Dell D530 display issues

[witch]

Stuck with an odd problem:

Got a Dell 530 attached to a smartboard and a NEC NP200 DLP Projector and there is a display problem. When the Dell is connected to the projector (with or without the smartboard) the display is much smaller than it should be. I have checked the resolution and everything else (zoom, all projector settings etc) and all seems well.

Oddly, initially the problem still showed up if I connected other laptops (I tried two) and also it was still there if nothing was connected. So I presumed it was the projector...

Just before I got it taken away, I had another look and all I did was change the settings from 32 bit to 16 bit. Lo and behold, the display returned to the correct size and remained there even when the computer was disconnected...

 

All was well for a few days, and now the darn thing has started it again - the setting is still 16 bit.

If you reboot the machine, sometimes the display returns to the correct size and sometimes it doesnt.

 

The laptop is running Vista

[Bruce123]

Check the refresh rate in the display properties on the laptop. If it is 60Hz try increasing it to 75Hz (or vice versa). I presume the display size issue is the projected image size, and not the display size on the laptop screen?

 

We happen to have another issue with our Dell (I think 530) laptops, which is why I started reading your thread. With some types of projectors connected the laptop boots up with it's own display turned off; and you have to press Fn F8 a couple of times to get it to output on both. And when you logon it then might switch back to just the projector again, and sometimes the projected image is unsynced/corrupted. It confuses some users.

 

The project it happens on is a Toshiba/Acer (both the same but rebadged) we bought a few of for £200 each. Thanks, Bruce.

[kestrel1]

Just a suggestion, but have you tried another VGA cable?

[maniac]

Some Dell laptops have an option for 'LCD panel expansion' in the BIOS which is supposed to shrink the image to fit the panels native resolution when displaying images in a lower than normal resolution. Just wondering if this feature is turned on, but is outputting the small picture to the VGA plug as well as the LCD panel?

 

Mike.

[witch]

I will check the bios but this has only just started happening so I don't see how it can be a bios setting - but as I never knew there might be one, that is useful information.

 

The image size is only reduced on the screen, not on the laptop

 

Yes, I have tried another VGA - which wasnt easy as I only have a short one and our ceilings are high!

The problem is that it is intermittent so knowing that what I have done has made a difference is a complete pain.

The refresh rate is set at 60Hz which is the only option at 1024x768

[Bruce123]

I will check the bios but this has only just started happening so I don't see how it can be a bios setting - but as I never knew there might be one, that is useful information.

 

The image size is only reduced on the screen, not on the laptop

 

Yes, I have tried another VGA - which wasnt easy as I only have a short one and our ceilings are high!

The problem is that it is intermittent so knowing that what I have done has made a difference is a complete pain.

The refresh rate is set at 60Hz which is the only option at 1024x768

 

The only option is 60Hz? That's really low. May be that just relates to the LCD display on the laptop. Was the projector attached when you tried this?

 

If there was a projector attached, I wonder if another refresh setting would become available which relates to the attached device (i.e. the projector)?

 

Just an idea....

 

Bruce.

[witch]

No, this was when the projector was attached and no other options became available