Windows XP does not remember external monitor settings?

[steved54321]

Hello Everyone,

I have a customer that has an external monitor she uses in the office.
Her settings are set to extended desktop.

When she takes her laptop home she is using her laptop without the monitor.
When she's back in the office, she plugs her external monitor to her laptop then boots up.
Her external monitor does not recognize her settings.
She has to re-configure the display settings for her external monitor to extended desktop.

This happens every morning. Can anyone provide some tips to solve this issue?
I believe there are some limitations for Windows XP to recognize external montior settings but am not sure.

Laptop Model: Dell E6400
OS: Windows XP Professional
External Monitor: Dell 20" Wide Flat Panel Monitor

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

- Steven

 

[hellwig]

I'm guessing its a "Primary Display" issue. When she plugs in the external monitor, does she set that monitor to the Primary Display (right-click -> Display PRoperties -> Settigns tab -> Use This device as the primary monitor)? You can click "Identify" to see which monitor is which. If she ever sets the external monitor to Primary, the settings will be lost when that monitor is no longer present. It's just a guess.

And someone else has a similar problem, might want to follow this thread too:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/251261-45-losing-monitors.

EDIT: IF this isn't the issue, she should check her dispay drivers. Does she have an Nvidia or ATI graphics chip? The application suite that comes from Nvidia or ATI might be over-ridign the settings she's changing whenever she restarts.