External dual display configuration questions

Hello,
I have a T500 224235U with Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family (v. 7.15.10.1556)/Vista Business 32. In order to buy decent and correct monitors (to work as close to native resolution as possible), I need to know the following:
- How do I know which of PM45, GM45,GS45, GL40 or GS40 I actually have in my computer;
- What is the max resolution from the VGA port (and DP if different);
- What happens to max resolution if I use a DP to DVI converter
- Will these numbers stay the same when docked (mini or advanced dock)
- I intend to buy a Matrox Dual head 2Go. Anyone tested this ?
Thanks a lot to anyone who could help me.
Jhfelectric

Bookmark this page, it's the entry point to the Lenovo support pages for your 2242-35U Vista T500.
You see there you have the Intel X4500HD Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA). That comes with the Intel G45 chip, see here.
For more details on your hardware, see the hardware maintencance manual in the user guide section link.
For latest drivers see the link to the downloads and drivers section (in chronological order) or the Drivers and software document in the results field (in functional order.)
I am no expert in external monitors but in general I see that people are successfully using higher resolutions than Lenovo are willing to commit to. So you might be better off asking a specific question in the forum, is somebody successfully using resolution xxxx by yyyy on VGA/DVI/DP on their Intel integrated graphics only T500.
You can expect the limiting factor to be your T500, not the dock. The advanced minidock will for instance support whatever DVI resolution the T500 can handle. (I have no experience with separate graphics cards in the advanced dock.)
Message Edited by zilla on 2009-06-04 11:00 AM
T500: Vista 32, 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 15.4" 1680x1050, 500GB 7200rpm, ATI Radeon HD3650 + Intel 4500MHD. T42: XP, 1.7GHz, 2GB RAM, 14.1" 1024x768, 250GB PATA, ATI Radeon 7500.

Similar Messages

Xrandr not enabling external / dual display on boot [SOLVED]

I'm using an HP ProBook 4535s and I want to get a dual display setup working. I've done it before on Ubuntu with this machine and my ASUS external monitor, so I know the hardware supports it.
After I've booted without the external monitor plugged in, if I plug in my VGA-0 and then enter
xrandr --output LVDS --mode 1366x768 --pos 1920x0 --output VGA-0 --mode 1920x1080 --pos 0x0
Then I get perfect resolution on my external monitor, but nothing shows up on my laptop's display. Using arandr also does the job perfectly, but again, it shows nothing on my laptop's display. Additionally, if I try to put a truncated version of the command in xorg.conf, like so,
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "LVDS"
Option "Primary" "true"
Option "PreferredMode" "1366x768"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "VGA-0"
Option "LeftOf" "VGA1"
Option "PreferredMode" "1920x1080"
EndSection
then it starts up the same way (perfect res on external, nothing but backlight on laptop), but it starts in low-graphics mode / seems not to go through any of the commands in .xinitrc. If I try to place the code in .xinitrc, like so,
#!/bin/sh
# ~/.xinitrc
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)
if [ -d /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d ]; then
for f in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/*; do
[ -x "$f" ] && . "$f"
done
unset f
fi
# Set up dual display (make sure xorg.conf doesn't run before this...)
#xrandr --output LVDS --mode 1366x768 --pos 1920x0 --output VGA-0 --mode 1920x1080 --pos 0x0
# Start xfce4 Desktop Environment
exec startxfce4
# Placed either above or below startxfce4, I get the error described.
#xrandr --output LVDS --mode 1366x768 --pos 1920x0 --output VGA-0 --mode 1920x1080 --pos 0x0
# Bind keys at startup
exec xbindkeys
# Get rid of the annoying warning bell
exec xset -b
# Below is from ~/.bashrc
Then when I boot with the VGA-0 cable in, *nothing* shows up at all. With any of the above configurations aside from the xorg.conf one, I *must* keep the VGA-0 unplugged during boot to get anything to show. I would like to configure my setup so I can always keep the cable in, even during boot. A dynamic setup would be nice, too, so I don't have to fuss with this when I get new monitors, etc.
Also, if it would help, here's the output of lspci | grep VGA:
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Sumo [Radeon HD 6480G]
Thanks,
sirciny
Last edited by sirciny (2013-06-19 14:31:11)

