Using tablet-mode with external 1920x1200 connected

[sbell22]

I have had an X61 for 2 weeks and am more than delighted. The problem I'm having relates to using it for pen input into One Note and Outlook notes, while also driving a 24" Dell external monitor.

I spent several days puzzling with the video configuration settings while docked, before stumbling upon the realization that X61 won't drive the external LCD at it's native 1920x1200 resolution, unless I set it to be the PRIMARY display, using the Intel configuration tool in the Vista Control Panel. Otherwise I'm limited to 1400x1050 resolution on the external display. As far as I can tell, unless my machine is somehow mis-configured. The notebook has to become the "secondary" display, and the external screen the primary, in order to go beyond 1400x1050 resolution on the external Dell monitor (I've tried a Gateway 24" external LCD too -- same result).

That's resolved, although I would prefer to make the Dell my SECONDARY monitor while still getting the 1920x1200 resolution on it (and the max/standard 1400x1050 on the ThinkPad's internal display, of course) -- because that would also solve my second, more serious problem. That being that Windows Vista seems to accept using the "primary" monitor ONLY, as far as pen input goes. I want to still use the X61's display for pen input, while it's docked to a large monitor.

I scanned the forums here using various keywords and found one other ThinkPad owner struggling with this. The Ultramon utility was suggested, but I see in looking at UltraMon that on laptops with Intel graphics chipsets, it can't switch the primary/secondary monitors. My x61 is an L7500 Duo based machine which uses the Intel Mobile 965 Express chipset.

Any ideas or suggestions re: how to correct, or work around this problem would be much appreciated! And thanks for providing an awesome forum for ThinkPad users, i just discovered it this week, registered, and will certainly be "hanging around" the threads, contributing when I can.

steve bell
los gatos, ca

Various Dell, Toshiba, Asus, HP, Sony Vaio Windows laptops (worn out); Mac Powerbook (sold), -> ThinkPad x61 = Tablet Nirvana:)
HP200/620LX, various Windows CE/PPC/Treo/Blackberry devices; ->Sprint HTC Mogul (bingo!)

[pibach]

Give MaxiVista a try. I do not know if it is fast enough for you on that high resolution over WLAN but that way you also get rid of wires!

[sbell22]

thanks pibach... I looked that over, very intriguing. But I don't think I'd be using it for what it was really designed for, and I'm likely to encounter at least a couple of serious "gotcha's". So I'd prefer to put that on a backburner as a solution to pursue, if I can't solve the problem more directly.

It's a innovative and intriguing product, might work since I'm not on WLAN and have plenty of Bandwidth; I may end up using it as a workaround solution. In the meantime, I'm hoping that someone in the forums either can see something I've overlooked or made a mistake with. Or perhaps, they know of a more direct solution. If I am really at a deadend as far as Windows Vista Business, the ThinkPad x61, and the factory video drivers are concerned, at least I'd like to know that for sure, before going down another path.

I did begin to install the downloadable trial software for MaxiVista, but the demo version it has some major functionality restrictions and you have to allow it to install display drivers on the ThinkPad, etc. So I decided to wait until I'm sure I need to go that way.

Thanks for the clever idea, much appreciated!! And now I have a fallback solution "just in case". Looks like maybe worth trying later anyway, to "unite" the two PC's/keyboards/mice on my desk:)

[pibach]

Did you install the latest drivers from the Intel site?

[sbell22]

Haven't dared to try anything that bold. I see that the Intel website has an update:

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/14580/E ... ta_gfx.htm

But it doesn't reference any fixes for my kind of problem. Maybe it's in there, though - the update is version 15.6.1.1329, and my machine came with driver version 7.10.14.1244. But those are so far apart, it makes me concerned whether it's the right one. Any insight on that? I'd go for it if I thought it might fix this.

Or... maybe this is just a Windows Vista glitch where they overlooked a key tablet PC capability?? Hope not.

-steve

[pibach]

this is the right one. Works for my X61t and is a tiny bit faster. But donno if it fixes your external monitor issue.

