When I've hooked up an external monitor to my laptop and set the external as the primary monitor, my laptop display properties will only allow the slider to go up to 1280x1024, even though its supposed to do up to 1400x1050 (which is what the display properties says). This results in a black frame around the monitor image.

When I reverse it and have the laptop as the primary monitor, even if it is set to 1280x1024 it will cover the whole screen. There is no option for 1400x1050 so that's basically as high as I can go. However, the external slider can be set up to 1680x1050.

I'd like to have the external as the primary with the bigger screen size but having the black frame on the laptop bugs me. Is there any way to fix it?

Driver is ATI Mobility FireGL V3200. I've tried to update the laptop display drivers (2006) but it won't find anything when I do that. Thinkpad T43p.

I did just get a brand new LCD screen (yay warranty), so maybe that has something to do with it?

4/25/2009 4:49:35 PM

Are you mirroring? Because you can't have the displays at different resolutions when you mirror.

4/25/2009 4:59:53 PM

Are you setting this in the control panel properties or in ATI's catalyst properties?

You should try getting the catalyst control center from ATI, and using it to set the resolution for each monitor. Also make sure you have the display drivers for your external LCD installed (it should come with a disk), so that Windows will recognize it's resolution properly.

4/25/2009 5:02:59 PM

I had all kinds of problems with external monitor and display resolution back when i had a T43P.

I think i even had the black frame problem too. I did something to solve it, but i can't remember it right now. If I do remember, I'll post it up.

It might be what Tyler posted above. it sort of rings a bell.

4/25/2009 8:57:40 PM