Here's an update: I now have the display spanning both monitors. It shows the right res (1366x768) on the LVDS and the wrong res on the external, and it starts up in low graphics mode. What I did was the following:
1) Install the AMD Radeon HD 6xxxG driver from AMD's website (even though the fglrx is no longer supported in Arch)
2) Copy my Ubuntu partition's xorg.conf to Arch, because Ubuntu's external setup works flawlessly
Of course, the Arch AMD driver is outdated, so I didn't really expect this to work as elegantly as I would like (it still doesn't). Changing it to "intel" in xorg.conf just makes Arch stuck in the TTY when I try to restart X. Here's xorg.conf as it is:
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "aticonfig Layout"
Screen 0 "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0" 0 0
EndSection
Section "Module"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "LVDS"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
Option "PreferredMode" "1366x768"
Option "TargetRefresh" "60"
Option "Position" "0 0"
Option "Rotate" "normal"
Option "Disable" "false"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "CRT1"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
Option "PreferredMode" "1920x1080"
Option "TargetRefresh" "60"
Option "Position" "1280 0"
Option "Rotate" "normal"
Option "Disable" "false"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
Driver "fglrx"
Option "Monitor-LVDS" "LVDS"
Option "Monitor-CRT1" "CRT1"
BusID "PCI:0:1:0"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
Device "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Virtual 3286 1080
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Last edited by sirciny (2013-06-18 14:40:52)

Dual display configuration

what is needed from a hardware stand point to configure a2 headed system, not a mirrored externl display?

Hi,
From a hardware point of view, an exernal monitor and possibly an adapter to plug it in are the only thing required (apart from the computer!)
The trick to getting a double moniter system, rather than a mirrored one it to download a firmware updater. Below is a link to a webpage that will help you do this (you'll need to scroll down to the bit that's called 'Dual Screen' or similar).
There are also some other articles there that may be of interest to you.
Best of luck
Chris
http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/eMac/eMac-upgrade.html

Need help with dual display configuration

I have just connected a HD, widescreen monitor to my Mac tower and am having trouble getting video from FCP to show up on it. It's connected to the mini port and is displaying the same desktop image as my primary monitor but I can't seem to get it to display the video when editing. What am I missing?

The "mirror" box was already unchecked. The best I could get after trying every conceivable combination was just one frame at a time whenever I stopped playing the timeline. The screen then refreshes to show whatever that last frame is, but it will not play the video, it just displays the very last frame.

Colour management warning for dual display users

For those of you who require a colour managed workflow and have more than one display, be very careful in Mountain Lion. It appears to have a bizarre bug where images loaded and shown on the primary display (e.g. in Preview) are initially rendered with the colour profile from the secondary display, or something along those lines. Dragging the display window to the secondary display and back again sorts things out. I've filed a bug report.
If your two (or more) monitors have the same colour profile, you won't have a problem. The only workaround I can see is to set your least important display(s) to all have the same profile as your (probably calibrated, if these things matter to you) primary display, at least until (if?) the bug gets fixed.
If you want to see it for yourself, set your two displays to differing profiles - e.g. NTSC (1953) on the primary and Wide Gamut RGB on the secondary. Then load an image into Preview - something with lots of shades of red "works" well for the colour profiles mentioned. Take a screenshot of the Preview window as a reference. Move the window to the secondary display; note the colour shift as it gets re-rendered. Now drag it back to the primary display. It'll look quite different compared to the screenshot you took earlier, despite the fact it's the same image being shown by the same application on the same display in the same window... All you did was drag the window between two monitors and back again.
It doesn't seem to matter if the image in question has a colour profile embedded in it or not. When comparing with your screenshot, feel free to drag the screenshot between the monitors too - after all, it'll be suffering the same rendering bug! You'll still see a different result; in fact it may even be magnified by the accumulated rendering errors.
Preview isn't the only application affected; I've seen identical issues under harder to replicate circumstances in Safari, for example.
Given this fault and others I've seen with colour rendering in Lion, plus several new bugs found in Mountain Lion, I'm afraid that if a colour managed workflow is important to you - well - Snow Leopard or Windows...?! Ugh, what a mess

I've encountered many of the same woes with color management being a graphic designer, but here's my issue:
Have a 15" (Early 2011) Macbook Pro. It is turned on with me hooked up to my Dell U2410 and display open for a dual display configuration. The Dell is my primary monitor.
I then unplug my MBP to use it around the house. I go to plug it back into the Dell for my dual monitor. I notice that the color on the Dell looks good, but now the MBP has a very blue color temperature. Like moving from the preconfigured 'Color LCD' profile to 'sRGB' which definitely shifts to a blue color on the MBP.
I check the color profiles in System Settings and the Color profiles are correct. 'Dell U2410' for my Dell and 'Color LCD' for my MBP. But as I said, it's much bluer than standard. I try to change the color profiles around on the MBP and no matter which I select it's always the same color with no shifts I would expect to see.
Only solution I have found is to restart my computer. Upon restarting all is well again in the world.
It's pretty annoying having to restart my computer everytime I plug it back into my workstation with Dell and keyboard.
Related note: USB does not work when I plug things back and again have to restart to fix this.

