W520, Windows 7 (64 bit), NVIDIA Quadro 1000M 2GB DDR3, purchased November 2011.  External monitor: HP 2511x.

Haven't been able to find this issue in a previous thread.

In Optimus (preferred) mode, when I plug an external monitor VGA, HDMI or DVI (via displayport) cable into the laptop or mini dock, the laptop LCD goes completely dark (black).  This happens whether the external monitor is turned on or off, for the VGA and HDMI plugs.  If the external monitor is turned off when the displayport plug is inserted, nothing happens:  the laptop screen stays on, but when the external monitor is turned on, with the displayport plug in use, the laptop LCD goes dark.When the plugs are removed, the laptop LCD comes back on, except when the displayport plug is removed (then, the laptop screen stays dark).

In all cases, the external monitor is not recognized by the laptop, and if turned on at the time (the external monitor), shows a message which reads that it is going to sleep.

Device Manager shows the Intel and NVIVIA display adapters and does not show the external monitor (because I cannot hook it up without darkening the laptop screen).

A few months ago I had the Optimus arrangement working, using the NVIDIA control panel to set up a clone mode.  The external monitor worked beautifully.  Then I disconnected from the external monitor for several weeks, and now it will not work.

The external monitor was used until very recently on a separate PC, which I no longer have, and the external monitor driver was reloaded this morning.

I welcome sugestions on how to plug into the laptop without causing the laptop screen to go dark, which I think would then allow me to set up the external monitor as desired.

Thanks,

RR

Any reason you require Optimus mode? If you're plugged into power and not operating portable on battery, why not just use the K1000M all the time, setting the BIOS to "discrete graphics" instead of "Optimus".

That's how I run my own W530 with K1000M, which has those two optional choices in the BIOS setup.  I use an external monitor 100% working at home, connected from miniDP on the W530 to DP on the monitor via a miniDP->DP cable.  The laptop screen comes and is in use on at boot time (as I've specified in the BIOS to use the laptop screen at boot time), but goes dark and the external monitor screen lights up at 1920x1200 once Windows starts and the graphics drivers load as long as the monitor is powered on when the W530 boots to Windows.  If the monitor is powered off at that moment, then the laptop screen remains on and active at 1920x1080 for the Windows desktop on the laptop screen.  I've got nVidia Control Center configured to only use the external monitor if it's available, as I have no interest in using the laptop screen normally unless I have no other choice.

If the external monitor is powered off in the middle of a Windows session, the laptop screen comes back on and operates at 1920x1080 again.  Turning the external monitor back on once again turns the laptop screen off and the external monitor comes back at 1920x1200.

Note that if I close the laptop cover (to put the machine to sleep), when I open the cover back up BOTH the laptop screen as well as the external monitor are now BOTH ACTIVE.  I have to get into nVidia Control Panel to un-active the laptop screen.  I believe this is just a quirk of the nVidia drivers and sleep mode on the W530, and what happens when the machine comes out of sleep. It's just something I live with, but as a result I don't put the laptop to sleep when running with the external monitor connected. Instead I just truly shutdown the machine (i.e. Windows shutdown) and then close the lid, and this avoids all the nonsense of both screens active when I next do a cold startup.

Hello DSperber,

I use the laptop at my desk and away from my desk on a daily basis, so I would like the computer to automatically select the appropriate display adapter.  Isn't this what the W520 is supposed to be able to do?

In discrete mode (OS Optimun Detection enabled or disabled):

-All desktop icons are greatly enlarged.

-I can right click on the desktop for a menue where the NVIDIA nView Desktop Manager appears, but clicking on that option goes nowhere; it's inactive.

-In Device Manager, Display Adapters, only Video Controller (VGA Compatible) appears.

-When the external monitor is connected via displayport, it does not cause my laptop screen to go dark but the external monitor is not recognized (Yes, it is turned on).

-In Devices and Printers, the external monitor is not shown.

-Fn-F7 and Window button-P elicit no response.

