Satellite pro L100 and projector woes

[chrbb]

Hopefully this is in the right place!

 

Toshiba satellite pro that has been happily connected to a projector for 12 months suddenly has no output display. Fn + F5 displays as output to screen and projector but projector shows as searching for input and failing. Projector is fine with other laptops, laptop in question won't work with any projector.

 

I've tried updating the display drivers but they don't seem to update as the driver still shows the same date and silly question now but if I delete the driver (ati) will the windows standard driver take over?

[nutso]

I know it's not the same model, but we've had problems with a couple of our Satellite Pro A100s suddenly developing dodgy VGA ports. I'm guessing there's problems with bad connections to the motherboard since wedging something under the VGA connector forcing both it and the port upwards made it work. When just connecting normally - nothing.

 

I know it's not the same model, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's the same thing.

[elsiegee40]

It sounds like the card has failed... hence no projector works with the laptop. driver updates would not help in this case.

[chrbb]

I'm hoping it's not a hardware prob, whilst the laptop is under warranty we don't have any spare at the moment until our new laptops arrive in the next few weeks, typical isn't it?

[nutso]

I hate to break it to you, but even though it is under warranty you may have trouble getting them to fix it. If Toshiba decide that the fault is a dodgy port, they may try and claim that it has become dodgy through physical damage and isn't covered under warranty. I hope you aren't that unlucky, but I honestly doubt that the problem is a software one.

 

A quick way to test this is to boot the machine with a projector/monitor plugged in..I believe that on most Toshibas, the output when booting a laptop defaults to the VGA port if something is detected on it, so the BIOS screen would appear on the external device. I don't know about L100s though since I don't have anyway.

[chrbb]

Tried booting attached to monitor, screen blank on both laptop and monitor. Seeing as the display seems to be ok on the laptop would attaching it to a video splitter then to the projector wall socket make it display on the projector to use as a temp measure until I get my replacement laptops in?

[nutso]

Well since the screen was blank on both monitor and laptop when plugged in, that rules out a software issue. That means that the VGA port isn't outputting at all. Unless the fault is a loose connection and you are able to do something to fix that (jiggling the port or something internally), I think you're not going to get anywhere with it.

[FN-GM]

I have sent a few Toshibas away for repair and one of them took a shocking 2 months to come back Also got the user damage card and tried to make us admit we caused the fault

[synaesthesia]

Had a couple of Toshiba's that only output to *anything* if the projector is plugged in and powered on at the time the laptop powers on despite never needing to do that previously. Might be worth a look. No idea what causes that but most teachers were happy with a small adjustment to power-on procedure rather than leaving their machine in the hands of Toshiba, who I'll agree do NOT have a particularly great way with customers.

[laserblazer]

Had a couple of Toshiba's that only output to *anything* if the projector is plugged in and powered on at the time the laptop powers on despite never needing to do that previously. Might be worth a look. No idea what causes that but most teachers were happy with a small adjustment to power-on procedure rather than leaving their machine in the hands of Toshiba, who I'll agree do NOT have a particularly great way with customers.

 

I've had similar on an A100 as well. Power up with the prjector connected and the projector displays but not the laptop regardless of Fn+F5. Shutdown, remove the external vga, power up, reconnect the vga and fire up the projector and it works! All the others A100s are fine.

[plexer]

Do a little dance, get down tonight, get down tonight.