Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Display Devices


A display device is better known as a monitor. It connects to the video adapter in the computer, receives the output, and displays the results on the screen. A wide number of computers integrate the video adapter in the motherboard, so a physical installation of a video adapter may not even be required. The integrated video usually doesn't provide the best graphics, so companies that use graphics-intensive applications may install an additional video adapter even if there is integrated video in the computer.

To configure how graphics are displayed, you can use the Display utility in Control Panel. You can also access this utility by right-clicking the desktop and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu. The Display Properties dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 7.9.

Figure 7.9. The Display Properties dialog box provides configuration options for the monitor.


The majority of the tabs in the Display Properties dialog box enable you to select the colors, desktop wallpaper, theme, fonts, and general appearance of the Windows XP GUI. The Settings tab is the home of the monitor configuration. Note that if you have a proprietary device driver for your video adapter, it is possible that there will be additional tabs in the Display Properties dialog box that are specific to the features of the video adapter. The Settings tab, with its typical features, is shown in Figure 7.10.

Figure 7.10. You can configure all a video adapter's settings in the Settings tab of the Display utility.


The Settings tab enables you to perform the following:

  • Configure multiple monitors.

  • Change screen resolution.

  • Select the color depth.

  • Identify which monitor is being viewed, when multiple monitors are configured.

  • Launch the Help and Support Video Display Troubleshooter Wizard.

  • Access the video adapter Properties to change, update, uninstall, or roll back the video driver.

  • Configure the computer to change the display settings without requiring a reboot.

  • Configure the refresh rate for the monitor.

Just as you can change the display driver, you can also install drivers for the monitor. A Plug and Play monitor should be detected and installed by Windows XP. If you replace a monitor, you should uninstall the old monitor in Device Manager. Then, in Device Manager, click the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes. When the monitor is detected as the Default Monitor type device driver, the device is probably not Plug and Play or the video adapter it is attached to is not Plug and Play.

EXAM ALERT

The system configuration utility troubleshoots startup The exam tests you on your knowledge of the System Configuration utility, which you can open by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing msconfig in the Open text box, and pressing Enter. For video-related problems, the System Configuration Utility allows you to edit the Boot.ini file and add the startup parameter /BASEVIDEO. This parameter forces a monitor to show a standard 640x480 VGA 16-color display, which will not be distorted. After you have finished troubleshooting the video problems, you can then remove the /BASEVIDEO parameter from Boot.ini using the System Configuration Utility. You can use the standard video mode on startup by pressing F8 and selecting the option for VGA mode.


Monitor settings can cause display problems, obviously. Not so obviously, they can cause performance problems as well. And for a highly sensitive monitor, the wrong settings can actually damage the monitor itself. Table 7.4 explains how to troubleshoot display problems.

Table 7.4. Troubleshooting Display Errors

Problem or Process

Utility/Solution

Response

Computer stops responding recurrently

Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button, Troubleshoot tab

Change the hardware acceleration to None.

Images are not drawn correctly

Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button, Troubleshoot tab

Change the hardware acceleration to a mid-scale option.

Mouse pointer does not function properly or some images are corrupt

Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button, Troubleshoot tab

Change the hardware acceleration to the option just to the left of Full.

Screen corruption

Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button, Troubleshoot tab

Clear the Enable Write Combining check box.

Screen flickers

Display Properties, Settings tab, Advanced button, Monitor tab

Adjust the refresh frequency rate to a higher number.

Game or application will not play without 256 colors

Right-click the application's icon, Properties, Compatibility tab

Select the Run in 256 Colors check box.

Monitor does not sleep

Display Properties, Screen Saver tab, Power button

Change the power scheme according to your activity requirements.


Configuring Multiple-Display Support

Objective:

Implement, manage, and troubleshoot display devices.

  • Configure multiple-display support.

Most people are familiar with the capability to attach an external monitor or projector to a laptop and then see both screens (one on the laptop and the other on the external device) at the same time. This feature is called Dualview because you can view two monitors from the same video adapter. With Windows XP Professional, you can connect up to 10 monitors to a desktop PC and either display the same full screen image on all of them, or stretch the picture across the screens so that each shows a piece of a giant display quilt. Each multiple display can be separately configured for its resolution, color depth, and position.

When you have more than one monitor configured, one is always designated as the primary display. By default, it receives all prompts and shortcut windows, plus it runs DirectX applications in full-screen mode.

The primary monitor can be any VGA device. Any secondary monitor must utilize an adapter that is either Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), plus the monitor must be able to display the GUI without using VGA resources. (Consider the conflict of two VGA devices fighting to use the same set of hardware resources.) Because a video adapter that is integrated into the motherboard is automatically configured to use VGA resources, it must be the primary device. If a VGA-capable PCI adapter is installed and the on-board display does not function, you should disable VGA for any secondary devices. Step by Step 7.4 walks through the process of adding a secondary monitor to a computer.

Step by Step:7.4 Configuring a Secondary Monitor

1.

Validate the existing display adapter and monitor.

2.

Install a second display adapter that is both Plug and Play and is listed in the Windows Catalog.

3.

Turn on the computer and allow Windows XP Professional to detect and install the adapter.

4.

Plug the new monitor into the computer.

5.

Right-click My Computer and select Manage from the shortcut menu.

6.

Click Device Manager in the left pane.

7.

Click the computer icon in the top of the tree in the right pane.

