The docking station is a type 2504. I have both the VGA and the DVI port hooked up to identical flat screen monitors. I have no intention of messing with that because the setup is working successfully via a KVM switch. Both ports and both monitors are working. However, there is a problem with swithching modes with the Lenovo laptop. The problem does not exist with any other computer working through the KVM switch.
Please note that:
- this Laptop on this docking station, at my home, with all wiring and monitors unchanged, has worked for a long time.
- I took the laptop off the docking station, went to a meeting, hooked up to a projector, and successfully configured the laptop such that the laptop screen and the projector were displaying the same screen at the meeting.
- Then, I brought the laptop back to the same old docking station at my home and tried to regain use of my dual monitors unsuccessfully.
- Using Control Panel display, and all sorts of combinations of NVIDIA Control Panel, the 2nd monitor would not be consistently detected by NVIDIA Control Panel. During these attempts, on a few occasions, I had an option to Set Up Multiple Displays in NVIDIA Control Panel; but there was no success in choosing this option. Returning to NVIDIA Control Panel / Displays would not present Set Up Multiple Displays as a valid option (not present or greyed - can't remember). I even went through permutations with the laptop screen open and closed, warm boots, cold boots, searchign for new hardware, etc. Nothing was successful.
- Although changing the display within Windows Control Panel / Display was an option, any attempt to extend or replicate the dispay on the second monitor would fail and Windows Control Panel / Display would go back to the single monitor configuration was not successful and effectively ignored by both Windows Control Panel / Display and NVIDIA Control Panel.
You may note the use of past tense. I simply gave up and went to doing productive work on one monitor. After a few weeks, I went back to NVIDIA Control Panel and the second monitor was detected. I was able to Display / Set-up Multiple Displays via NVIDIA Control Panel. Subseaquently, I was able to use Windows Control Panel Display to enable and configure the second monitor and both monitors started working again (without having made any changes to wiring etc).
I don't believe there is any difference in how I used NVIDIA Control Panel on this successful attempt than in any of the earlier failed attempts. There seems to be some sort of a problem with getting the Lenovo to recognize that the second monitor is really there. Please addess this part of the problem as I expect to repeat the process in an upcoming meeting with this laptop.
Thank you for your attention.