-Fingerprint security access is bypassed and the computer is immediately accessible.

Back in Optimus mode, Device Manager, Display Adapters, both Intel and NVIDIA appear.

For all those reasons, Optimus is what I would like to use.  

I think the immediated question is this: Why does the laptop screen go dark when I insert a VGA, HDMI or displayport plug?  Nothing appears on the external monitor when I do this.

Thanks,

RR

Let's remember... I have a W530 and you have a W520. I know nothing firsthand about the W520, so my experience is simply how the W530 works, which I hope is mostly similar. So if I say something about my world that is different from your world, mention that in your reply and we can work through it.

Next, Optimus mode on the W530 behaves in a way that I don't care for or want. If Optimus is enabled (i.e. "discrete graphics" is NOT selected in the BIOS) then the firmware of the W530 will always use the built-in Intel HD graphics, unless and until some running program requires more graphics horsepower than can be delivered by the Intel graphics.  At that point, the firmware enables the K1000M to kick in and take over.

Despite what I believe nVidia intended (i.e. through its Optimus technology in theory, as described on their web site), the implementation of Optimus by Lenovo is not under user control as it's supposed to be.  In theory you can use nVidia Control Panel to specify particular programs which should ALWAYS use the K1000M, but in reality that doesn't happen.  Even though the setup says the user-selected programs should be using the K1000M, when you launch these programs the nVidia system tray app does not show the K1000M to be in use.  Also, in theory you can specify on-demand use of the K1000M through a right-click on the desktop shortcut, launching the program and simultaneously manually activating the K1000M.  But again, this does not work as advertised.

Speaking to Lenovo, it turns out they only implemented Optimus via firmware and hardware-detected need for more graphics power than the Intel graphics can provide, at which time the K1000M is brought into action. The user actually has no manual control over this, nor does nVidia Control Panel and its supposed user-customized settings have any effect whatsoever.

That's my experience with Optimus, which is why I have no use for it.  That's why I run with "discrete graphics" enabled, and thus use the K1000M 100% of the time, whether using laptop screen or external monitor.

Now, once "discrete graphics" is enabled, you can now install the nVidia retail graphics driver for the K1000M (currently 341.21) from the nVidia driver download page.  Note that your statement that when you have "discrete graphics" enabled that Device Manager -> Display Adapters shows Video Controller (VGA Compatible) says to me that you do not have the actual nVidia graphics driver installed. You must only have the Lenovo-provided Optimus driver for the K1000M installed.  That's why when you have Optimus mode enabled on your W520 you show both Intel and nVidia, but when you have "discrete graphics" enabled you don't show the nVidia K1000M as you should see.

On my W530 with "discrete graphics" enabled and OS Optimus Detection DISABLED, my Device Manager shows the following:

I do NOT show Video Controller (VGA Compatible) at all.  I show the nVidia K1000M, because I have the correct retail nVidia driver installed.

Also, you're correct that in Devices and Printers the external monitor should be shown.  Again I feel this is because you don't have the correct retail nVidia driver installed with "discrete graphics" enabled.  Here's mine:

I'd suggest you enable "discrete graphics", and then install the nVidia retail driver for the K1000M.  And then see if your external monitor is detected.

One more question... how is your external monitor connected to your W520?  DP->DP cable?  Or some other cabling plus adapter method?

Hello, DSperber.

I downloaded the NVIDIA driver (for NVIDIA Quadro 1000M, per the original order spec) from the NVIDIA website and in BIOS, set discrete graphics and disabled Optimus detection, as recommended.  Then:

At Device Manager, Display adapters, only ”Video Controller(VGA compatible)” is shown, as previously.

The external monitor is not shown in Devices and Printers.

Right clicking the desktop brings up a menu but clicking nView Desktop Manager does nothing, as previously.

All desktop icons are very big, even though “small icons” is selected.  Microsoft Word opens big—the cursor is enormous—for example.  As previously.