How to Dual Display with Dell U2711

Hi,
I am looking to connect my iMac (late 2013) to a Dell U2711 in a dual display configuration. I'd like to be able to use all 2560x1440 pixels of the Dell.
the Dell has DVI-D (dual channel), Displayport (not mini displayport), HDMI and VGA.
which port will give me the cleanest picture and best performance and what cable do I need to buy ? (obviously thunderbolt to something...)
thanks !

stqn wrote:
Expi1 wrote:Thanks, I'm mostly struggling with how to partition for Arch and then how to do the bootloader. I'm using Win8 64-bit and from what I understand a Legacy BIOS bootloader. I'm not entirely sure what I should be partitioning the C: into, I've done partitions before, just not for Arch and then I'm not sure whether to use GRUB or syslinux, or if I even need those. Or if I need to use GPT or MBR?
Your disk is already partitionned so you don’t have to choose between GPT or MBR, the choice is already made.
You don’t partition “C:”, that is the name of a Windows partition. You partition a drive.
Grub or syslinux, use whatever the beginners guide tells you to. Personally I think syslinux is simpler which is why I’m using it (but I’m not dual-booting, if that matters).
You’re not saying what your problem is with partitionning, so it’s hard to help.
Thanks for getting back to me, I'm not sure if I just create one large partition for Archlinux or if I have to create multiple? Where I'm also confused is with the Creating Filesystems part of the guide. I don't understand how I'd do this in Windows, or what /dev/sda1 is referring to.
As for the bootloader part, the Beginner's Guide gives you a choice between syslinux and grub, what I'm not sure about is which to use considering I'm dualbooting. How it will affect my windows bootloader, do I disregard that and use GRUB now? I'm unclear on how that works.
I'm also aware I need to disable Secure Boot, I just searched my BIOS options and couldn't find anything remotely relating to that, so I'm assuming it's not an issue since this computer was originally on Windows 7 anyway?
Thanks again, Expi.
Last edited by Expi1 (2014-03-06 19:54:30)

External Monitors Dual Displays not supported

External Monitors Dual Displays not supported!
Yikes!
Why do I download BUGGY BETA OS? When will I learn ? DON't DO IT!
(sorry for shouting...)
There are no short cuts, no work arounds, no simple solutions...only updates
Please Apple code monkeys ..tear down this problem.
Thanks.
I feel better already .
--Marconi

Try this: Use the [√]Mirror displays oprions, choose your resolution, then desect the [ ]Mirror displays.
It shouldn't supossed to be like this, but until they send an update, this workarround will work.

Dual Display question

When I got my Mac Mini i got home to discover that it came with a Mini DVI to DVI adapter, lucky me that all my displays are VGA. I had to spend about $50 (cmon apple, its a 3" cable) to get the correct one.
I have this question since I dont feel like going out to buy a Mini Display port to VGA adapter so that I can run dual displays....If I got a simple VGA splitter dongle will it work?

It must not have been an Apple Store because mini-DVI to VGA is C$25.00 and mini-DisplayPort to VGA is C$34.00 from Apple. They are also more than just cables they are actually electronic devices. The adapter tells the Mac mini whether to output a digital or an analog signal. Anyone who buys the mini-DisplayPort to VGA adapter needs to go to the Apple Downloads site and get the firmware update for that adapter, which resolves some issues with various VGA displays.
There are also a number of third party manufacturers who make these adapters and sell them for less than Apple. Adapters for both ports are also now available from 3rd parties for HDMI. Unfortunately they are video only, neither port currently outputs the audio for HDMI.

Dual-Display Tools for Mac OS X ???

