plec

Hi,

I recently got a second monitor, however I am having real problems setting up multiple monitors. I've got one monitor on the VGA port and the other plugged into the DVI port using the DVI/VGA adaptor that was bundled with my graphics card.

Basically, i can activate both monitors in the ATI control settings, I can set it to extend the desktop, but nothing displays. The DVI monitor (secondary) turns on, but with a blank screen. As far as I can tell, the card and computer are communicating with it OK, it just can't display a picture.

The card is a Powercolor Radeon 9800pro with Catalyst 8.09. I can't use the latest Catalyst as it crashes on install and requires a windows reinstall to repair. The monitors are 1 19" Flatron and 1 17" AG NEovo F-17.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very, very grateful :)

ZDarryl

Have you tried switching the monitors around?

plec

yeah, both monitors work fine off the VGA port, both monitors dont work off the DVI/VGA adapter

ZDarryl

Can you borrow another adapter from someone, or can you borrow a monitor that doesn't require the adapter?

Since you say that you have activated/enabled both monitors, I am assuming that there is a problem with either the adapter or the connection.

Keep us posted.

plec

yeah, i dont have a DVI monitor, hoping to borrow another adapter tomorrow.

I was just wondering if anyone had seen anything like this before, if it was a software issue, but it seems more and more like it may be hardware

ZDarryl

I have a 9800 Pro in my daughter's computer, so tonight I will hook up a second monitor and see if I can get it to work and be more familiar with the procedure. I'll let you know what I find.

plec

if it helps, screenshots of settings available here

http://community.webshots.com/album/540388575FPDvrX

ZDarryl

I didn't get a chance to check mine out last night. Might be able to do it tonight.

It looks like your settings are right, so it is probably the adapter or the connection.

plec

Well, I've just reinstalled Windows, updated the drivers and tried a new adapter and still same problem. Arrgggg!! Is all I can say. THis should be so easy, and I was so sure that updating the drivers would fix it!

ZDarryl

How old is the card? Is it possible that something happened to that DVI connector?

plec

It's possible. It was my boyfriend's before mine, and it was in a system that had gone bang, but we established that it had gone bang from a faulty HD and the card seemed to have survived. Of course, we never tested the DVI port, never needed too....

tis odd though. This was a proper catastrophic failure with smoke. You would have thought that the card would either live or die, not fail in such an obscure way

plec

OK, I've just been speaking to boyfriend, whose card mine used to be until he switched to SLI.

He uses a DVI/VGA adapter to power his monitor, and he says that the DVI adapter that shipped with his Nvidia card has more pins than the one that shipped with the ATI card. Is there a different standard? He can post me his spare (SLI gfx cards = 2 adapters:)) is it worth trying? I've been reading around and I can't find any reference to different pin layouts for different cards, so I wonder if my adapter is just not providing enough information to the monitor for the monitor to display an image?

Worth saying that the adapter I tried was identical to the previous adapter. I'll see if I can get a pic of it

edit - taken a pic of the DVI end of the adapter, it's in the same album as the screenshots. Anyone with an Nvidia supplied adapter- does it look the same?

ZDarryl

Yes, it is odd.

If you can hook up a monitor to that port without an adapter and it still doesn't work, then I guess we can assume that that port is dead.

You can probably RMA it to ATI and get a refurbished one that works. Their warranty is very good and you will get the refurbished card within 2 weeks of them receiving your card.

I fried my AIW 9800 Pro about a year and a half ago, when I overclocked my CPU and didn't know that my mobo didn't have an AGP lock. ATI replaced it without any questions. I had to remove the VGA Silencer and BGA ramsinks that I installed on the card and reinstall the stock HSF before sending it back.

The new card has worked flawlessly ever since.


****EDIT******
I'll check out my adapters when I get home tonight.

plec

I've got a customer support ticket open with ATI at the moment. I can really do without having to RMA it, especially as I'm supposed to be going to a LAN at the beginning of Feb and most of my favourite games will struggle on my spare 9600SE.

Guess I'll see what ATI say, but if you could look at an adapter that would be great. I'm really starting to wonder if that's it, but I will see if I can borrrow a DVI panel off someone to test the port

ZDarryl

I will look at mine tonight and let you know.

ZDarryl

Well, I check both of my adapters and both of them are not missing any pins.


That may be your problem. Can you get one with all the pins?

ZDarryl

Here is a photo of one of mine.

Attached Images

DVI-VGA Adapter.jpg (39.8 KB, 4 views)

plec

Hoping to eitehr get boyfriend to send me one of his spares or to scrounge another adapter of someone else :)

Thanks for the help:)

ZDarryl

Glad I could help. I hope the adapter is the problem!

squantjack

shot in the dark but you might try the hydravision software on the ati site, i've never used it personally, but it's used for configuring multiple monitors.