Question:

 I have been having problems using multiple monitors recently.  I hook
up to a projector as my second monitor.  It used to work just fine,
but suddenly not.  Now, when I connect my laptop, the monitor on my
laptop shows a blank desktop (as I would expect on monitor 2).  No
toolbars, no icons, nothing.  It is basically a paperweight.  The
second screen says “Computer 3″ in the upper right-hand corner
and “No signal.”  There apparently is no computer 2.  

I have tried to change the display settings on my computer.  It shows
monitor 1 as a generic PnP monitor and shows 2 as default monitor on
mobile intel …  It seems to me that the PnP would be the secondary
device that I plug in and not the primary.  I’m very confused.  I
don’t know if I should disable the driver and if so for which one?

I have a Gateway.  Can you help me?

Answer:

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Question:

Hello Tony.

I came across your site looking for an answer to a question I have and you seem to be the man to ask. I am running Vista Ultimate 32-bit on my machine. All things being equal, when I run only 2GB of RAM I have a Windows Experience Base score of 5.0. Adding 2 more gigs of identical Ram dropped my WEI to 4.5. It seems adding the extra 2GB of RAM made my memory operations per second drop a half point. I read your article on Maximum Memory in 32-bit Windows (http://www.vistaclues.com/reader-question-maximum-memory-in-32-bit-windows-vista/) and the follow-ups but it doesn’t quite answer my question which is this; how come adding more RAM slows my PC rather than speed it up? Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,

Jonathan H.

Answer:

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Question:

I have docking station for my new Dell Latitude and I plugged in one monitor via VGA and the other DVI.  However, the VGA monitor remains blank, and I don’t see a third monitor in display settings.  Do I need to do something on my PC to make this additional monitor work?

Thanks!

Answer:

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Question:

Hi

    I have just bought a laptop with Vista Home Premium installed.I asked my ISP Orang if they were happy with this and their Broadband Wireless package,they asked if it was 32megs.I couldn,t tell them,is it anf if it is maybe I am OK fot the net.Their full softwear comes int effect in June,I imagine that is for Vistas above 32megs

                                 Thanks

                                            Tom

Answer:

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Last week I ranted about the “Ready for Vista” sign over my new HP all-in-one printer/fax/scanner/copier. HP just released the software for it (both 32-bit and 64-bit), and all seems well. Better late then never. Note: as of 7/23/09, you can find updated drivers here.

Question:

Hello Tony,

I was wondering if I could impose upon you for some advice. I have a Sony PC with a dual monitor capable video card (one DVI connection and one Analog). It is currently hooked up to a 19” LCD monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse using the DVI connection. The computer is in my study at a computer desk.

I’m about to purchase a 52” LCD TV for the study and would like to set up my PC so that I can optionally work from my other desk using a second wireless keyboard and mouse and the 52” LCD TV as the other computer monitor. I’ve found TVs that offer analog or DVI PC connections. The cable distance (up the wall, over the ceiling and down the opposite wall) between the PC and the 52” LCD TV will be 40-45 feet.

My questions are:

1. Is the distance too great to use a monitor cable without a booster/repeater?
2. For the 52” LCD TV connection, would it be better to use the Analog or DVI connection to the video card? I don’t know if one carries a long distance signal better than the other.
3. If I use the DVI connection, any concerns with using a cable that has a DVI connector at one end and using an HDMI connection at the 52” LCD TV rather than a cable with DVI connectors on both ends?
4. Any recommendations on the best source for long video cables of this type?
5. Any thoughts on the best way to set up the second keyboard/mouse combo?

Thanks very much for your help!

Mark

Southlake, Texas

Answer:

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Computer manufacturers (like HP, Dell, or Toshiba) build computers out of components. These components are made by other manufacturers, such as NVidia and ATI. A Dell computer will have a lot of the same parts as an HP or Toshiba computer (or any other manufacturer).

Yesterday a reader included me in a tech support request to his hardware manufacturer:

 I have an Xw9300 workstation with a Dual Core Opteron 875 2.2GHz.  I have checked the HP web site and not found anything obvious.  When I load Vista the OS does not recognize USB most USB devices. This is an upgrade installation.  I have been able to get a USB printer to work – but my Sony DVD DRXC 720UL-T drive will not work when connected via a USB port.  The fire-wire works fine.
This is making Vista unusable for this particular system.  I have pinged knowledgable HP resources and not been able to get anywhere with this.
Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Tech support replied:

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