W510 with external monitor - do you need a docking station for dual display?

[shadow1]

Hello all,

My sales rep is telling me in order to have multi monitor display (1 being the laptop screen, and the 2nd being the external monitor) that a docking station would be required. can anyone confirm this?

with my current laptop (dell d820) i can just plug in my external monitor and 'extend' my desktop to that monitor. I would need to do the same with the W510.

thanks.

[Icepick]

I would hope your sales rep was a little more knowledgeable than that.....

You can indeed plug an external monitor directly into the ThinkPad and either extend or clone your desktop.  I believe the W510 has a VGA port (analog) and a DisplayPort (digital).  If you want to plug in a DVI monitor, you can either buy a DVI-to-DisplayPort adapter or go the route your sales rep recommended and buy the Mini Dock with a built-in DVI connector.

Regards

[fiebrich]

Hi,

I'm not able to attach an external monitor via DVI cable to my W510.

The external monitor is a ThinkVision L200p.

I was trying with a DVI to VGA adapter as well as with a DVI to DisplayPort Adapter (54Y9903).

The monitor was staying dark.

Connecting the monitor via DVI cable to another computer works great.

Connecting the monitor via VGA cable to W510's VGA port does work, I can even extend the windows desktop.

Is it a limitation of the W510 to not provide secondary digital video signals - just analog?

Regards, UFK

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

the displayport would work, so the external LCD is not detecting the DVI signal from the displayport to dvi converter?

[fiebrich]

Hi,  the model is a 4389-AP5.

Yes - the external LCD is not detecting the DVI signal from the displayport to dvi converter.

AND  the external LCD is not detecting the DVI signal from the VGA to dvi converter.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

1) vga to dvi converter? is that just a cable or an actual converter box?

Right now there are few possibilities why it hasn't worked so far:

1) software problem <--- are you using the ATI catalyst software to do the extended display? or just windows?

2) have you verified that the displayport to dvi converter is not faulty? <---- where did you get the converter cable from?

3) also there is a possibility that the displayport is not working. <--- do you know anyone whom has a LCD with displayport connection?

[fiebrich]

Hi lead_org,

here are my answers...

1) vga to dvi converter? is that just a cable or an actual converter box?
It's a little white box.

Right now there are few possibilities why it hasn't worked so far:

1) software problem <--- are you using the ATI catalyst software to do the extended display? or just windows?
I was trying everything, NVidia app, ThinkVantage Presentation Director and just windows.

2) have you verified that the displayport to dvi converter is not faulty? <---- where did you get the converter cable from?

No I didn't. It was brand new.

3) also there is a possibility that the displayport is not working. <--- do you know anyone whom has a LCD with displayport connection?

Unfortunately no.