I recently got a new laptop ACER Extensa loaded with Vista. I need to run a second monitor for karaoke. The laptop has no RCA jacks so I got a VGA to RCA converter and plug in my second monitor. I can't seem to get the monitor to work. To set it up I understand that I need to go to Personalize, display settings, click on monitor 2 and check Extend the desktop on to this monitor, then click apply. It then asks if you want to keep these display settings to which I reply yes. But it doesn't keep them. It unchecks the box for extend the desktop and it shows monitor 2 to be Not Active. It shows monitor 1 to be Generic PnP Monitor on Mobile Intel..chipset family. It shows monitor 2 to be (Default Monitor) on Mobile Intel..chipset family. I also don't understand the top of the screen that says "Drag the icons to match your monitors." You guys are great. I appreciate any advice. Thanks.
External Desktop with Vista
- Thread starter Rockinrich
- Start date
I'm guessing that you are not getting output on the TV monitor and the drivers won't let you save an invalid configuration. Did you get a signal converter box, or are you connecting some sort of adapter cable? From the spec sheet it shows that laptop having an S-video output. Have you tried using that?
It is an adapter cable. I don't see an S-video port on my laptop but the vga adapter has both rca and svideo however the monitor does not have svideo
I figured it out. Apparantly either the VGA to RCA adapter was bad or the ACER laptop would not accept it. The laptop never knew the 2nd monitor was connected. I found a VGA monitor and pluged it in. After a few settings I have everything set up. thanks
I would think, that the adapter you have, is not giving feedback to the system, so it does not consider it a valid device for what you want to use it for.
Vista's PnP, will generally expect feedback from the device, in order to identify it, and know what it is capable of. This way it can list its modes, etc.
The adapter, is probably only taking the outbound signals, and transferring them, and providing no feedback...
Vista's PnP, will generally expect feedback from the device, in order to identify it, and know what it is capable of. This way it can list its modes, etc.
The adapter, is probably only taking the outbound signals, and transferring them, and providing no feedback...