Problem with T61 and DVI External Monitor (via Advanced Mini-Dock)

Question

Ever since I upgraded to Vista SP1 on my ThinkPad T61 (with an Intel integrated 965 series graphics card), I've been having problems when I try to use an external monitor via the DVI port in my Advanced Mini-dock.  I'm curious if other people have experienced this problem.
The problems surfaces when I first boot up, or sometimes after my ThinkPad has been running for awhile (particularly when I do something graphics related, such as right-clicking to open display properties).  The picture starts to flicker (or disappear and reappear, like the screen does when changing graphics resolutions).  I also hear the "ba-bum" sound that you hear when disconnecting a piece of hardware, followed by the "bum-ba" reconnection sound - these two sounds happen repeatedly (sometimes as fast as once per second).  If I don't do anything, sometimes I'll get a bluescreen.
Not long ago, I found a fix of sorts: to stop the flickering/reconnecting, I just open Task Manager and stop the process called "igfxpers" (an Intel driver problem).  The problem always disappears after I do this, although I have to remember to do it every time I reboot or else the problem comes back.  So it's not an ideal fix.
This problem doesn't happen when I connect an external monitor using the analog VGA port, or when I'm just using the notebook LCD.  It's limited to just the DVI connection.  I've tried two different digital monitors (one LG, the other BenQ) as well as two DVI cables - the problem is still the same.  So it seems like a driver problem of some sort - unfortunately, the Intel drivers haven't been updated since last February.
I should also note that I've tried reinstalling my OS two or three times, and the problem always comes back.  Has anyone else had this problem, and is a fix on the way?

Answer 1

Error Message:
Input signal out of range. Translation:
You will see this on an otherwise blank screen. Assuming that the data cable is plugged in correctly, the video card is feeding the monitor a signal stream in excess of what the monitor can accommodate. The two main causes for this are that the user has set either the resolution or the vertical frequency rate too high. For example, you might set a new graphics card to display at 1,280 x 1,024, but if the monitor is only capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution, you’ll get a Sync Out of Range error. This is especially common in 14-inch monitors.
Solution:
Because you obviously can’t make settings changes from within regular Windows, you’ll need to reboot into Windows Safe Mode. When you restart the system, there is a point during boot up when the system switches from reporting diagnostics and detected components to loading Windows. This point is usually accompanied by a beep and the screen going black. Just before this point, you want to start repeatedly pressing the F8 key. This should bring up a menu of Windows boot options. The one you want to pick is Safe Mode.
From Safe Mode right-click the Desktop and select Properties. Go to the Settings tab and use the slider to drop your resolution a notch or two. Reboot and let Windows try to go into Normal mode. If this still doesn’t work, go back into Safe Mode and get to the Settings tab of Display Properties. Click the Advanced button, go to the Monitor tab, and check your refresh rate. The lowest advisable rate is usually 60Hz, although this works better for LCDs (liquid-crystal displays) than CRTs (cathode ray tubes). Apply the change and reboot.