Help-External DVI: ATI Drivrs Don't Work

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technoyenta · #1 Post by **technoyenta** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:18 pm

Hi folks, great board here, lots of useful info I've read as a lurker. But can't find definitive anwer to a current problem.

My TP 41 (2373-9FU ) with ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 card produces a semi-fuzzy external display using analog 1600x1200 on my SyncMaster 213T (21" LCD). So its pretty clear I need external DVI 1600x1200, which of course is not supported by IBM's 'official' driver.

Based on earlier posts on this board, I installed the ATI drivers with the help of the modder. But the current ATI driver screwed up my Thinkpad LCD display, and wouldn't run anything on my external LCD . So I reverted back to an earlier ATI driver.... which works just like the original IBM driver, so I'm back where I started. Two questions:

-unless there's something obvious I did wrong with the ATI drivers, sounds like I should try another driver, maybe the Omega driver? (do they automatically uninstall the ATI drivers? or do y'all recommend DNA drivers? Anything else I should know?

-why has IBM crippled their 'official' graphics driver so it doesn't use the full DVI capabilities of the ATI chip? this is a premium $ machine after all. Any sense when IBM may update their driver?

Thanks in advance for your answers/suggestions!

jjfcpa · #2 Post by **jjfcpa** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:28 pm

I've called IBM to ask them this question 4 or 5 times during the last two years. I love everything about Thinkpads except this omission. Dell and HP both support 1600 X 1200 pass thru DVI, why doesn't IBM???

I used the modder with the Omega drivers and it worked great. I use it every day. I've got a T42 with the ATI 9600, but installed the latest Catylst drivers I found on the ATI website. And yes, it uninstalls the original drivers and then installs the Catalyst drivers using the modified INF file.

Here is the link to the website where I downloaded the modder tool and instructions...

http://www.driverheaven.net/patje/

Hope this works for you, it certainly made my Thinkpad more tolerable.

gosha16 · #3 Post by **gosha16** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:33 pm

wait, how are you getting dvi? port replicator?

technoyenta · #4 Post by **technoyenta** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:38 am

Thanks, jjfcpa, but it may be I'm in over my head here. i guess omega is from ATI, but I installed what I thought was the right driver from ATI(file: wxp-w2k-catalyst-8-051-040825a-017633c.exe) and it had problems and didn't seem to work. so any suggestions? did i download the wrong driver? should I look at dna drivers? other omega drivers? still seems crazy that i should have to go through this after what i paid for the TP

Gosha, yes the port replicator has DVI out, but resolution is limited by IBM's graphics driver.

jjfcpa · #5 Post by **jjfcpa** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 7:18 pm

If you give me your email address I will email you the Catylst drivers that I download from the ATI website a couple of weeks ago.

I still have them saved on my TP's hard drive. The installation was pretty idiot proof and I'll include some step - by - step instructions off the the driver heaven website.

Best, JOhn

technoyenta · #6 Post by **technoyenta** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 9:35 pm

Thanks John. My email is ' thinkpadsgrunwald@aol.com ' after you take out the name of this forum in the prefix. But I think I already installed the ATI drivers with Mod, installation went fine, its just that the software then didnt recognize right resolutions for the built in LCD.

So I guess I'll try and install the Omega drivers, though there are some scary notes in the readme file.....

suggestions always welcome.

armortec800 · #7 Post by **armortec800** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:26 am

The replicator degrades the analog VGA and I am going to complain to IBM. I just bought one and have problem looking at the smeared texts.

technoyenta · #8 Post by **technoyenta** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 10:48 am

The good news is the Omega Drivers do work, and the DVI passthrough signal is beautiful on my external LCD!

Only issue is that it if I want to light up the built in TP LCD while connected to the external LCD, it also sends signal to external monitor. Toggling using F7 only gives me either a) external alone or b) TP LCD and external both on at same time.

Wouldn't be a big problem, except when I'm making presentations and don't want audience to see what I'm doing beforehand (or afterwards).

JHEM · #9 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 11:03 am

Do the Omega drivers work with Presentation Director?

Extending your desktop onto the external display will allow you to have discrete presentations on the external display and the laptop's LCD at the sam time.

Regards,

James

technoyenta · #10 Post by **technoyenta** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 10:28 pm

The Omega drivers are no longer providing DVI output after the TP41 drained battery and shut down. Since then, no more digital [sigh]. I may try and download the DNA drivers, but I find the DNA site incoherent -- so I can't figure out whether/how to uninstall Omega drivers first.

Argh--- this is making Dell/ HP etc look pretty good..........

PS: I haven't used Presentation Director.

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