Stupid Xenarc! It won't turn on when laptop is on or display correct!!

PDiddy · 01-13-2005, 08:58 PM

So I was the one that was confused on how to switch displays on my Xenarc because I have no screen on my laptop (its been taken off) - I learned that fn + f5 switches the screen but here is now my problem. Everytime I turn on the computer, I have to press that until it goes through and puts 800 x 600 60hz in the top left screen written.

I thought the Bios would be the best option to set this however on my HP Pavilion N5430, there are two options which seem like they might have something to do with it - while the others are completely not related:

Video Display Device: [Auto]
Video Expansion: [Disabled]

Video Display being to Auto - it says if an external display is attached it will detect it automatically (Which is what it exactly does when I plug in a 17" external monitor but doesnt work with the Xenarc)

If Video Expansion is to Enabled it means at lower resolutions, video image is expanded to cover the entire LCD. If I do that option, it makes the screen extremely tiny for some reason so I have kept it disabled.

What happens now is I'll turn on my laptop and the display will just remain Power Off. Its not until I hit fn + f5 around 4 times until it gets to the 800 x 600 screen does it work properly. It seems to cycle through a different display everytime I hit fn + f5.

I should say that when the touchscreen is hooked up, and I go to the control panel under the settings tab the "Use this device as the primary monitor" is grayed out. Do you guys think this is just a driver issue? My touchscreen works just fine with this. Are there updated drivers for the Xenarc you think I can use and possibly update manually in the monitor properties? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

PDiddy · 01-14-2005, 07:08 AM

anyone?

PDiddy · 01-14-2005, 11:58 AM

Well it seems to be a problem with the auto detect. How do you turn that on via the remote on the Xenarc? I guess I just need to turn on the auto detect somehow and then that would mean when the PC is turned on, so will the screen be.

strohmrs · 01-16-2005, 01:35 AM

FN + F5 is only cycling through your laptops available displays. That's normal. It is defaulting to the FPD which you said is not there. In the BIOS you said that Video Display Device is set to Auto. What are the other settings? If you have a setting for CRT then try that. Auto will not work with the Xenarc or the Lilliput because they do not send DDC data through the VGA port for the video card driver to recognize them.

As for your auto detect issue with the Xenarc, that feature has nothing to do with monitor detection for the computer. It is to reset or lock on to the current display resolution and frequencies to keep the picture centered on the screen.

PDiddy · 01-16-2005, 07:37 PM

Thanks Strohmrs. I changed the Video Display to be the other option which is "Both" which then turns on the Xenarc automatically. However there is still one more problem. My resolution is set to 800 x 600 but with these settings it gets automatically to 1024 x 768. This makes my screen very hard to read obviously.

The other display setting in the Bios is the Video Expansion which is currently set to disabled. If I enable that, I do get it to be seen full screen however, all the fonts are skewed and really hard to read because thats just enlarging the screen to be full screen instead of showing the proper resolution.

What do you think the problem is for it going straight to 1024 x 768 eventhough my control panel has it to be 800 x 600. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

omar · 01-16-2005, 07:51 PM

What type of video adapter is in the laptop?

strohmrs · 01-16-2005, 09:08 PM

Setting is 800x600 and you're getting 1024x768 out? That's strange. Is that what the Xenarc is reporting or what you are actually seeing? Anyway you could verify if it's actually running in that resolution? Try this: 1. Press PRT SCRN, 2. Open Paint, press CTRL+V, then check the size of the screen dump image by pressing CTRL+E. Whatever size it gives you is what it is really running at.

Maybe the Xenarc is reading the vga signals incorrectly because that resolution mode was customized by something. Are you running any other programs such as Powerstrip or another type of resolution changer that could be interferring?

Maybe you have multiple monitors enabled and they are set for different sizes? Make sure everything is set for 800x600. Most laptops use 1024x768 as its default because that's the most common LCD in them. Maybe as you cycle through the different output modes with the FN+F5, your vga out is being reset to 1024x768?

As far as the Video Expand option in the BIOS, you are right. It's intended use is to upscale lower resolution DOS type screens such as the one when the computer is doing its POST test before loading windows. If enabled, it will enlarge that window all the way to the edge of the screen. It won't look as sharp because it's just like a digital zoom and forcing the smaller window to run in the displays native resolution. If the Video Expand setting is disabled, the text will be small but sharp and will only fill the center of the screen. I didn't think that setting had any effect inside of windows. If so then it sounds the your laptops BIOS is overriding windows.

PDiddy · 01-16-2005, 10:13 PM

I'll look into the multiple monitors thing. I don't have any external programs that are changing the screen size. Even on the POST screen, i can tell that the resolution is that way so that would mean even if I had a program changing my resolution, that woudnt affect the POST screen.

