I'm really intersted to see what Dell has to say about this. My XPS has the same issue. It seems to resize to an 800x600 resolution when the lid is closed. I called once to TechSupport and they said that it was some type of conflict between my video card (ATI 9700) and the chipset of the motherboard. Although, when I attempted to baseline my laptop (after only having it for 4 weeks now), the little pin for the lid seemed to be inactive until I actually installed the video drivers.
You can actually have the icons go back by using the auto arrange option. But your windows will be at 800x600 if you have any open when you close the lid. Even if the windows are minimized, they will also shrink. My biggest concern is that when I play a game and close the lid, for some reason I cannot obtain my desired resolution anymore.
TechSupport promised to call back the next day and it's been 3. Everyone that I talked to that had a Dell, was not happy with support.
There needs to be some type of resolution to this problem. I have a gaming system, and I can't even play my games on here because I closed the lid.
We have the same problem with our 8200 but it happens on start-up and when we close the lid. We were resetting our settings to correct it but I found a quick fix in another forum today. Try the below after you open your lid and it should resize. I don't think this corrects the problem permanently though.
Just to the left of teh power switch below teh monitor is a little grey nipple/switch that senses the monitor being closed - is this at an angle or stuck down? If so this is the problem, give it a flick before you boot up.
If you read through this forum in the last day there is at least 5 posts with this problem and myself and a colleague both have it, it is a hardware defect and is nothing wrong with teh screen
I can't give you an answer for certain, but I believe it is related to the automatic display detection by the laptop display drivers. When you open the display up, the little display switch is turned on (the nipple by the power switch). The display drivers set the resolution to a safe setting (800x600 or so) then detect the current displays attached. Once it's done that, it sets everything to the right resolutions.
If you disable the ATI Hotkey Poller service, this behavior will go away on restart. If you do this, the display will no longer turn off when you close the lid.
This corrected the problem, but now the display doesn't turn off at all when I close the lid. I usually log off and close the lid when I go to lunch as I work in a wide-open office. The display appears to get rather hot if I keep the lid closed for any length of time.
That´s my problem, too (Inspiron 9100). I wondered that this problem occurs on "older" lappies the same way.
The videodriver starts in a 800x600 resolution for a second before switching to the normal resolution. Thats enough time to move all icons in the square of 800x600.
Dell-Support suggested a Omega-Driver which solved the problem by NOT switching off the display by closing it - funny solution...
At the end I had to wait for next Dell videodriver-release (A01).
Because the driver is responsible for resolutions, it cannot be a problem with mainboard-bios or video-bios.
That is one option. But I also noticed that if you lock your system "Windows Key + L" before you close the lid, all your icons and windows will be the same size when you log back in. For now, this is what I'm doing and it seems to work.
HtMnBrusso: Yes, that is the trade off. The HotKey poller is what recognizes when the display switch is pressed. By disabling it, there is no longer anything to watch for the switch and so the display turns on.
As I've not found a better solution, you have to decide which problem is worse. For me the display always on is worse, so I suffer with the resolution switch. However, if you use your laptop both on a desk and away from your desk, this feature is awesome for multi-monitor support. Just close the lid, plug in the second monitor, open the lid and the new display is automatically initialized.
mCugie: I just tried that, and I figured out why it works. When you lock the computer then close the lid, the display doesn't turn off. As a result, the icons don't get reshuffled. This leaves you in the same boat as turning off HotKey Poller.
mCugie: I'm also using the traditional login/lock screen.
Interestingly enough your trick works fine now. I wonder if it has anything to do with having a second monitor plugged in. Without a second monitor it works fine.
There appears to be a lot of ways that this works or doesn't work the way one would expect.
@mCugie: Its a good idea to lock the system. Windows changes no resolution when the system is locked but still accepts the display-off-stick. This works with all apllications an most games where you can step out with ALT-TAB. But I knew some where you cant step out and maybe the game get stuck if resolution is to be changed during gameplay. Poor that I normally need not to lock my system at home - but what shells.
I wondered why Dell did not release a newer driver after months of selling Inspiron 8500/8600/9100/XPS. They have still release A00 for 9100/XPS (is "00" not a synonyme for beta?). Desktop-videocard manufacturers release driver nearly monthly. At all at the begin of selling new cards to repair bugs.
@SmarterArab:
I can not prefer the Omega-driver (downloads.driverheaven.net/omega/rad_w2kxp_omega_2536b.exe) because it relies on ATI Catalyst Version 4.4 (current 4.5) and detects the Radeon 9700 as a 9600 with only 35 fps where you can have 70 with the Dell driver.
mCugie
1 Rookie
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3 Posts
0
May 12th, 2004 15:00
I'm really intersted to see what Dell has to say about this. My XPS has the same issue. It seems to resize to an 800x600 resolution when the lid is closed. I called once to TechSupport and they said that it was some type of conflict between my video card (ATI 9700) and the chipset of the motherboard. Although, when I attempted to baseline my laptop (after only having it for 4 weeks now), the little pin for the lid seemed to be inactive until I actually installed the video drivers.
