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General discussion

Help With Dual Monitor On Dell XPS/Dimension 410/9200

Dec 3, 2009 7:32AM PST

My friend has a Dell XPS Desktop.

The Original LCD Monitor That Came With The Computer Is Square and On The VGA Port.

This weekend I added an Acer X193w LCD to the DVI Port.
We mounted the Acer "Portrait" style and rotated the screen 90 degrees (using the orig windows drivers).

The Acer 19" Widescreen is capable of 1440 x 900 resolution,
and when that wasn't an option on the display driver,
we clicked on "Update Driver" in the Device Manager for Windows.

The driver updated, and not only is 1440 x 900 NOT an option,
the ability to have the 2nd monitor rotated "Portrait" style or 90 degrees is also gone.

Please help... we are willing to sacrifice the resolution just to have the ability to rotate the screen 90 degrees again.

Discussion is locked

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I forgot to mention....
Dec 3, 2009 8:41AM PST

We tried clicking the "Roll-Back Driver" button in WinXP,
but that accomplished nothing.

My friend needs to be able to rotate the screen 90 degrees,
and since "Updating the driver" that is no longer an option in the Display Manager.

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Just sharing.
Dec 3, 2009 8:48AM PST

Windows Update Driver button is a bad idea. The lesson here is to not use that.

So here's a recap of how I install drivers and MONITOR INF support files.

1. I use the maker's web page for the video card drivers. In your case, system restore back to when it worked as my bet is it's not the video card driver.

2. Many are taken aback when they learn about the MONITOR.INF support file (it's not a driver but for brevity let's call it a driver.) When we add a monitor the monitor's capability is in a monitor driver package and can be a simple (?) MONITOR.INF file.

Here's the one for the Acer -> http://download.cnet.com/ACER-X193W/3000-2108_4-191615.html

Inside that package is the .inf for the monitor which is PLAIN TEXT so you can see how it notes the following:
HKR,,MaxResolution,,"1440,900"

So there you are. No one tells you about how this is not the video card driver that needs updating (until now.)
Bob

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What If System Restore Is Not An Option?
Dec 3, 2009 9:08AM PST

Is There A Way To Get The Old nVidia Control Panel Back?
(The One With The "Rotate Display" Option Under "Display")

The VGA Monitor (Square On The VGA Port) Needs To Stay As Is
The DVI Monitor (Acer 19" Widescreen On The DVI Port) Is The One She Wants Rotated 90 Degrees (Portrait).

Two Monitors attached at the same time in other words.
One NOT Rotated
One Rotated.

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Then you use the OLD FASHIONED mehtods.
Dec 3, 2009 9:28AM PST

Install the driver for the card in question manually.

nvidia has an archive of such things, Dell might have them too. But many today need simple click here to fix it buttons but the industry isn't ready to offer such.
Bob

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The Industry isn't ready to offer such
Dec 3, 2009 11:47AM PST

Well that's what we thought the Device Manager Buttons labeled "Update Driver" and the "Roll-Back Driver" were!

Thank God for cnet and for R. Proffitt,
without them we would toil in fruitless downward spirals.

I am going determine what video card is in that Dell XPS and then try to locate the "factory" driver for it.

Then I will use that Acer Monitor.INF thingy you so generously told me about.

Thanks for all the help, I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

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Thanks for the report.
Dec 4, 2009 1:58AM PST

You can be sure I chastise them when I can and do my best to not put them off too much. The stories about drivers from Microsoft are now legendary and when a new 'softie tries to tell us that was the past the truth is its still here.

In fact I brought up a specific incorrect driver from Windows Update on Windows 7 and was told "well, that's just one so we're doing alright."

There are plenty more so until the dust settles be prepared to update, install drivers the old fashioned way.
Bob

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Dual Monitors On Dell Dimension XPS 410
Dec 4, 2009 11:56PM PST

The Vidio Card Turned Out To Be A nVidia GeForce 7300 LE.

Despite the fact that the Adapter Tab on "Advanced" Display Properties in the device manager states that the card has 512 MB on it...

We went to Dell's website and Downloaded:
File Title: nVidia - Driver
Importance: Recommended
Release Date: 6/11/2007
Version: 82.68,A01
Applies to: GeForce 7300 LE 128


My friend did find the "Rotate Display" option.
(I was helping her over the phone, so I don't actually know where she found it... and it did take a long time to find)

Anyway now everything is working to her satisfaction.

We may still need to fix the resolution with the MONITOR.INF thingy,
but, in an effort to keep my friend from throwing her Dell out the window... I'm saving that for another day.

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You, me, Peabody, Sherman and a WABAC machine.
Dec 5, 2009 3:20AM PST

For now and the foreseeable future, Windows drivers are best done the old fashioned way. It's better than Windows 3 days but not by much.

The sure fire way to create trouble is to "install the latest drivers" on some machines. My advice is to not fix a working machine.

Glad you got it working.
Bob