I think this question is more appropriate in some software section of the discussions but I couldn't find an appropriate place to put it.
Anyway, the questions is, in Windows XP and Windows Vista there are some tools, (either provided within the software in the graphics drivers, or available through external 3rd party software such as UltraMon) that facilitate working in a dual display environment.
I have Mac OS X now running on 2 x 20" displays and I am looking for some tool that offers similar quick tools and options like "Jump window to next screen" or "Maximize on second monitor", and a tool which might extend the dock to the second monitor. So that whatever is minimized in one monitor appears in the dock of that monitor rather than appearing in one dock.
Also something that remembers which monitor the application was running on when it was opened before, so that the next time it opens up, it opens in that one rather than opening up in the primary monitor.
This was all offered by a software called UltraMon in Windows XP, and I found it extremely handy when working on a dual display set up. Especially since I could assign keyboard shortcuts to all the tools and just by pressing some keys on the desktop I could jump windows to the next screen, or maximize, minimize on each screen.
Does anyone know of an equivalent in Mac OS X?

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any Mac equivalent for UltraMon.
Fortunately, MacOS has always been much better at managing multiple display setups than windoze ever was. You might take a look at "Desktop Manager"
http://desktopmanager.berlios.de/
which provides a lot of the virtual desktop features UltraMon offers.
The biggest drawback in using multi display configurations in OSX has to do with the way applications are displayed. In windoze, every open app has its own "menu bar" that is part of the application window and, therefore, can "travel" with the window. On the Mac, the menu bar is always at the top of one display or the other and changes for the active application. Not nearly as convenient and one of the very few ways that windoze (IMMHO) is "better".
There is a good utility that will aid greatly in overcoming this limitation. It's called DejaMenu
http://homepage.mac.com/khsu/DejaMenu/DejaMenu.html
and it will give you a popup contextual menu for the active application by "right clicking" anywhere in any of the app's windows.

Dual Display, 2 Monitors - Extended Desktop

Hello Everyone:
There isn't a clear cut answer or solution in connected a Macbook Air to 2 external monitors in an attempt to create an extended desktop. I have read older posts that it's either doable or not doable. My questions are the following:
-Is it possible to connect a new Macbook Air to 2 external monitors for extended desktop purposes?
-Some users have reported lag issues (mouse dragging , delays, etc.). Will this happen for sure with a Macbook Air or is it a monitor issue?
-What's the best non-Apple monitor brand that would work best with a Macbook Air for dual display purposes? I've read that Dells have a problem in this regard.
-What would be the advantage or disadvantage of using a dock station in setting up a dual display environment? Would this add to the lag, latency factor?
I'm thinking of investing in a new Macbook Air, but I want to make sure I dont end up with silly issues - such as latency, monitors, etc.
Thank you for all your help and advise.
Best,
G.

Yes, extended desktop works with monitors set to differant resoultions. the Monitors pref pane allows you to select relative arrangements and rez of all monitors composing the extended desktop.
personally I run a dell CRT at 2304 X 1728 @ 60Hz along with an NEC 6FG a 2048 X 1280 @ 60Hz off a radeon 9800pro on an MDD.

Where does OS X store previous display configuration data?

Dear forum,
Where does OS X store the configuration data regarding external displays? My settings are screwed up and I think that if I remove my configuration and let it discover my display as though it was the first time, it may work. Right now when I plug in my dongle, OS X sees it and goes into dual-display mode, but my big monitor (the primary one) never wakes up.
I have tested my PowerBook with other displays using the same cables and DVI/VGA dongle, and it all works swimmingly. My display works with my other laptop (which is a Windows box, so perhaps my mac smells another computer and is throwing a jealous fit).
Thanks for the help.
Gabe
PowerBook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hello Gabe:
Welcome to Apple discussions.
Preferences are stored in "plist" files. Do a "find" on 'plist.' All of the preference files will be displayed (typically several hundred). You can hunt through those to see if you see the one you reference. You can safely trash a preference file. OS X rebuilds them as needed (you do have to reenter your personal preferences).
Barry

Resume hook for changed display configuration

Hi arch forum,
I need some help configuring my resume process. First the scenario:
I'm working with my notebook (ThinkPad T420s) on the train
and when I get off the train I close the lid and the notebook suspends. When I get to work
I drop the notebook into the docking station, where an external monitor is connected.
If I hit the power button on the docking station the notebook resumes without opening the lid,
but it does not check for changed display configuration. I have to open the lid and type my password to
get the new configuration started.
Question is: Is it possible to create a resume hook, so that X checks for the changed setup on resume before I opened the lid?
If someone could direct me to the right place in the wiki that would be great.
Now I should specify my configuration:
Gnome3 and proprietary nvidia drivers
Its a new installation so I have a systemd only setup (which takes care of suspend/resume so far)
If you need to know more, just ask.
Thanks for any help in advance,
arnold

