New laptop - help please

blunomore

blunomore

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Good people

I am still unable to make a successful connection between my laptop and my data projector.

We need a laptop (almost) exclusively to use in conjunction with the laptop to make presentations for training purposes.

Can you recommend a decent, but small/inexpensive laptop for this purpose? Thanks

PS: The projector is a Sony SVGA VPL DS 100
 
Most laptop have a setting accessed via hot keys or via graphics properties (when on desktop right click and then open) which allows you to set up projector eg same display on monitor and projector etc. Also check resolution setting on laptop as it may be an incompatible mode. Good Luck
 
TonyA said:
Most laptop have a setting accessed via hot keys or via graphics properties (when on desktop right click and then open) which allows you to set up projector eg same display on monitor and projector etc. Also check resolution setting on laptop as it may be an incompatible mode. Good Luck
Click to expand...

Umm.... you guys are a bit vague :)

How does one know if the RESOLUTION SETTING is incompatible ?
 
Well doesn't the projector manual tell you what resolution it will take? Then set laptop to same resolution under graphics propoerties. Geez talk about vague :)
 
TonyA said:
Well doesn't the projector manual tell you what resolution it will take? Then set laptop to same resolution under graphics propoerties. Geez talk about vague :)
Click to expand...

I am not an IT expert. Thanks for your effort at helping though.
 
One of us should just come over and explain it to you by SHOWING you... Easiest solution for most people.

In short, you need to explain the particular issue that you're having:
Is there no display whatsoever?
Does the projector report some kind of "out of range" error?
Does the project report ANY kind of error?
Is the display simply wrong, in terms of colour, dimensions, etc?
Are you connecting via VGA (the regular analog connector that connects to the (usually) blue port on a normal PC), HDMI, DVI, S-video or composite? The type of connection makes a difference, obviously.

Clearly you're frustrated, but I don't think simply buying a whole new machine is a great solution, even though entry-level netbooks (which will work really well for presentations) are relatively cheap (less than R3000).
 
sn3rd said:
One of us should just come over and explain it to you by SHOWING you... Easiest solution for most people.

In short, you need to explain the particular issue that you're having:
Is there no display whatsoever?
Does the projector report some kind of "out of range" error?
Does the project report ANY kind of error?
Is the display simply wrong, in terms of colour, dimensions, etc?
Are you connecting via VGA (the regular analog connector that connects to the (usually) blue port on a normal PC), HDMI, DVI, S-video or composite? The type of connection makes a difference, obviously.



Clearly you're frustrated, but I don't think simply buying a whole new machine is a great solution, even though entry-level netbooks (which will work really well for presentations) are relatively cheap (less than R3000).
Click to expand...

Yeah, when it comes to IT, I need all the help I can get :)

When I start the projector, it works fine.
I then start the laptop, which works fine.
When the laptop starts up, the Windows logo etc appears on the projected image (i.e. on the wall/screen/wherever the image is thrown onto), so clearly the two monitors are connected and "communicating".

HOWEVER

Once Windows has started up and the desktop appears, the image thrown onto the screen by the projector disappears, i.e. the image on the laptop screen is not being "projected" any longer.

Does that make sense?

Help please :)

PS: It is a VGA connection.
 
I assume you are using the function key "fn" and the F4 key to project the image?

What is being said above about resolution is also valid. If the projector can only handle 800x600, the you might need to change the screen resolution of your laptop as well.

On the desktop, right click and select "Properties".
Select the "Settings" tab.
Change "Screen Resolution" to 800x600
Apply or OK
Close

Try "fn" F4 again!
 
had the same problem and adjusting the screen resolutions helped. also i had to mess around with the primary and secondary monitor settings but cant remember exactly what i did
 
Set up a secondary display on your laptop with a resolution of 800x600.

The windows boot up screen you see is at a lower resolution than your desktop, once your desktop appears the projector can now longer display it because the resolution is to high.
 
moggie said:
I assume you are using the function key "fn" and the F4 key to project the image?

What is being said above about resolution is also valid. If the projector can only handle 800x600, the you might need to change the screen resolution of your laptop as well.

On the desktop, right click and select "Properties".
Select the "Settings" tab.
Change "Screen Resolution" to 800x600
Apply or OK
Close

Try "fn" F4 again!
Click to expand...

Thanks I tried that but it does not work. By the way, on my laptop keyboard it looks like the apropriate key is F5 and not F4. Nevertheless, I tried both options, to no avail.

So I am still stuck :)
 
What version of windows are you using ?

Either way go to control panel and select display (enable classic view in control panel ) look for display settings, that’s where you select if a screen, screen and monitor (projector) or just monitor are used, if both devices are connected you should see two "screens" with numbers on them to denote which screen is primary and secondary, by clicking on the numbered screen you can adjust the properties for that specific screen output.

Trouble shooting methodology:
1.Check that the hardware is compatible with your version of operating system.
2.Download the latest drivers from the manufacturers website for the hardware and install.
3.Check for hardware function in Devise Manager, if the device shows a warning, read the associated problem and attempt to correct.
4.If you cannot find sufficient resources or information to fix the problem it is above your skill level and you need to elevate the issue to a higher skilled person or IT professional.
 
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