Zionworx

Does anyone have experience of getting dual monitor working with the VAIO C1VFK?

This laptop has the latest ATI video drivers and supports three video outputs (Panel, Monitor and TV) but the problem appears to be the lack of an option to "Extend Desktop". In display settings you simply see the standard Monitor graphic, unlike other laptops/graphics drivers where you see two squares (1 and 2) which can be dragged around with the checkbox option to extend the desktop. The result is that all three video outputs just display the same picture (and at the exact same size and resolution)

If you find out the driver version you have and the ATi Chipset version (I believe there is a utility on ATi's website for this - if you can't find it out from windows). We can have a hack at the problem.

Kind regards

Diceman

Adaptor is an ATI Rage Mobility-M1 PCI. BIOS Version 4.227

Driver File Ati2drab.dll Release Version M6.12.1-T04 (from Details TAB)

Driver Version 5.0.2195.5011 (from Driver TAB)

A Press release from Ati 1999:

The RAGE Mobility-M1 packs the largest integrated memory solution in the industry, 8MB, with enough power to run 3D applications at 1024x768 resolutions or higher, and includes a dual-display feature which allows two different images to be output to two different display devices (eg. LCD & CRT or LCD & TV).

So the hardware supports dual-display not just cloning, it should be simply a matter of finding the right software trigger to enable it.

Try under the advanced settings in display properties, you might need a restart and use a dedicated (always on) monitor to get it working. Some projectors wait for the source - and if the source (your video card) is waiting for the projector at the same time - nothing will happen (They'll both be too polite to start the other up).

Other considerations - try the Microsoft newest signed driver, the manufacturer newest driver and the driver that came with the PC. (Some OEM solutions won't let all the featiures on the card work without the original driver).

Tell us how you get on so we can add the results to our database - I'd check the software out for you but I'm a little snowed under with work at the moment.

kind regards

Dice

I shall be trying some things later today but a search around the Sony website this morning suggests that Windows 2000 (which is on this laptop) does not support dual display (as opposed to displaying the same image on multiple monitors). Does that make any sense to you?

There are rumours of a registry hack to get it to work - but I havn't been able to find it as yet.

Windows 2000 doesn't natively support true multi displayÂ?the ability to support multiple outputs with independent resolutions and color depthsÂ?on single-chip solutions. Special driver enhancements are required to achieve this.

Matrox Sales Pitch March 2001

It was certainly a problem initially [when 2000 came out], however:

According to Ati's website it seems that their drivers do support dual-display under 2000 - check this out (it may be a typo):http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/enableextendeddesktop98mexp.html

Try getting the new "ATI CATALYST" drivers from them - you may have to go to your laptop manufacturer and give them hassle as Ati seldom supports OEM sollutions.

Also it may be unrelated (Ie just for desktop spanning) but you may want to check out http://www.ati.com/companyinfo/glossary/hydravision/index.html. This is like Nvidia's Nview multi display manager - but It may just be an incumberance to your quest.

Failing all else - you could change your OS to 98se or XP (providing that your laptop manufacturer offers driver support) as these operating systems fully support dual view out of the box.

kind regards

Diceman

ATI's infobase link simply shows what I've been doing anyway so no help there. The multi display manager is not compatible with these drivers

As you say, ATI do not talk direct so there would be no way to get an updated driver supporting dual display from them and experience tells me that Sony, whose technical support is notoriously appalling, will 1) not even speak to me until I pay them money for a technical support call and 2) will not consider there to be a technical problem unless the laptop is restored to factory condition using their restoration CD. That means that the minute ZionWorx is installed the blame will lie there in their eyes as the laptop was "only sold to work in the configuration it was supplied". In other words, been there, done that, got the T-shirt!!!

I'm not sure whether I can afford the upgrade to XP so, unless I can find the registry hack, I appear to be at an impasse

See what u mean

I'd be tempted to back up my work, Use a partition manager to partition off the spare space on the drive and install 98se in it. Then either using 2000 as a bootloader or Grub I'd setup a dual boot.