Hi,
I'm trying to buy the exact same configuration.
although i cannot find this 2429CTT on lenovo site anywhere, is available for selling on a known european supplier.
and my propose is to have 2 Monitors connected, so I'll follow this inquire very closely and hold my order until then.
do you have any update on it?
just by curiosity, what about the rest? how does the PC feels to you? everything else is working?
thanks

T530 multiple display configuration

I have the T530 with the NVIDIA Optimus option that should allow a triple display configuration (two external displays and the laptop LCD).
I have been able to get a working configuration with the laptop LCD and two external displays over DisplayPort through the docking station.
I have found that upon some boot cycles, I am either stuck with just the laptop LCD as the only display or I am able to turn on only one external display. Sometimes a reboot will change it, sometimes it will not.
What's strange is that the NVIDIA control panel and the Windows display settings show all three LCDs, I am just not able to turn on one or both of the external displays (even if I turn off the laptop LCD).
Has anyone found a solution to this problem?
Thank you!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi, admarsha
There are updates available for both your BIOS and Optimus that may help this issue. The BIOS update can be found here and the Optimus update can be found here. Looking over the ReadMe for the Nvidia update, part of the update does help with issues connected to multiple displays through docking stations so it may help.
Best,
Adam
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Dual-Display Setup with Screen-Specific Applications

I currently have a MacBook Pro connected to an external 24" display via Mini-DisplayPort. I traditionally have "small" apps like iCal, iTunes, etc... display on my smaller MBP screen while "larger" apps like MS Word or Firefox are kept on the external 24" screen. The menu bar is set on the external 24" display.
Every time I disconnect the MBP and reconnect it later, these apps all switch around so that the small ones show up on the external display while the large ones appear on the MBP screen. Then I have to drag them over one by one to get them how I like it again. It's a very annoying process that I have to do over and over again.
Is there anyway to set "defaults" for which screen an application is assigned to display onto? I called Apple support about this and they simply told me it was the "expected behavior" but I'm still looking for a solution, third-party or otherwise. Thank you.

*Lots and lots* of people run dual displays, as a quick scan of the posts here makes clear. Here are just a few possible explanations for the failure of a satisfactory solution to appear in this forum:
• None of those people is experiencing the same thing that's bothering you.
• None of them is as bothered by it as you are.
• None of them who is bothered has figured out how to remedy it.
• No one who is bothered by it and has found a remedy has visited this forum and read your post.
• No one who has read your post and could answer your question has taken the trouble to do so.
• There is no solution; the answer you got from Apple is really the answer.
Any of these possibilities may explain the lack of a posted solution. One of the fundamental verities about these forums that you have to accept is that no one here owes you a solution. Many questions do draw highly satisfactory responses, and if you get one, great, but there's no guarantee. I understand that you're frustrated, but the forum is what it is, and being grumpy and impatient won't attract the help you want. After a few bumps, you may just have to accept that no one knows what to tell you.
In case you suspect that I'm holding back out of sheer perversity, I don't use a second monitor (other than a portable projector on occasion). I haven't seen the problem that's annoying you, and I don't know what to suggest doing about it.

Cisco sx80 Layouts and Displays configuration

Hello everyone
I am installing a sx80 cisco telepresence, it has 3 dispays, two connected to HDMi ports and one conneceted to DVI port. I have a question in order to know if we have some way for modify a layout, there are 5 or 6 layouts by default, but Can we modify these ones? Other question is if there is some way for configuring a display for receiving content just when remote site send content and the others two shows selfview, when remote site is not sending, I want that 1 display shows remote site and other two displays continue shows swlfview.
Thanks

You can modify the layout with the use of the TC Console software available here.
We don't actually have an SX80s but I know that the C series with dual display unit out of the box, 1 display is used for Presentation, and the other is used for Remote with Local as a PiP. We dislike this setup however, and have Local on one screen and Remote on the other, then when a Presentation is shown, this appears on the Local display, and the the Local selfview appears as a PiP on the Remote screen. I'm sure something similar could be achieved on the SX80

External dual display configuration questions

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