Bufub,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

Are you using the  Dell supplied DVI connector that can be connected to a digital flat panel monitor or to a dongle which will split out for VGA and DVI?  Before connecting a monitor to the system, turn the system off. If while troubleshooting you swap a monitor and attach it to a system that is powered on, then reboot if you don't get video.

I am also having this problem with the same configuration.  When I plug the VGA monitor in everything is perfect.  But If I boot with the dvi cable plugged in to the machine, I get nothing.  The A & C led's are yellow and the machine doesn't seem to boot at all.  no beeps no nothing.... WHAT IS GOING ON? ANY IDEAS? DRIVING ME CRAZY!

Hello,

I have had similar issues, but with some success.

In December I bought an SX280 without monitor. It was connected to a Formac Gallery 1740 DVI Version monitor. On the BIOS and Windows startup screens (640x480 res obviously) I was getting the output quadrupled on-screen (yes, 4 identical outputs, top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right!) and of course it was very small. However, when it loaded into Windows it showed up fine and when I set the correct resolution (1280x1024) it was perfect. This was on the A02 BIOS, before A04 became available.

Early Jan 2005, another SX280 was ordered and again, connected to a Formac Gallery 1740 DVI Version monitor. Same happened as above and it too came with the A02 BIOS.
As I normally do, I re-loaded the machine from scratch and upon doing so of course noticed there were new windows video drivers available (03JAN05 - Dell Version A01, Intel Build 6.14.10.3889). However, after loading them I noticed that Windows was then "gone". You would get the BIOS startup and the Windows logo for startup, but then when you'd normally see the logon process there was nothing on-screen. I knew it was running ok, because the speakers made all the correct noises. So to resolve that problem I had to boot into safe mode, remove the newly installed video driver and re-load the old one (22JUN04 - Dell Version A00, Build 6.14.10.3829). I then got the screen back and everything was ok again.

I had a call yesterday to say that someone had applied updates to the SX280 and then after that the screen had "gone blank". I knew almost instantly what had happened - obviously the helpful Windows updates had installed the latest video driver (21MAR05 - Dell Version A05, Build 6.14.10.4020). So I had to go and investigate.

I noticed that Dell had since released BIOS A04 and A05. I noticed on the A04 release notes that the VBIOS (Video BIOS) had been updated so I thought "great, they've fixed it" but no, obviously not. After loading on the A05 BIOS everything on the monitor was lost...no BIOS boot in quad form, no windows loading, nothing. Again, I knew the machine was loading up perfectly ok because of the audio. I then had to blindly (we have no other monitors on site!) re-flash the BIOS back to A02 (although I did try A04 as well to see if that worked). Luckily, I managed to get back to A02...and then had to boot to safe mode, remove the new Windows video driver and reinstall the old one (22JUN04 - Dell Version A00, Build 6.14.10.3829).

The reason for my posting of this is to let you know that if you're having problems with DVI output you'll probably find that flashing the BIOS back to A02 (assuming that you people who bought in May/June have most likely got A04 upwards) and then removing the windows video driver you currently have and re-installing the old one (22JUN04 - Dell Version A00, Build 6.14.10.3829) will probably help you for now. It's not an ideal fix, but the only way I've managed to get it all to work for the moment.

Do Dell have anything to say on this? Can we please have an A06 BIOS and a Windows Intel video driver that'll work please!

cheers,
Richard.

Hi Bob,

That's great, glad it worked for you too. Just out of interest have you ever had the BIOS start-up and Windows Start-up (Logo with scrolling status bar underneath) screens come up quadrupled (4 copies on the screen?)? This is the only thing I've ever seen on the Formac LCD we're running. Or does it look fine, until window's boots?

cheers,
Richard.

Rich:

 

No, nothing like that.  Just a normal looking splash screen and windows startup screen.  You can tell the instant that drivers start loading because there's a screen flicker and then nothing.  I'm running a Planar PL-191M

Richard:

Thanks, that did it!  I finally have control of the video!  Now if Dell would just respond to what must be a wide-spread problem.

Bob

i just had this same problem. my probelm was that i updated the video driver, and then the bios which sent it into 1920 x 1200 mode. Luckily where i work i can remotely connect to the machine to work on it and was able to change the resolution back to 1024x768. If you have another machine, install VNC in safe mode (if you can) or a program called Radar (google it). If you have XP Pro, you could enable remote logins, then use RDP to go into it. at that point you could do something at least.

I would also like to confirm this problem. We have an SX280 that just shipped w/ BIOS A04, we plugged an ELO 1947L (19" flat panel touch screen) into the DVI, and after post, NOTHING.

After digging thru posts, I came across this, moved to A02, and all worked perfectly.

Thanks for posting your findings! Wish dell would confirm this as a problem!