Has any successfully gotten an LS800 to do mor

[rpankratz]

Has any successfully gotten an LS800 to do more than 1024x768 on the external monitor port? I've tried several different monitor and 1024x768 is always the max resoltuion the driver will offer up. I've test Mirrored, extended, External only etc.

The video hardware certainly has enough process power and ram to do at least 1280x1024....

I find it hard to believe they'd have design a machine in this day and age that can only do 1024x768?

Called techsupport but he's only got a beta unit; and the darn thing is so new that it's clear they don't have the support experience just yet to answer the questions.... However, I think they'll get me the answers; just wondering if any of you have been through this yet.

[TabletSwitcher]

No luck. It has something to do with the strange way the drivers are set up, because you can set the internal display to a virtual size of 1024x1280 (and it will actually do it: you end up panning around). I've mentioned on my blog the irritating problem with it not always remembering the screen orientation (apparently this problem isn't limited to the LS800). Even worse, with the external monitor set to extend, it sometimes gives you different rotations on both screens, eventhough it says they are the same! There are also issues with applications getting confused and telling you the screen is too small, particularly in portrait mode. Streets and Trips does it every time, telling you it needs at least a 640x480 screen. Solution: switch to landscape, start it, then switch back to portrait. It works fine.

[Spencer]

I've got the exact same problem on mine... I've got to think the hardware supports it, it just seems to be a driver issue blocking it. The Intel graphics stuff is driving me crazy too... it doesn't remember what scheme you were in when you shut down, so on every reboot I have to re-enable external monitor, then rearrange the monitors before they are back like I had them on the last shut down. It bugged me so much I formatted my LS800 and started from scratch with my MSDN Tablet PC OS CDs, and external video doesn't work at all without installing the Intel chipset stuff, which includes their video settings stuff. Driving me crazy right now... though I'm still loving the LS800. As the result of this problem though, I've given up on external monitor stuff on it for the moment.

[rpankratz]

I have found that you can:

1) replace the shipping video drivers with the newest versions from intel
2) Re-install the Dashboard from the windows/motion dir.
3) Reboot
4) Run at resoltions up to 1600x1200 dual.

However, running any dual display mode 1280x1024 and up, with the unit plugged into AC power will cause extreme heat.

The system has a thermal sensor and will auto shutdown via BIOS if you overheat it; i've done this twice. If you run in monitor only mode you have no problems at all.

enjoy....


Now if I could just get dashboard to work with a restricted account....

[bazguk]

Thanks rpankratz, that is very useful information! Would you be able to tell us where we can find the latest video drivers for the ls800?

Thanks!

[rpankratz]

http://tinyurl.com/7c9y9

[Spencer]

Thanks for the link rpankratz! I installed the driver, and now I have a little more luck getting external resolution to work right. It still doesn't work all the time, seems to depend on what order I dock and turn on the unit in. The Intel graphics properties stuff is still pretty quirky though... I'd much prefer if they could just get rid of that and let us use the built-in Windows stuff.

[rpankratz]

I've found you have to boot with a Plug and Play monitor attacted that supports the resolution. Usually I hibernate so it's not an issue; but if I have to reboot on the go; I have to reboot at the office to get it back. Interestingly if I reboot at home with an older model of the SAME monitor I don't get the higher resolutions. I'm investigating that; I think it might have to do with the way the monitor.inf are setup for each model, probably something like "hide modes not supported" or the like. If that's the case then I can build a "monitor.reg" file that should be able to fix it permanently for all modes.... I'll probably not get to look at that for about 2 weeks, but if I figure it out I'll post it onto this thread.