Portable Computer
Video Table of Contents
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No image
If you have no video on your display
panel (LCD), please follow the procedures below
to determine the source of the problem:
Procedures:
- Pull all customer removable units
from the computer. This includes the hard drive, CD-ROM,
battery, floppy drive (on most models), system memory,
and all peripherals. Try to start your computer with
only the AC adapter. If you now have a picture replace
the units one at a time until you figure out which one
is causing the problem. Do not open the computer
case, except to remove memory.
If you need help removing items
see your User's Guide.
Click here if
you need help finding or using the User's Guide.
- Attach an external monitor to the
back of the unit.
If it doesn't have a picture,
then the problem lies in the video card. Please
go to Step 3 and send us the
requested information.
If it has a picture, then you
have a defective LCD. Please go to Step
3 and send us the requested information.
- If the LCD or video card is the problem then the
unit needs to be repaired. If the system is still covered
by warranty, or to arrange out of warranty repair, please
[Reply] to this message to contact a Dell technician.
Be sure to include the following information:
Company name (if applicable):
Owner's Full name:
System service tag:
Physical address (No PO boxes. Include city, state and
zip code):
Telephone number (with area code):
A detailed description of your troubleshooting
(step numbers will mean nothing to the assisting technician):
NOTE: Cracked LCD panels are not covered under warranty.
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Lines and color distortion
If you have lines or unusual
color patterns on your portable computer's LCD,
please follow these steps:
- Download the latest driver. See the Driver
section of this document for help. Also download the
video BIOS if one
is listed in the Video drivers section
of the Downloads Web page.
- Run the Dell Diagnostics.
Click here
if you need help running the diagnostics.
-
Try an external monitor to see if
it looks the same as the LCD
- If you still have the problem, please [Reply]
to this message to contact a Dell technician. Be sure
to include the following information:
Company name (if applicable):
Owner's Full name:
System service tag:
Physical address (No PO boxes. Include city, state
and zip code):
Telephone number (with area code):
A detailed description of your troubleshooting
(step numbers will mean nothing to the assisting
technician):
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of Contents
Fonts and icons are too small
Today's ultra-high resolution screens give an
incredibly sharp picture but will often display
text and icons that are difficult to read because they
are too small. The fonts will get larger when
you change the resolution to a lower setting, but they
will distort. (See the Fonts
and icons are fuzzy Section of this document)
There are a few things you can do to increase
font size and clarity without changing the resolution.
- Change settings in Display properties on the
Appearance tab. Try one of the Windows Large
settings under Schemes.
Changing
font size on the Appearance tab
- Change font size in the Advanced Display properties
on the General tab
Changing font size in Advanced settings
- Change fonts to Windows Clear Type
if you are running Windows XP.
Instructions for changing to Clear Type are given at this
link:
Changing
to Clear Type
- Change the default font size in an application.
The link below shows how to change it in Word
but also serves as a general guide for making the changes
in other software. Consult any other application's Help
file for specific instructions for that software.
Changing
the default font in Microsoft Word
- Change the font size for an existing Microsoft Word
document.
- Open the document
- Go to the Edit menu and click Select
All
- Go to the Format menu and click Font
- Choose a larger font size
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Fonts and icons are fuzzy
The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens used
on portable computers are designed to work at a specific
resolution. Setting the resolution to a setting
other than the optimal setting can cause the fonts
and icons to appear fuzzy or out-of-focus. If you need
to run your computer at another resolution, try holding
the Fn key and hitting F7. This may toggle
the screen to accept the resolution but will often put
a border around it. (See the Border
around the picture section of this document for
more information)
How to adjust the resolution
Technical explanation of relationship between
fonts and resolution
The following link is for a Dell Knowledge Base article
that explains how to determine what resolution
is optimal for recent Inspiron computers but
the instructions will work for most Dell portables.
It also goes into some detail about the effects of setting
the resolution at a setting other than optimal.
What
resolution is optimal?
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Border around the picture
If your screen resolution is not set to the optimal
setting, you may get a border around the screen. There
are two ways to fix this problem.
- Hold the Fn key and hit the F7 key.
This will stretch the image to fit the LCD in most
cases.