[sbell22]

I downloaded it... but when going to install, after a dialog box popped up: "The driver downloaded is not validated for this computer".

Maybe because this x61 has tablet features? I selected "Windows Vista Business, 32-bit". There was no tablet option.

Thanks for the help.

[sbell22]

By Golly, thanks to your perseverance, getting me to try the download, I've stumbled across the answer! Everything is working just as I wanted it to - without even having to find the right updated driver! Which I will still do, of course - since I'm seven major rev's out of date.

My false assumption (big mistake?:)) was when I THOUGHT it wouldn't make the notebook display the PRIMARY, and still drive the external at 1920 resolution. The Intel config utility does have a small quirk - it acts like that... BUT if you close down the display driver control program (the Intel driver config program you launch from the Control Panel area), THEN when you restart it... bingo! Then it allows you to set the notebook to be the primary display, AND run the external screen at 1920. I've tested using pen input and it works like a bandit (only when the program windows is open on the NOTEBOOK touch screen, of course).

I'll still upgrade the driver, if I can figure that one out. Thanks for the help. As is often the case, one little glitch led me to make a false assumption, which led me astray for the better part of a week! That is definitely a "gotcha" to watch out for:)

[pibach]

I downloaded it... but when going to install, after a dialog box popped up: "The driver downloaded is not validated for this computer".

yes, that is normal. Do the manual installation in the readme, i.e., download zip, uncompress, and use the "have disk" insatllation when you try updatin the driver in device manager.

Good to hear that you solved that.

How is the display quality at this resolution then?

[sbell22]

The display quality is quite excellent at 1920x1200 pixels... even though I'm just using a VGA cable. I guess there are some (PCMCIA?) widgets you can buy to get a DVI output from the X61? I would try it, to see if it can be sharpened... but this is definitely great quality. I used auto-adjust, but it didn't need it. I did have to change fonts in MS-Outlook 2007, from the default Segue to Verdana. For some reason (in Outlook only), those Segue fonts are ragged. But Verdana is very sharp.

When I do the driver install, is there a way to "fall back" if I run into trouble - the dreaded blue screen, etc?

thanks,

[pibach]

When I do the driver install, is there a way to "fall back" if I run into trouble - the dreaded blue screen, etc?

if you have enabled the auto-restore points should be possible.

But don't be afraid. This driver works. But you can also just wait till Lenovo offers it via update manager. It is already mentioned on their site.

[sbell22]

Everything is working beautifully now, pibach. I ran an update with the ThinkPad utility but haven't installed the driver yet. I think I'll wait for them to supply it, although I have no doubt you are giving me great advise. I just don't have any problems to correct right now, so there is zero (known) upside to the install.

Thanks again for your help & I'm glad you're here contributing on these excellent forums.

-steve

[Wojciech_czyz]

Please have a look there, any solution to reverse pen input?

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 550#359550

Thank you

[sbell22]

sure - happy to help. I've made a post on that thread with the pertinent information that I could think of.

I'm having the worst system lockups/freezes since I bought the machine, over the past week. After spending a half day with the top tech over at Micro Center, I was advised to do a complete system restore, re-install and re-configure everything. I'm always hesitant to do that, as i've been through it enough times where I end up right where I started. It will take me at least a half-day. I will be forced into it soon, though - three or more complete freezes a day, even ctl-alt-del doesn't give me anything - I have to hold down the power switch (with apps still open) until it restarts, to get free. Unrelated to the question above, just fyi - my x61 Vista isn't exactly "pristine" yet either! In fact, I never has even a W98 machine that was THIS unstable! Love the x61, though - despite these headaches.

[Wojciech_czyz]

Thank you for other post, waiting for reverse-pen-input-in-tablet-mode-answer

Meanwhile, the Intel driver tip. Intel has generic driver and Lenovo put his own version of this driver ONLY for few hours/days on support site. They took it down, because driver was missing one file.

