Problem connecting laptop to external screen

Leonedes

Hello ,

I seem to be having a problem with connecting the laptop to an external screen. The laptop connects to the screen normally, and doesn't glitch at all, but I've always felt something was weird with the resolution. My laptop says the screen resolution matches the native screen resolution of the screen, which is 1680 x 1050. However, when I connect any other laptop (I've tried three) to the same screen using the same VGA cable, the screen looks sharper and 'feels' correct. The refresh rate is also the same (60 Hz).

I've checked all settings in my laptop, all of them say the output resolution is 1680 x 1050, then I got so desperate I actually drew the task bar line over light paper and compared it with another laptop connected the old fashion way!

I also updated my GPU drivers to the latest version (Geforce 460M GTX), which didn't help.

Any ideas of what might be wrong ?

Edit:
I also just checked the screen's external settings when connecting my laptop and another one.
My laptop connected: "Analog 64.6kHz 60Hz PN 1680x1050"
Another laptop : "Analog 64.8kHz 60Hz PN 1680x1050"

Weird the resolution seems to be correct, what is that value in the kHz ? Could that 0.2 difference be the cause ? Or does that value usually vary ?

Nabs

Leonedes, what is your laptop module, screen size, OS, and TV screen?

shant

the same thing happened to me when i added custom resolutions in the nvidia drivers, try reinstalling your graphic card drivers, don't forget to use driver sweeper to completely delete all files related to drivers!

Leonedes

@shant: I did all those and nothing has changed.

@Nabs:
Alienware m14x, the screen is an old 21 inch samsung LCD, and the OS is Windows 7 (64-bit).

yasamoka

I am guessing the three other laptops were running Intel integrated graphics? Am I right?

There is an issue that may be related, although I knew it would only cause trouble over HDMI, not VGA. I will mention it later if we can confirm that it also affects VGA.

Nabs

What is your output method? S-Video, RCA, HDMI...?

Leonedes

@Nabs Who still uses S-Video o.0 Anyway the screen doesn't support HDMI, thus I'm left with a good old VGA connection ...

shant

i see, reinstalling fixed it for me,i have no idea what the issue may be on your side

AvoK95

Try you Fn Keys. On some laptops there is an Fn key to enable VGA input.

Leonedes

@AvoK95
Nobody ever said the VGA output is disabled, its working fine, its just that the resolution is weird ...

yasamoka

@Leonedes: Is the image distorted vertically, as in a good portion of the taskbar is missing, and some of the top is gone too? Is there any horizontal distortion? To check, maximize a window.

Leonedes

No not at all, it fits perfectly and a normal user wouldn't even recognize the difference. However I did because I've been sitting in front of that screen for many years now, back when I had it connected to a desktop.

yasamoka

Leonedes wroteNo not at all, it fits perfectly and a normal user wouldn't even recognize the difference. However I did because I've been sitting in front of that screen for many years now, back when I had it connected to a desktop.

Psssht, that's easy to fix, I guess. Press on the screen buttons that adjust its fsettings and search for options related to "phase clock" and such. Click on auto adjust, which should be found close to the options. It will adjust its clocks and the signal should display sharp.

shant

yasamoka wrote
Leonedes wroteNo not at all, it fits perfectly and a normal user wouldn't even recognize the difference. However I did because I've been sitting in front of that screen for many years now, back when I had it connected to a desktop.
Psssht, that's easy to fix, I guess. Press on the screen buttons that adjust its fsettings and search for options related to "phase clock" and such. Click on auto adjust, which should be found close to the options. It will adjust its clocks and the signal should display sharp.

whats the reason of this unalignment ? it happened a few times with me also, is it uncommon screen resolutions ?

Leonedes

Ehm pressing the Auto button was the first thing any sane person would try to do... Still didnt change a thing. Would taking a photo help?

babum

I had a similar problem with my m14x and a Haier television. What I did was go into menu, picture (I think) and change the zoom level if im not mistaken to take all the screen.

Im not sure I understood what your problem is but I hope this helps.

yasamoka

I am guessing this is overscanning. It may be an unresolved bug in Nvidia drivers. Are the other laptops Intel integrated graphics, or AMD graphics, or Nvidia graphics?

babum wroteI had a similar problem with my m14x and a Haier television. What I did was go into menu, picture (I think) and change the zoom level if im not mistaken to take all the screen.

Im not sure I understood what your problem is but I hope this helps.

This does not allow the signal to match the native resolution, I'm guessing, because VGA is converted to a digital signal internally. It is not the same as a CRT, which has no physical pixels like LCD. Your Haier television is LCD, right? And using VGA? And was the signal as clear as a signal with native resolution on another working display?