X800XL display settings on dual monitors

[TurdBurglar]

I have messed around with the settings and read the manual and cannot figure out how to get a 19 in. dell lcd monitor and an old 15 in. offbrand lcd to display different resolutions and different wallpapers when using an X800XL AGP video card. This was possible with a 6600GT on the same setup using Nvidia's NView. With the X800XL, the smaller monitor displays a zoomed-in view of the desktop wallpaper on the larger monitor (i.e. you don't see it all). Does anyone know how/if this can be done?

 

[RichPLS]

Under CCC control panel, advanced view, you should see a monitor properties for digital panel 1 and digital panel 2...
Set them up with different resolutions, and you can even change which one is primary if you wish, along with their desktop position, ie above, right, left, right and up a bit, etc...

 

[TurdBurglar]

Unfortunately, I have tried that to no avail. I can set the 2ndary screen resolution for anything and I still get the same zoomed effect. The 15 in. has a max resolution of 1024 x 768. I assumed the ATI control panel could do the same thing as the Nvidia version, but it may not like the crappy old 15 in. monitor. I may need to try swapping out that old one with a newer model and see if I encounter the same problem.

 

[itneal2277]

Have you updated your video and monitor drivers? ATI is always releasing new drivers that correct issues with using dual displays. Also if you cant find a driver for your generic 15 inch monitor, try using the Plug and Play monitor driver. I currently use a similar card and all I have to do is goto display properties, select the monitor I want to adjust, make a change, then that's it.

 

[WhyFi]

I currently use a similar card and all I have to do is goto display properties, select the monitor I want to adjust, make a change, then that's it.

Exactly - should take approximately 7 seconds. Right click on the desktop, select 'properties,' go to the settings tab and adjust. I have an PCIe x800xl, and that's all I have to do...

 

[TurdBurglar]

I am currently using the most recent Omega drivers on this box. I tried fixing the problem by doing this. Previously, I had the most recent (as of a month or two ago) catalyst drivers on there. I guess I'll check for some new catalyst drivers.

if you switch them you should see the small display either do panning or be forced to use a different pipe. if it uses a different pipe then you are set you should be able to use independant pipe timings for both displays

So I should be able to force the two displays to use different pipes either by changing drivers or switching the other display to primary? (and then back again, because I obviously don't want to use the 15 inch as primary) In other words, there's not a setting I need to manipulate to force independant pipe timings.

 

[TurdBurglar]

Have you updated your video and monitor drivers?

Haven't done monitor drivers. I may need to try that as well.

 

[TurdBurglar]

It's good to know that's how it should work. That was the first thing I tried. I was starting to wonder if it was possible at all with the ATI setup as I had always used Nvidia cards in the past. Hopefully, it is just a driver problem.

 

[TurdBurglar]

I haven't had time to sit down with it just yet, but I know that in CCC I have it set for extended desktop. The UI acts like I should be able to apply different resolutions to each monitor, but nothing changes when this is done. If extended desktop is 2 pipes by default, it may be a monitor driver issue.

 

[TurdBurglar]

Would a motherboard BIOS update potentially solve the problem? That was a suggestion of Windows XP Help.

 

[itneal2277]

Normally no, but you can check the manufacturer's website to see if any of the BIOS updates would fix your issue. If you are familiar with updating your BIOS, you could give it a try because it may just work. If you are not familiar with BIOS updates use extreme caution because improperly updating the BIOS may cause the system not to boot. Just make sure you follow the motherboard manufacturer's instructions EXACTLY to avoid any complications.

 

[TurdBurglar]

Okay, I'll probably stay away from BIOS updates for now and see if I can get some results by changing monitor drivers. Also, the small monitor is an LCD not a CRT if that changes the edid situation. I do have the hide modes this monitor can't display box checked. Anyway, I'm off to try some of this stuff.

 

[TurdBurglar]

Well, I tried the latest Catalyst drivers from ATI to no avail. Both of the monitors show the Plug and Play driver in Device Manager. I never have found a way to even display two different desktop wallpapers in CCC. I'm still getting the zoomed in view of the wallpaper on the primary monitor on the smaller lcd. If I switch the primary to the smaller monitor, that one looks correct and the larger lcd shows the correct resolution, but with the wallpaper zoomed out with border around it. This leads me to believe that the smaller monitor is displaying 1024x768 but the wallpaper just isn't resized correctly.