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connecting projector
I have a Dell Precision 4500 working well no problems with it. Diagnostics all OK.
I have been trying to connect a dell 1410x projector to it without success using a VGA cable that I know is good.
I am computer literate and have tried everything and am now looking for suggestions from users that may have seen this problem before. Graphics card driver updated. I have been in contact with Dell support but they say that they no longer sell projectors and no longer have expertise in this area. HELP !!
sfortin
199 Posts
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March 10th, 2019 06:00
Maybe this might be helpful. There are too many possibilities, and you need to winnow the problem space. You can do your own debugging. Tech support isn't going to have your laptop and your cable and your projector. Your equipment is old enough that it's best you just run this all down yourself.
The manual for your projector is here:
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_display_projector/esuprt_projector/dell-1410x_user%27s%20guide_en-us.pdf
With the projector connected to the laptop, what happens when you continue to press the blue Fn (Function) key, and the F8 (display) key? Can you get the laptop to enable the VGA output? That is the first thing I would try.
The previous step assumes the projector can auto-detect which input has a signal. Your projector has two VGA inputs. Maybe it's not capable of auto-detection. Try switching the input source. I'd use the buttons on the projector first, not the remote. To be exhaustive, also try the remote. Reference the projector manual.
Did you try connecting the VGA cable to input-B as well?
Did you look at the "Auto Adjustment" mode on the projector? Reference the projector manual.
Even if you strongly believe the VGA cable is "good", it may have failed, or may be marginal. Try another.
Iterate the debugging steps if needed.
Do you have another monitor or TV with a VGA/sub-D connection / input? If so, see if the laptop can drive a different monitor with the cable you have. If you don't have such a thing, take the laptop and cable to a friend, co-worker or even to a computer store and "shop" for a new monitor. *by shop, I think you know I mean just try it out in the store... If your laptop and a cable (original or replacement) can't drive a different display, it could be the laptop.
If you aren't making any progress, perhaps I would try changing the display's resolution on the laptop. The laptop has a 1920x1800 native display. Perhaps the projector is being finicky with the output from the laptop. It's native resolution is 1024x768. The projector should down-sample, but may be having a problem.
Again, iterate if required.
Wow - if you've gotten this far, and haven't solved the problem, use your cable and your projector with another computer that has a VGA output and prove to yourself, the projector is still operating properly.
OK, other things you can do:
I would try booting in SAFE mode, and bypassing the NVIDIA driver. I might even try deleting the driver/device in Windows and rebooting. With the resultant display using a generic driver, does the projector and cable work? Maybe you need to back-out updates to the NVIDIA driver. Get a new driver from NVIDIA's site.
Is there a setting in BIOS for disabling the external VGA port?
Good luck. Report back.