Using External Monitor With The CF-28

[Toughbook]

I have a (hopefully) quick question about using an external monitor with the CF-28.

In the recent past I tried hooking up my CF-28 to an external monitor. The screen died and the quickest way for me to get the data off that I needed was to hook up an external monitor and then stick a USB key into the slot to transfer the data. (Plus I had never done this before and wanted to try.) My first attempt was with an old Dell 19" CRT monitor. When I booted up (set to Simultaneous in the BIOS) the Windows screen came up and the little bar was going across the screen... Then the screen went black and never came back. (It never went to the "Welcome" screen.) I tried it again with the BIOS set to "External"... It didn't work with the Dell so I tried it with a 19" LCD and got it to work.

One of my customers called up today and said he needs to do presentations with the laptop and can't get his to work with an external monitor. He said that he opriginally tried to hook it up with the laptop on (Yikes!) and it didn't work. He tried both ways (Simultaneous & External) and rebooted and it didn't work either.

Has anyone tried this with theirs? Am I missing something?

Any help, encourangement, ideas or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

Rick

[klboo]

Rick,

I have been able to hook up a VGA monitor to the external jack and have it work, both in simultaneous mode and external. If I remember correctly, I was even able to go to 1024x768 on a monitor with a 12.1" lcd on the 28.

I was using an old 15" monitor - maybe the default monitor settings are preventing the display.(?)

[denrosten]

Rick,

Did you use the FN F3 key combination to switch the screens?

Derick

[Toughbook]

I don't remember and I don't think my customer did. I'll have to call him and suggest it.

Thanks and I'll let you know.

Rick

[ZeroFlight]

The resolution can wreak havoc with trying to get an external to work. I've seen some just display nothing while others have a shrunken screen. I'd first try as denrosten suggested with the FN+F3 keys and cycle through. Since there are only 3 variations (internal only, external only, and internal + external), it will go quickly. If those don't work, try changing the resolution.

[klboo]

Can you boot to windows safe mode and see the external monitor? Then set the monitor resolution and (maybe) refresh rates to different values and see how it comes up? It hadn't hit me before that it is apparently just in windows that the external monitor doesn't display. This may point again to the monitor settings in windows.

[Toughbook]

Using the function key worked for him. He was very happy. Talk about a brain-fart... I knew it was there because I had done it before. But the iussue was that the BIOS was set to Auto and it wasn't doing it automatically. I guess you ALWAYS have to the Fn + F3 key...

Thanks guys!