Inserting external monitor plugs—VGA, HDMI and DVI via displayport—does not darken the laptop screen as it did previously, in Optimus mode, but the computer does not recognize the external monitor: thta monitor goes to sleep.

The last process that I tried was to re-enable Optimus and Optimus detection, plugged in the VGA cable, and then saved BIOS changes.  A message on the external monitor noted VGA: Active.  But the laptop screen blacked out and so did the external monitor (mirroring the laptop screen?).

Why does the laptop screen black out?

Thanks,

RR

But did you RUN the nVidia driver file that you downloaded???  It is an EXE, and you must RUN it after downloading.

The fact that your Device Manager -> Display Adapters still shows "Video Controller(VGA compatible)" specifically tells us that you have NOT YET INSTALLED THE CORRECT DRIVER FOR YOUR VIDEO CARD!!!  You are still running with the vanilla generic Microsoft VGA drivers which will work generically and support only minimal capability for EVERY SINGLE VIDEO CARD MANUFACTURED.  It doesn't support all of the capabilities of the K1000M.

YOU MUST ACTUALLY RUN THE DOWNLOADED DRIVER INSTALLATION FILE EXE, in order to perform the process of actually installing the driver for your "Video Controller(VGA compatible)" device, which of course is really the K1000M.

Once that driver is correctly installed, it will now appear as "NVIDIA QUADRO K1000M", instead of "Video Controller(VGA compatible)" as you currently show.

The reason your desktop icons are currently very big, and that everything else is currently very big/enormous, is because your desktop resolution is not set correctly... although it may be set as high as it can go for the moment.  Only when you finally install the true nVidia driver will your default resolution be presented at what the hardware monitor "recommended" resolution should be, which is likely at least 1920x1080 if not 1920x1200.  Then everything will appear "normal size", and at the very least will not appear to be ENORMOUS as you currently see.

Also, I'm expecting that once you get the correct nVidia driver installed for the K1000M that your external monitor will now work perfectly, and will not black out.

So... even while you're still using the current vanilla generic MS VGA driver (although again, your mission is to install the nvidia driver for your K1000M), just right-click on the desktop and select "screen resolution" from the popup menu, to get the "screen resolution" dialog window.

Then click in the "screen resolution" dropdown list to get a dropdown (with a slider) offering you to change resolutions.  Pull the slider up to whatever you want and click, and then push the OK button. You'll then be offered a confirmation dialog window allowing you to click OK or CANCEL within 15 seconds to accept the resoluton change. Click OK to keep what you just set.

Your desktop icons and everything else will now appear smaller (or at least "normal").  Temporarily, you've got things satisfactory at least.

But you'll do the same thing again AFTER INSTALLING THE NVIDIA DRIVERS.  This time the dropdown "screen resolution" list will have a slider whose top value will show "recommended", and will probably be 1920x1080 or 1920x1200. Pull the slider all the way up to that value and click. Then again, push OK, and OK to the confirmation.

Again, your absolute test goal is to see  "NVIDIA QUADRO K1000M" in Device Manager.  You should NOT BE SEEING "VIDEO CONTROLLER (VGA COMPATIBLE)".

The installation of the nVidia driver will also get you "nVidia Control Panel", where you can then perform additional customizations, such as whether or not you want to use BOTH the laptop screen as well as external monitor configured in either "laptop screen only", or "clone mode" (i.e. duplicate of single desktop on both screens), or "extended mode" (i.e. double-wide desktop extending across both screens), or "external monitor only," (with laptop screen dark).

Again... YOU MUST RUN THAT DOWNLOADED NVIDIA DRIVER INSTALLATION FILE EXE. It doesn't run itself, unless that's what you have set in your browser when offered the choice of RUN or SAVE.  But if you SAVE it, then you must yourself manually run it after the download completes.

IT MUST BE RUN TO INSTALL THE DRIVER.  Then you'll see "NVIDIA QUADRO K1000M" in device manager. Until and unless you see that value, if you still see "VIDEO CONTROLLER (VGA COMPATIBLE)" then you have NOT YET DONE WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

Understood?