Alternativly I'd put Debian Linux in the spare partition and use either Lyric Display System http://freshmeat.net/projects/lds or see if I couldn't get Zionworx working through WINE.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help

Kind regards

Diceman

Don't worry about it

I'm not going to go for 98SE as I can't abide it (or ME) with all the constant reboots. I doubt I could use Linux as the video drivers will almost certainly not be available (the screen size if 1024 x 48) but I'll continue to play around with it. The benefit of the C1VFK is it's half the size of my Compaq laptop and about a third of the weight - makes it easier to cart around

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the thread I started in the Wish List section regarding scroll bars on the Display status window. I decided this was a hardware issue though. Incidentally, I've now installed XP on the Sony (which is what the Compaq is also running)

I have two laptops running in front of me right now with exactly the same settings (40 point font size) and the same song displayed (Crown Him With Many Crowns). On the Compaq Presario 900 with a standard screen size (1024x768 pixels) I see ALL of the song in the display status window but on the Sony VAIO C1VFK with a non standard screen size (1024x480 pixels) I only see the first 5 lines of the song in the display status window

This is telling me that ZionWorx is somehow using the size of the display status window (as it is on the primary display) to work out how many lines of song to display whereas the secondary display will almost certainly always be larger. The result I am seeing here is that whereas the Compaq is properly displaying the song at font size 40 the Sony results in the font size effectively being increased dramatically on the projector screen (hope that makes sense as it's taxing my brain trying to describe this)

Perhaps a scale setting for the display status window would correct this (i.e. a setting to say what the effective screen size of the secondary display is and scale the display status to match)

I have a Compaq Armada E500 - 3.5 years old using ATI Rage Mobility-M1 and running WIN2K. I have tried all sort of ways to get it to work but so far I have no success.

However, I reimage it to WINXP and download a driver from http://members.driverguide.com/index.php and it works quite well - better than not working at all. There is a minor problem with screen resolution adjustment.

Normally Microsoft allows you to install one (only) OS on the machine. That means that if you have purchased W2K license, you may be allowed to installed WinXP without paying extra. Do ask the vendor to confirm this.

William

It is not permissable to install Windows XP without paying for it William. You would only have that choice if yout laptop came with both versions pre-installed and you were given the choice of OS at first use

In fact, because it would be replacing Windows 2000 Professional, there is no upgrade path to Windows XP Home either. You have to either buy the full XP Home or the upgrade to XP Pro, both working out roughly the same at around £200.00

Which kind of brings us back nicely to why zionworx under linux would be very helpful to so many Christians who really struggle with the concept of copyright and data ownership and paying the relevant costs.

Zionworx won't be trully free - until you don't have to pay M$ 100-200 pounds to get it working.

Dice

Great Linux....

I used lnux for 6 months and ended up in the situation that it was no better than any thing else other than free.

Drivers are a major issue as I found out.

I have the driver issues with my compaq which meant that I had to back track to win98.

Lucky enogh for me NT and 98 come as an option and I have both keys to run both operating systems...(major point don't drop a compaq as it can lead to major fault on motherboard as this happened at weekend)

Anyway I feel Linux has it's place for those users that can get all the drivers to work, but in my case MS operating systems do work and jsut need bearing with.

I don't work for MS but I have worked for 2 or 3 places which install other systems which are not MS annd this has caused so many problems they end up going to MS products in the end as the products all talk to each other.

CASE STUDY

Company uses Novell networking and protel design software the ODBC in protelm uses MS access file system and Novell caused the protel package to crash consistant we ended up going to a Win2k server hence problem went away.

I am not saying Zionworx should not be ported to Linux all I am saying is the demand is very low and most machines supplied today have XP on them anyway.

Zionworx is free just notthe operating system but Linux is not really free you need to download it or purchase the CD's


Regards
Edd Stonham

Linux works - the drivers are there.

I have yet to find a PC that won't run Linux well and support all the hardware * (Compaq are renouned for their use of propietry hardware). Support is constantly improving - Some distributions are better than others.

"Zionworx is free just notthe operating system but Linux is not really free you need to download it or purchase the CD's"

Just a dumb question here - How do users get Zionworx?

GNU/Linux is free. Free as in freedom.

If downloading this page costs you money then ok - it won't be - but if you have flat rate - always on connection - it's free (as free as Zionworx).