display, but it is completely ineffective when the thinkpad display is the secondary display.

I hope for a workaround so please keep posting .

/Andreas

[GomJabbar]

This isn't something I have done, but can't you go to Display Properties, click on the monitor (1 or 2) and choose the resolution for each one (1 & 2)? Or what about using Presentation Director to accomplish this?

[AndyKH]

The problem isn't that I can't set the resolution (no probs at all with that) but that the thinkpad display refuses to stretch the image to fit the screen when it is working as secondary display.

[GomJabbar]

Does Fn + Space Bar (Zoom) work for this?

[pianowizard]

The problem is, though that screen expansion is already activated.

I just tried setting up my 24" external LCD (WUXGA native res) as a 1280x800 primary monitor and my T60's LCD (SXGA+ native res) as a 800x600 secondary monitor, and the display filled the whole LCD. I bet your T43 can do the same thing with the proper settings. Have you tried activating screen expansion within the BIOS?

I don't know the model number, but I saw a Samsung 19" LCD on a Fry's ad last week that was 1400x1050 resolution!

I've never heard of anything like that! Are you sure it wasn't a 20" LCD?

[schen]

[quote="pianowizard

I don't know the model number, but I saw a Samsung 19" LCD on a Fry's ad last week that was 1400x1050 resolution!

I've never heard of anything like that! Are you sure it wasn't a 20" LCD?[/quote]

I have never seen a resolution like that on a desktop LCD either so was surprised which is the only reason I remembered it. It could have been a 20", but I seem to remember that it was a 19". Unfortunately, I've thrown the ad out and can't check, but either way, it should solve the problem neatly since that resolution (which would be considered low for a 19/20" monitor) would blow it up nicely. Most 19s and 20s are at least 1280x1024 if not 1600x1280. I was very tempted to run out and buy it since I've used SXGA+ panels in my ThinkPads for some 3 generations now (T22, T23, T30)!