Fn
key options
Special
settings for NVIDIA GeForce2 Go video card if
Fn + F7 doesn't work
- Set the resolution to the optimal setting. The following
article explains how to determine what resolution
is optimal for recent Inspiron computers
but the instructions will work for most
Dell portables. It also goes into some detail about
the effects of setting the resolution at a setting other
than optimal.
What
resolution is optimal?
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Missing or stuck pixels (color dots on screen)
Portable LCD screens contain a million or more tiny pixels
to make the image. It is not unusual for one or more of
these pixels to be stuck on or off. Creating a perfect
display would make the cost of the computer
prohibitive. The industry standard allows up to
five stuck pixels.
The following article contains a full explanation of
Dell's policy on missing pixels.
Stuck
pixels explained
If your computer has more than five defective
pixels, or if the bad pixels are concentrated
in a small area, please [Reply] to this
message to contact a Dell technician. Be sure to include
the following information:
Company name (if applicable):
Owner's Full name:
System service tag:
Physical address (No PO boxes. Include city, state
and zip code):
Telephone number (with area code):
A detailed description of your troubleshooting
(step numbers will mean nothing to the assisting technician):
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Projectors and external monitors
Problems with projectors on a Dell Inspiron or Latitude
computer are usually the result of improper screen
resolution settings or of incorrect switching
between LCD and CRT modes using the Fn + F8 keys.
- Be sure the Screen Area for your display panel is
set to the resolution required by the manufacturer of
your projector.
Changing
Display settings
- Hold down the Fn key and hit F8 to
toggle from CRT only, to Monitor (or projector)
only, to Both.
- Special instructions for projectors on specific
Dell systems.
Special
instructions for a Latitude LS or CPiA
Special
instructions for an Inspiron 3500
Inspiron™ 8000 using an ATI video card and a
Sony Projector (VPL-X21, VPL-CS1) in Windows®
2000?
- Setting up dual-display for projectors or
monitors.
ATI
video card
NVIDIA
video card
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Video card upgrades
Dell does not currently have any upgrade options for
Inspiron or Latitude computers. Some of our customers
have upgraded their cards on some recent systems (Inspiron
8000, 8100, and 8200) but Dell cannot guarantee that
a card, other than the one that shipped on you computer,
will work. The customers who have upgraded have had
mixed success and their adventures are well documented
in the Dell Community forum.
Dell Community forum
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Driver Update
Video problems can often be solved by upgrading to the
latest video driver. If your video is working well then
we do not recommend an upgrade but, if you are having
problems, try the newest driver from our Web site.
Note: The driver for your video will be listed under
Video Drivers. Drivers listed under
Monitors are for monitors attached to
the VGA port, not for the LCD.
- You can download an updated driver from our Web site:
-
Click the link below to access the Download
page:
Dell
Downloads
- If your computer is not the model listed in
the Your System section in the top left
corner click Select another system.
- Make selections for all three steps, choosing
Video for Step 3, and click GO.
- Follow the instructions on the Download page
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Cleaning
The LCD should be cleaned with a soft, damp rag. If
water alone doesn't work, try a small amount of diluted
isopropyl alcohol. The following Dell Knowledge Base article
gives detailed advice on cleaning the screen.
How to clean the LCD on a Dell notebook
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Monitor settings and drivers
The only time you will ever need to specify any Monitor
settings or install any monitor drivers is
when an external monitor is attached to your computer
through a VGA or S-video port. Any settings for your LCD
panel will always be listed under Display,
whether you are working in Display Properties
or the Device Manager. All drivers for your LCD
will be listed under Video Drivers.
Always set your monitor to the manufacturer's recommendations.
Dell has information for Dell monitors only in the
Dell Monitor User's guides.
Dell Monitor User's Guides
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Broken plastic or hinges
If you have broken plastic on your LCD or
cover, please [Reply] to this message to contact
a Dell technician. Be sure to include the following information:
Company name (if applicable):
Owner's Full name:
System service tag:
Physical address (No PO boxes. Include city, state
and zip code):
Telephone number (with area code):
A detailed description of the broken part:
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to Table of Contents
Can't change resolution
Try reloading your video driver if you can't
change the resolution to the settings recommended by Dell.
