[angloengland]

I have a dell notebook and have had problems with it recently involving strange shape when I play games etc anyway I thought it was a graphics problem but dell who have worked on it remotely tonight tell me it isnt. They think it might be the screen - can someone tell me its if easy to connect my ntebook up to a monitor so I can check it please

[SHEPH3RD]

Well my friend has a Dell laptop and if I remember correctly there is a VGA (I think) port on the side. Look around your laptop for such a connection and try to connect it via that port. So take the cable that is connection your monitor and the computer out of the computer, and put it into the notebook. It should go

Notebook ----> VGA cable ---> Desktop monitor

Hope this helps (and hope its right! I'm still a noob here in these forums)

[MJM]

Originally Posted by SHEPH3RD Well my friend has a Dell laptop and if I remember correctly there is a VGA (I think) port on the side. Look around your laptop for such a connection and try to connect it via that port. So take the cable that is connection your monitor and the computer out of the computer, and put it into the notebook. It should go Notebook ----> VGA cable ---> Desktop monitor Hope this helps (and hope its right! I'm still a noob here in these forums)

Well, that's the stuff connected assuming he has a VGA out (never seen one without it). Now if your laptop has "hotbutton" or whatever they call them, you can do this one easy by just hitting Fn (usually kept in a lighter colour) and then the key that has an image that sort of looks like a laptop/screen. Most laptops have these on the F keys. It may also be a screen with an arrow pointing out. Hit until you see the screen on the monitor.
Depending on your laptop you may be able to clone that way for a better comparisson.

Otherwise, if it has Intel graphics you can right click the desktop and go monitor clone or something... it's pretty obvious, I'm just running Knoppix so cannot look myself. Or under properties, last pane, and then output to only monitor two, or go advanced options and select clone.

Do not extend the screen. That will give an image split across two.

[angloengland]

Thanks alot - its not my screen at least!! I guessing Dell are just testing the hardware - is it possible for a virus to manipulate the graphics of a game etc does anyone know?

[MJM]

Originally Posted by angloengland Thanks alot - its not my screen at least!! I guessing Dell are just testing the hardware - is it possible for a virus to manipulate the graphics of a game etc does anyone know?

I have never heard of a virus doing that. It might be "hoax ware".

[angloengland]

Does anyone know of a good company to repair notebooks please?

[mrdaveyk]

how old is it, still in warranty? some local computer shops normaly do repairs

[angloengland]

Its quite old I suppose - I bought it in October 2004 and Dell give a years warranty - it might not be worth repairing if something else is going to go soon.

Thanks, we have a company come into work first monday of every month to do maintenance - might ask them if it something they can do. Thanks again

[angloengland]

Hello again,

I have been playing with the settings of my ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 card and the horizontal and vertical lattice distortions that are on my computer changed to two different diagonal distortions when I changed the Direct3D settings. Does this confirm a problem with the graphics card and can I just swap it with any if it does?

Thanks in advance - and I promise Ill contribute to this forum one day soon!