Now, with one trick you can use it. I noticed that the missing file was in the Intel driver, I took it from there and put in the directory where I uncompressed the Lenovo driver. It installed perfectly and I use it without crashes since then. Driver Version: 7.14.10.1329

Install WinRAR, using it you can uncompress even exe packed drivers like those from Intel and Lenovo.

[kotaro77]

sbell,

about your freezing problem, I had the exact same problem and i thought the laptop was useless. Uninstall turbo memory software and driver. Windows will ask to reinstall, best to deny. See if that helps. My laptop has not frozen once since removing the turbomemory features. However lenovo update will always have turbo memory drivers on its list afterwards...make sure you dont reinstall.

[sbell22]

Thanks Kataro, very helpful. I only have an occasional freeze now, and it's always Outlook 2007. But come to think of it, that only happened once in the past 3 days. Anyway I am planning on blowing out the hidden partition, reformatting the drive, and doing a clean/minimal install of Vista Business. After that, I bought a "full" version of Office Std 2007, as I am having WGA (MSFT's errant copy protect scheme) with my current upgrade version (paid $240 for it), even though the underlying Office 2007 license is completly valid, and authenticated on the original install. It refuses to allow me to install Office updates saying it fails Authentication, even though it's already been authenticated. Anyway... I have my Vista $5 CD on order from CompUSA, and my restore disks on order from Lenovo, to do the "start from scratch" fix.

Thanks again for taking time to post -

steve

[sbell22]

Hey Wojceick,

you might be interested in hearing about this - Friday I stumbled across a way to run my external monitor and use the x61 as a pen-input device. You have to use the system tray button (right click) for the Intel 965 chipset control, and "direct to" the right option (I forget if it was monitor plus notebook, or the other way around.

Anyway, after that you will have the same image on the external display and the x61 LCD, and you CAN use the x61 for the pen input, while actually LOOKING at the larger LCD. I was able to draw things, manipulate pen input, do text recognition, etc.

There is one big catch, though. The x61 insists on driving both displays at the same resolution - in my case, 1400 horizontal. And my external 24" Dell LCD has a native resolution of 1920. So I can't drive the external LCD in it's native resolution <sigh>. But... it does work! And could be pretty handy for certain types of work (intensive work in One Note, etc).

I bought a stand that allows me to set my x61 dock up at a steep angle just to the right of the Dell monitor, on my desktop, close to the front edge of the desk. This makes for easy pen input, with the x61 screen rotated so the long way is up; and the x61 standing about 20 degrees off vertical. A quick "undock" and I'm on the road with it. I've been using it at my favorite coffee houses with the screen reversed, but standing up, and a lighted external keyboard plus a trackball. GREAT machine... don't think I'll buy a non-ThinkPad laptop for a long time. I just wish Lenovo sold a Tablet PC with a 15" screen. But I'd probably miss the ultra-light form factor... and the screen size really isn't a problem; just takes some getting used to.

Hope that info about using it in tablet-mode with the external monitor in the equation is useful to you...

-steve

[Wojciech_czyz]

Hello,
Thank you for your post. I really want to have both screens separate, so that while I am working on the main screen with whatever application might be I can always take notes on the tablet in OneNote or MindManager. This was my intention.

Seems Lenovo synchronized rotation with primary display only. I suppose the only way is to press them or investigate more the thing. Below some details.

I did some research about Wacom, seems they had pen talbet rotation possibility in their driver, that was available directly to the user. Since some driver version they removed it from UI, but left configuration file that could be modified using text editor.

Few details>>>
Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\pen_tablet.dat
By changing CtxMgrOrientation this should rotate, when the tablet service is stopped and restarted. I tried it and no joy, does not rotate...
End details>>>

[sbell22]

Interesting, Wojciech... thanks for that info about the drivers. I am not bold enough to swap them out, though... I know my limits:)

I wonder if you can buy one of the Wacom-compatible "pen input pads", then use it with MS One Note, to enter with a pen on a regular desktop PC? Do you know if they give you that capability, or is it just some canned drawing application?

I suppose you'd have to get ahold of the Windows Tablet PC OS to do that.... but maybe not?

-steve