You may reload the driver from your Resource CD or get
a new driver from our Web site.
To reload the driver from the CD:
- Insert the Dell Resource CD into your CD-ROM drive.
- If the CD does not start automatically, go to My Computer
and double-click the CD-ROM drive. You might have to
double-click the Start.htm icon if it still doesn't
start.
- Choose your operating system and then Video.
- Follow the on-screen menu to reload the driver.
- Always choose the option to "Run this program
from its current location", if prompted.
If you need more help installing the driver,
go to the Dell Reinstall Guides at:
Reinstall
Guides
- Select your operating system and choose Video Adapter
for the component category.
See the Driver Section of this document
if you need help with the driver from our Web site.
Click the link below to see what the recommended
resolution is for your display:
What
resolution is optimal?
APPENDIX
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Display Settings for a Projector
- Click [Start] | Settings | Control Panel
or
For Windows XP: Click [Start] | Control
Panel
- Double click Display
or
For Windows XP: Click Appearances and
Themes and then click Display
- Click the Settings tab
- Set the resolution to the setting that is recommended
for your projector. Depending on your computer
and operating system the resolution setting will be
called Screen Area, Screen Resolution
or Desktop Area
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Advanced Display Settings
- Click [Start] | Settings | Control Panel
or
For Windows XP: Click [Start] | Control Panel
- Double click Display
or
For Windows XP: Click Appearances and
Themes and then Display
- Click the Settings tab
- Click the Advanced button
- Click the General tab to the front
- Click the Font Size arrow
- Select a Font Size setting. The Other
Font Size option will allow you specify a font
size
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Dell Diagnostics
Boot to the Dell Resource CD and run the Diagnostics
program.
-
Insert the Dell Resource CD into your
CD-ROM.
-
Press F12 after you see a Dell Logo or
any printing on your screen.
-
Choose Boot from CD from the boot list
that appears.
- Choose Run Specific Tests or
Run One Test and
choose the Vesa-VGA Test.
See the following Dell Knowledge Base Article for another
way to run Dell Diagnostics:
How
to run the Dell diagnostic test
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What are Dell™ User's Guides and
how do I use them?
User's Guides and Tell Me How help files
are support and learning tools that are installed on your
system prior to shipment. If they are not on the desktop,
they may have been moved or deleted. If this is the case,
the documents can still be accessed from the Program menu.
To access the documents on your system, please refer to
the User's Guides sections below.
The User's Guides are a compilation of all the
documentation for your optional hardware such as modems,
network interface cards (NIC's), and CDRW drives.
The Tell Me How help files give you useful computer
information in the form of an illustrated, interactive
guide. These guides can help you in learning how to use
your computer. These help files can also be found in the
User's Guides.
User's Guides in Windows XP
To access the Tell Me How and User's Guides in Microsoft®
Windows® XP:
- Click [Start]| Help and Support| User's
and System Guides.
- Click User's Guides| Tell Me How.
User's Guides in Windows 98 and ME
To open the User's Guide, perform the following steps:
Click [Start]| Programs| User's Guide.
To open the Tell Me How help file from within the User's
Guide:
Click System Information| System Documentation|
Tell Me How.
User's Guides Online
To download the User's Guides from the Dell Web site,
perform the following steps:
- Click:
http://support.dell.com.
- Be sure your computer is the one listed under Your
System on the left
- Click Documentation on the left
- Click the Documentation link at the bottom
of the list that appears
| Note: |
User's Guides for your optional hardware are
available by clicking the Reference Tab
and then clicking User's Guides. Choose
your desired category from the list. CD-RW
drive hardware guides, for example, are in the Storage
section, while guides for software, such as that
used to write to a CD-RW drive, are located in the
Software section. |
Using the Tell Me How Guide
For an illustrated example of how to use the User's Guides,
refer to the instructions for the Inspiron 2500 in the
following Dell Knowledge Base Article:
Illustrated
Instructions for the Tell Me How Guide .
The instructions for your system model may be slightly
different than those in the article mentioned above,
but they will offer you a general introduction to
the Dell online User's Guides.
|