In fact, when I hook up an external 17" monitor it acts the same way with the screen being small and centered on the screen and that looks the same with the Xenarc. The Xenarc also does report that the screen is that size. I guess I will continue to look in the display settings on why that is happening.
Also i'm not cycling through the fn+f5 buttons anymore. When I turn on my computer, the Xenarc turns on automatically and its recognized and shows that resolution.
Since the laptop has no screen and is in my car right now I'll let you know what the VGA adapter is. Unfortunatley I gotta go to work tomorrow so I can't enjoy what should be a day off!

Any other suggestions you guys think I should try?

Thanks again.

strohmrs · 01-16-2005, 10:40 PM

Well everything sounds truly unique with that laptop. Doesn't seem to be doing anything right as the display goes. Do you still have the original LCD for that laptop? Even if it doesn't work, not having it connected to the system may be screwing with the output. Normally you can run laptops without the screen but maybe this one is *****ed without it! If you can find a more updated bios for the laptop I highly recommend flashing it too since your problem starts as soon as the laptop is turned on.

PDiddy · 01-17-2005, 06:49 AM

I will try and look for an updated bios and the screen is off because its cracked. I'm not sure if I'll even be able to salvage any part of it and put it on.

One thing I haven't tried yet is to fn + f5 to display to toggle through once it gets to the right display settings and even if that is possible. Then once its set possibly shutdown and restart and then see which resolution it comes up with. I really am having a hard time thinking that the laptop is messed up. After all, that is outputting the correct resolution on the screen (800 x 600) its just the Xenarc isnt showing it properly. Then again, if I hook it up to a 17" monitor then it does the same thing which means its obviously a setting issue with the laptop. I didnt have any time to look through the display settings but when I get home I will try and play around with it in the house and if I can get it working to properly fit the screen on my external CRT, then I'm sure it will work with the Xenarc in the car. I'll also look into the updated bios but I'm not sure if thats the problem. It seems to be just a display setting I'm missing.

strohmrs · 01-17-2005, 11:36 AM

It's in the laptop for sure because the same happens no matter what display is hooked up. Could be a BIOS setting or hardware but BIOS updates come out to address issues like that. Sounds like all the settings available have been addressed already. I wouldn't even worry about your checking things in you display settings anymore because it's NOT a windows issue.

Just to clear things up, would it be accurate to say that your laptop is outputting a 800x600 resolution INSIDE of a 1024x768 window and that when you enable Video Expand in the BIOS the 800x600 is streched to fill the 1024x768? This is starting to make sense to me now. If this is the case and a BIOS update doesn't change anything then your VGA output on the laptop must be hard coded to ONLY output at 1024x768. At that point you will have to live with the streched look or run 1024x768 in windows and enlarge your font/icon/menu sizes to something more readable.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help but you didn't say yet what model laptop you have. Good luck with the BIOS.

PDiddy · 01-17-2005, 11:44 AM

I have a Pavilion N5430 notebook. I haven't gotten a chance to look for an updated Bios. I dont even know where to begin to find that. You are right in assuming the computer is producing the 800 x 600 in a 1024 x 768 screen and when I do the Video expand it does fit the screen properly but the fonts are stretched and can't be read properly.

But also I'm not sure if I understand what you mean abotu the laptop hardcoding that resolution. After all, if I hadn't changed that setting in the Bios for it to be "Both" the external and internal displays, if my CRT is hooked up it displays the 800 x 600 resolution just fine when that setting was to be "Auto". When that was, it would also be shown fine on the Xenarc by me doing the fn + f5 trick to get it to that proper display. By me putting it to "both" it does make the Xenarc turn on automatically but now just the display resolution wont work. Let me search around on the Net for an updated bios and see what I can come up with.

strohmrs · 01-17-2005, 12:03 PM

Are AUTO and BOTH your only options? No CRT or VGA option? Having it on BOTH is locking the vga output to the native resolution of the LCD which is 1024x768. You can put it back to AUTO but then you'll have to FN+F5 everytime you boot up because the Xenarc isn't automatically detected by the vga port.

strohmrs · 01-17-2005, 12:11 PM

Probably won't help but here it is. I'll see if I can find a workaround that will help with detecting the Xenarc automatically.

1.08 BIOS

strohmrs · 01-17-2005, 01:13 PM

Have you tried changing your monitor .inf driver in windows? Maybe it will force the driver to switch the video card output when windows loads up. Go to Control panel, Device Manager, Monitors, and change the driver to Super VGA 800x600. Worth a shot.