You can actually have the icons go back by using the auto arrange option. But your windows will be at 800x600 if you have any open when you close the lid. Even if the windows are minimized, they will also shrink. My biggest concern is that when I play a game and close the lid, for some reason I cannot obtain my desired resolution anymore.
TechSupport promised to call back the next day and it's been 3. Everyone that I talked to that had a Dell, was not happy with support.
There needs to be some type of resolution to this problem. I have a gaming system, and I can't even play my games on here because I closed the lid.
avertua
1 Message
0
May 12th, 2004 16:00
We have the same problem with our 8200 but it happens on start-up and when we close the lid. We were resetting our settings to correct it but I found a quick fix in another forum today. Try the below after you open your lid and it should resize. I don't think this corrects the problem permanently though.
Fix for "Black Border Syndrome" = Fn + F7 key combo
You would think Dell would be aware of a problem like this or would address it once it was brought to their attention.
garysmith666
2 Posts
0
May 13th, 2004 19:00
Just to the left of teh power switch below teh monitor is a little grey nipple/switch that senses the monitor being closed - is this at an angle or stuck down? If so this is the problem, give it a flick before you boot up.
If you read through this forum in the last day there is at least 5 posts with this problem and myself and a colleague both have it, it is a hardware defect and is nothing wrong with teh screen
Starslayer
13 Posts
0
May 13th, 2004 22:00
I can't give you an answer for certain, but I believe it is related to the automatic display detection by the laptop display drivers. When you open the display up, the little display switch is turned on (the nipple by the power switch). The display drivers set the resolution to a safe setting (800x600 or so) then detect the current displays attached. Once it's done that, it sets everything to the right resolutions.
If you disable the ATI Hotkey Poller service, this behavior will go away on restart. If you do this, the display will no longer turn off when you close the lid.
HTH
SmarterArab
3 Posts
0
May 14th, 2004 03:00
fn+f7 doesn't fix the problem on the 9100. I am having the same problem. Any Suggestions?
HtMnBrusso
1 Rookie
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3 Posts
0
May 14th, 2004 11:00
powersys_de
5 Posts
0
May 14th, 2004 13:00
That´s my problem, too (Inspiron 9100). I wondered that this problem occurs on "older" lappies the same way.
The videodriver starts in a 800x600 resolution for a second before switching to the normal resolution. Thats enough time to move all icons in the square of 800x600.
Dell-Support suggested a Omega-Driver which solved the problem by NOT switching off the display by closing it - funny solution...
At the end I had to wait for next Dell videodriver-release (A01).
Because the driver is responsible for resolutions, it cannot be a problem with mainboard-bios or video-bios.
Markus (Germany)
mCugie
1 Rookie
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3 Posts
1
May 14th, 2004 16:00
Starslayer
13 Posts
0
May 14th, 2004 16:00
HtMnBrusso: Yes, that is the trade off. The HotKey poller is what recognizes when the display switch is pressed. By disabling it, there is no longer anything to watch for the switch and so the display turns on.
As I've not found a better solution, you have to decide which problem is worse. For me the display always on is worse, so I suffer with the resolution switch. However, if you use your laptop both on a desk and away from your desk, this feature is awesome for multi-monitor support. Just close the lid, plug in the second monitor, open the lid and the new display is automatically initialized.
Starslayer
13 Posts
0
May 14th, 2004 21:00
mCugie: I just tried that, and I figured out why it works. When you lock the computer then close the lid, the display doesn't turn off. As a result, the icons don't get reshuffled. This leaves you in the same boat as turning off HotKey Poller.
SmarterArab
3 Posts
0
May 14th, 2004 22:00
mCugie
1 Rookie
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3 Posts
0
May 15th, 2004 00:00
Starslayer,
That is strange... The display turns off for me. Maybe it's because of the way you have XP log you on. I'm using the classic style, like W2K.
Starslayer
13 Posts
0
May 16th, 2004 00:00
mCugie: I'm also using the traditional login/lock screen.
Interestingly enough your trick works fine now. I wonder if it has anything to do with having a second monitor plugged in. Without a second monitor it works fine.
There appears to be a lot of ways that this works or doesn't work the way one would expect.
powersys_de
5 Posts
0
May 18th, 2004 12:00
@mCugie: Its a good idea to lock the system. Windows changes no resolution when the system is locked but still accepts the display-off-stick. This works with all apllications an most games where you can step out with ALT-TAB. But I knew some where you cant step out and maybe the game get stuck if resolution is to be changed during gameplay. Poor that I normally need not to lock my system at home - but what shells.
I wondered why Dell did not release a newer driver after months of selling Inspiron 8500/8600/9100/XPS. They have still release A00 for 9100/XPS (is "00" not a synonyme for beta?). Desktop-videocard manufacturers release driver nearly monthly. At all at the begin of selling new cards to repair bugs.
@SmarterArab:
I can not prefer the Omega-driver (downloads.driverheaven.net/omega/rad_w2kxp_omega_2536b.exe) because it relies on ATI Catalyst Version 4.4 (current 4.5) and detects the Radeon 9700 as a 9600 with only 35 fps where you can have 70 with the Dell driver.