toys not playing well together

September 4, 2006 9:44 PM

ATI x850 does not seem to detect LCD connected via DVI (tried a cheap DVI-D and a DVI Dual Link cable).

My system is P4 3ghz, 1024mb, running WinXP with an ATI x850 with dual DVI outputs (and one S video I ignore).

I've been trying to use a new Proview 19' widescreen LCD with odd results. . .

When I plug in the moniter to the primary DVI, it does not detect the connection (screen goes to power saving) at boot - can't see POST or the Windows logo booting.

Sometimes, about 1/3 of the time, the LCD kicks in when windows has booted to the login/dekstop screen. It's usually at the wrong resolution.

Most of the time nothing happens - once or twice I got garbage on the screen, a few random lines. I know the computer has booted because I've been able to get in via remote desktop - but sadly you can't set the 'real' display properties via a remote connection, or at least, I can't find a way.

I thought I had the wrong kind of DVI cable, but I tried a more expensive one with all the pins (the Dual Link) and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

When I plug in a CRT via a VGA-DVI adapter the resolution autodetects and the screen works fine. When I plug in the LCD and the CRT with the LCD on the secondary DVI connection the LCD kicks in mirroring the CRT, and seems to work thereafter if I change the settings in Display properties to enable the secondary moniter - but I don't want to have to do that every time I reboot, I only have the desk space for one moniter right now.

It also sometimes works when I just plugin the DVI-VGA adapter on the other DVI connection, with no cable attached, but I couldn't find a predictable pattern for making that work (order of plugging in the cables, before/after boot, etc.) And again, the LCD would usually start at the wrong resolution.

The LCD works a fine at 1400x900 when it works, but I can't seem to make it work predictably.

The CRT works fine 100% of the time, whether I plug it in before boot or after, on either of the two DVI connections, (via it's VGA-DVI connector, of course.

Any suggetions?

posted by tiamat to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Try setting the display frequency to 60 Hz.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:28 PM on September 4, 2006

The display freq has been set at 60 Hz, although the moniter also supports 75 hz. The CRT was at 60 Hz before, and when the LCD does come on that does not seem to have changed from 06 Hz.
posted by tiamat at 7:10 AM on September 5, 2006

ATI recommends updating BIOS, turning off legacy USB support and USB boot support - so I've done all that and still there's no change.

motherboard is an intel D915PBL, if that matters.
posted by tiamat at 8:40 AM on September 5, 2006