8.

Click the Action menu.

9.

Select Scan for hardware changes. Windows XP Professional should detect and install the new monitor.

10.

Right-click the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

11.

Click the Settings tab. You should see icons for two monitors in the dialog box.

12.

Click Monitor 2.

13.

Select the Extend my Windows Desktop onto This Monitor check box.

14.

Click Apply.

15.

With Monitor 2 still selected, adjust the resolution by sliding the slider bar under Screen Resolution and change the color depth by selecting a different option in the Color Quality drop-down box.

16.

If the arrangement of the desktop across the two screens is mismatched, you can change the display by dragging the icons to match the physical configuration. You do not need to move the monitors around manually.

17.

The primary monitor provides full DirectX acceleration. If one monitor has a higher DirectX functionality but is not the primary monitor, you can set it as the primary monitor on the Settings tab by selecting the monitor and selecting the Use This Monitor as the Primary Display check box.

18.

Click OK.


Using multiple monitors offers an expanded space for business productivity. Users can display separate documents on two different monitors, and even move items between the two. The capability to stretch the screen across the monitors can make working with detailed graphics and complex forms easier.

To verify that the secondary monitor has been activated, you should right-click the desktop and select Properties (or open the Display applet in Control Panel), and click the Settings tab. Right-click the monitor and, in the shortcut menu, see whether there is a check mark next to Attached. If not, click Attached to enable the monitor. Each of your monitors can be configured separately for screen size and color depth. In the Settings tab of the Display applet, click the numbered monitor and then adjust the settings as necessary.

If you have attempted to configure multiple monitors on your computer and have not been successful, you should check the following:

  • Is the computer using the latest BIOS?

  • Have both video adapters been correctly configured in the BIOS?

  • Are you using only PCI or AGP video adapters?

  • Have you installed the correct drivers?

  • Have you attached the additional monitors in the Display applet's Settings tab? (This serves to enable the monitors.)

Installing, Configuring, and Troubleshooting a Video Adapter

Objective:

Implement, manage, and troubleshoot display devices.

  • Install, configure, and troubleshoot a video adapter.

There is little to worry about when you change your display configuration, because all video adapters can use the generic VGA display driver. If you prevent something from working properly when configuring the display driver, Windows XP can revert to the VGA display driver, forcing a 640x480 display with only 16 colors. If Windows XP did not do so, you would have no way to see the settings to fix them. Step by Step 7.5 lists the process for changing the display driver. When you configure multiple monitors and have difficulty extending the desktop across two monitors, you should always check to make sure the display drivers support multiple monitors and are updated to the latest versions.

Step by Step: 7.5 Making Changes to the Display Driver

1.

Right-click the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

2.

Click the Settings tab.

3.

Ensure that, if you have configured more than one monitor, you select the monitor (by clicking it) that is connected to the video adapter whose driver you wish to upgrade.

4.

Click the Advanced button. A dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 7.11 opens. Note that the existing video adapter driver may show additional tabs, similar to the Intel Graphics Technology tab depicted in Figure 7.11.

Figure 7.11. The Properties dialog box of a video adapter enables you to configure additional features specific to the adapter.


5.

Click the Adapter tab.

6.

Click the Properties button. The display device Properties dialog box opens.

7.

Click the Driver tab. The date and version of the driver currently being used is displayed.

8.

You have the option to check the dates of individual files by clicking the Driver Details button. From this page, you can change the driver by updating it, rolling it back, or uninstalling it. Click Update Driver. The Hardware Update Wizard starts, as shown in Figure 7.12.

Figure 7.12. The Hardware Update Wizard starts when you update a device driver.


9.

Click to select whether to connect to Windows Update located at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. You have the option of connecting Yes, This Time Only, Yes, Now and Every Time I Connect a Device, or No, Not This Time. Click Next.

Note

Use a software update services server to save bandwidth consumption A network with a large number of users and a limited amount of bandwidth connected to the Internet would be severely impacted if all users connected to Windows Update to download large service packs and driver updates. You can configure a server on the local network with Software Update Services (SUS) to contain the Windows Update files to limit bandwidth consumption. Using your own update server gives you time to test updated drivers and service packs before they reach your end users, reducing administrative overhead. SUS is slated to become Windows Update Services (WUS) in its next release, currently under open evaluation and due out during the first half of 2005.

10.

The next screen asks you to either update the driver automatically or select the location of the file. If you have downloaded a driver from the manufacturer's website, select the second option to choose the file location. Click Next.

11.

You are next asked to select a list of paths to be searched for the driver, or to select the driver from a list of drivers already available to Windows XP. Select the first option. Select the Include This Location in the Search check box. Type the path to the driver you downloaded. Click Next.

12.

The wizard searches for any driver that is an update to the video adapter. If it finds one or more, it lists the drivers for you so that you can select and install one of them. If it does not find one, the wizard notifies you that it cannot continue. Select the driver. Click Next.

13.

In the final screen, click Finish.


Exam Alert

Windows 2000 video drivers are generally compatible with Windows XP If your computer has been upgraded from Windows 2000 and functions well, but a brand-new computer with exactly the same hardware has display problems, the answer is to try installing the Windows 2000 video driver.




Exam Prep 2. Windows XP Professional
MCSA/MCSE 70-270 Exam Prep 2: Windows XP Professional
ISBN: 0789733633
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 193

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