Inspiron 530, dual monitor setup not working

You cannot use onboard video when there is a card in the video slot.

This is an unsupported configuration.

If you need more than one monitor they must use the video card.

Windows requires video drivers for the video card in order to display on more than one monitor.

Radeon HD 5450 or similar cards are legacy and require specific drivers.

Windows XP has not been supported since 2014.

https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=td8hg

https://dl.dell.com/video/R291793.exe

Thanks for the response.  Yes, I know that you can't use the on-board video at the same time, so I disabled it.  Also, I downloaded the XP drivers that the AMD tech asked me to.  Still didn't work.

My question is more "Has anybody been able to set up dual monitors on an Inspiron 530?" than asking for help on a specific graphics card.  Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Thanks again.

-L

How did you disable the PC's onboard VGA port?

From what I see, your video card has Dual-Link DVI, HDMI, and VGA ports. Since both monitors now have to be connected directly to the add-in video card:

• Exactly which 2 ports are you using on the video card?
• Exactly what port are you using on each monitor? 

Be specific, eg: Card (VGA) > Monitor1 (VGA) and Card (HDMI) > Monitor 2 (VGA), or whatever you're actually doing for each monitor.

Keep in mind some monitors are dumb and have to be told what input port to use. If the monitors have an On-Screen Display (OSD) that's accessed by pressing a button(s) directly on the monitor, open the OSD and look for the option to change the video port and make sure it's correctly set to the port you're using on that monitor. NOTE: If you're using -for example- Card (HDMI)>Monitor (VGA) with an adapter cable, you'd tell the monitor to use VGA. And if you're using Card (DVI), make sure (a) you have the correct DVI cable and (b) that your monitor supports Dual-Link DVI because some monitors only support Single-Link DVI.

And if all else fails, there's always a USB2>video dongle, where "video" is the type of port on the monitor. Just make sure the dongle supports both Win XP and the "native" (= "recommended" or "optimum") resolution of the monitor connected to the dongle. You may have to dig a little because video dongles that support XP might be harder to find (and more expensive) these days because the OS is old and unsupported...

Thanks, Ron.

I disabled the on-board video in Settings/Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager. I turned off the machine and installed the dual card.  Monitor 1 is VGA and plugged into the VGA connector of the new card.  Monitor 2 is VGA.  I plugged it into a DVI-I adapter, then plugged that into the DVI-I connector of the card.

I turned on the machine and monitor #1 came on.  Resolution was off, but that's just the default of the card.  I went to the ADM web site and downloaded/installed the XP driver for this card.  Re-booted the machine and monitor 1 came on, again wrong res.

Opened the AMD software that controls the monitors.  I could change the res on both monitors, but it won't let me enable the second one.  I clicked "Extend to this monitor" for #2, clicked "Apply", the screen went blank for a second then came back as it was.  Did not enable the second monitor.

Tried it with the Windows Control Panel/Display/Settings window.  Same thing -- could change resolution but could not enable monitor #2.

Just for fun, I swapped cables.  That is, cable 2 into the VGA port and cable 1 into the DVI-I adapter.  Again, only one monitor comes on and I can't enable the other. I also tried a different adapter.

I thought about the USB to VGA dongle but my machine only has USB 2.0 and I thought it might be too slow for video.  I don't play games.  I just want to have my surveillance cameras on a separate monitor so I can view them while doing other things.

I went to the Dell web site and see they don't have any other updates for this machine.  However, I did a search on "video" and several drivers came up for various cards.  They all say "Support Inspiron 530".  I'm assuming that they must have sold some of these configured with a card, or at least tested them on a 530.  So I ordered a card and we'll see what happens.

If this doesn't work, I'll try the USB-VGA adapter.

BTW, I want to thank all who offered help.  It's nice that people who know something about computers are willing to take the time to help total strangers.  If more people did this, the world would be a better place.

-L

Here's a dumb question (and no offense intended)....Are you sure this video card actually supports using two monitors?

You might try clearing BIOS:

1. Reboot and immediately press F2 to open BIOS setup
2. Copy down all current BIOS settings
3. Power off, unplug
4. Press/hold power button for ~15 sec
5. Open case and remove motherboard battery (check Service Manual for details)
6. Press/hold power button for ~30 sec
7. Reinstall the battery (Time for fresh CR2032 3-volt coin cell battery? ~$2)
8. Close up and connect mouse, monitor and keyboard
9. Reboot

Got an HDMI >VGA adapter you can try?

A bum video card...?

My computer did not come with a video card.  It's on-board (Intel something).  I downloaded the driver from the Dell web site that you mention (AMD Radeon HD3450 (256MB PCI-Express x16 RV620).  I couldn't find that exact model, so I purchased an AMD Radeon HD3450 512MB PCI card.  I turned off the on-board video, plugged in the AMD card and installed the driver that came with the card.

That worked.  I now have 2 monitors running (extended).  Just for fun I installed the Dell driver and it did not recognize my card.  I guess it didn't like the extra memory and different form factor.

So, I can state that the AMD Radeon HD3450 512MB PCI works on my Inspiron 530 running XP SP3.