6 replies to this topic

[burninbush]

Hi all ...

I have a win7 laptop here that I commonly cable to the vga input on my flatscreen tv to watch web content and movies, slide shows, etc.   The tv I useta use had the same screen rez [1366x768] as the laptop, and it worked fine without me doing any configuration at all.  I have a wireless mouse attached, so I can basically run it from the couch.  

But the old tv refused to turn on recently, so I bought a new one, this time full HD 1920x1080 rez.  Connected the laptop to it, and it came up, but with the display sort of letterboxed, obviously trying to use the old rez.  

So ... right click on the desktop, choose screen resolution, and there I get a display which I think is asking me to pick which monitor to use, and at that point I'm stuck.  What seems to work is 1) choose the screen that makes the tv put up a message that it stopped receiving input, then 2) hit the laptop power button a couple times.  This makes it come back up with a full screen display, after which it works fine at the full resolution of the tv.  I believe this will continue to work until the next time I power-up the laptop with the tv disconnected.  

What's the right way to do this operation?

And then, is it possible to set a larger font on the 2nd [tv] screen while retaining my previous settings on the laptop screen, so nobody has to struggle with it when it is not connected to the tv?  

TIA for any help.  

[crp]

Does your laptop have an HDMI/DVI output? If it does than it should pick up the TV.
With VGA output, I need to have the TV on before turning on the pc.

Yes, your driver should support different resolutions and sizes between your inbuilt and TV.

(i have 2 machines hooked up to my TV, one via DVI the other VGA)

[burninbush]

Does your laptop have an HDMI/DVI output? If it does than it should pick up the TV.
With VGA output, I need to have the TV on before turning on the pc.

Yes, your driver should support different resolutions and sizes between your inbuilt and TV.

Hi ... I'm using a vga cable, laptop doesn't have hdmi or dvi output.  I do have to turn on the tv first.  

And if I didn't make it clear above, it does finally work correctly at the tv HD resolution, I just need to know the proper way to get it to switch without the drama.  As if I knew what I was doing.

That all said, I turned it on this afternoon and it came up on the tv at the proper rez.  I have no clue why this works sometimes and doesn't other times.

[goretsky]

Hello,

Have you tried using the WinKey+P combination to bring up the Windows Presentation Mode dialog?  From there you can set choose the basic configuration for a dual monitor display.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[Temmu]

i have too have a long vga cable to my tv.
i think my tv maxes out at 1024 x 768.
text seems to be a "system as a whole" function, rather than per-monitor. (i may be wrong...)

[burninbush]

Hello,

Have you tried using the WinKey+P combination to bring up the Windows Presentation Mode dialog?  From there you can set choose the basic configuration for a dual monitor display.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Ah, that did it, thanks for the scoop.  Just what I was hoping for.  

[Temmu]

yay!
always glad to hear something works!