[azdude]

Hey all--

I've been having an odd problem, now that I've begun working with an external VGA monitor. (15" Trinitron)

Good behavior:
-If I plug in the monitor while the PB is alive and running, then the external monitor allows a *bazillion* resolution/refresh rate combinations (many of which won't work with this monitor.... but which includes the 1280x1024 that I'd like to run at.

Bad behavior:
-If I plug in the monitor before startup, the external display's "Display Preferences" only show several resolution/refresh rate combos. (Only 800x600 and 1024x768 at several refresh rates).

-If I plug in the monitor while the PB is alive and running, as above, and -- in the Display Pref Pane -- select "Detect Displays," I'm once again limited again to 1024x768.


I realize that this is a simple matter of the Powerbook not properly identifying the maximum resolution that my monitor can display (and failing to check at all, when connected to a live PB), but -- I ask -- is there any way to get around this bug, other than to (a) plug it in after I boot, and (b) not touch "Detect Displays?"

[ibook_steve]

I'm not sure I understand. The "bad behavior" includes the resolution you want. Why is the "good behavior" good if your monitor doesn't support those other resolutions? You don't mention which Powerbook you have, so there could be something wrong with your monitor detect circuitry to cause this behavior (unless this is a G3 Powerbook which, I believe, required a sleep/wake or detect displays to talk to the monitor and get its available resolutions). Is the brand and make of the monitor listed in the displays menu in the menubar? But I have to ask again: so what's the problem?

Steve

[azdude]

Originally posted by ibook_steve:
I'm not sure I understand. The "bad behavior" includes the resolution you want.

No, it doesn't. Let me simplify/restate:

If the monitor is plugged in at startup, or "detect displays" is pressed, then I am only able to run at 1024x768.

If I plug in the monitor while the Powerbook is active, then the monitor shows up as generic, and I'm able to select the 1280x1024 that the monitor is capable of, and that I want to run at.

Why is the "good behavior" good if your monitor doesn't support those other resolutions?

Because the "good behavior" includes 1280x1024, which I want, and can't get otherwise.

You don't mention which Powerbook you have, so there could be something wrong with your monitor detect circuitry to cause this behavior (unless this is a G3 Powerbook which, I believe, required a sleep/wake or detect displays to talk to the monitor and get its available resolutions).

It's the PB in my signature... 1.5 GHz 15"-er.

This is all not that big of a deal.

I'm used to seeing a "Show All Resolutions vs. Show Recommended Resolutions" selection dialog, which I'm either imagining, or which has disappeared. If there's any way to force a properly-detected pref-pane resolution list to add a resolution that I *know* I'm capable of, then that's all I'm asking. If not, I'll just "hot-connect" the monitor, and live with the generic, unnecessarily long list of resolutions.

Thanks