Alright, bear with me, this might be long...

System specs:
HP NC6400 laptop
2GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM

I was running Windows XP SP3 with a dual monitor setup, one with VGA and the other with DVI-D. This setup worked great for a while, but it stopped working somewhat suddenly. More specifically, my cat chewed on the DVI cable, and it sent the system into a fit. I uninstalled and re-installed the graphics card drivers, monitor drivers, etc, and eventually got it to where the system wouldn't have a fit (excessive CPU usage, etc), but following a restart, it failed to detect the DVI monitor at all. I got a new DVI cable. Didn't fix the problem. I took my entire system up to my school's IT department. The cables work fine, both monitors output with a DVI signal from another machine, and my system can output DVI to other monitors. No one could figure out what the heck was going on.

I decided it might be a good time to upgrade to Windows 7, and after installing it, the problem was not fixed. Even after getting the proper (Vista) drivers so that I can support two monitors, it still refuses to detect or allow me to enable the DVI monitor.

So I completely reformatted my harddrive and reinstalled Windows 7 again.

Here's the weird and annoying part. During the first part of the Windows installation, everything was being piped to the DVI monitor. During the second part, however, it went to the VGA monitor (the DVI was no longer recognized). During the pre-startup phase, signal goes to the DVI monitor, but during post it goes to the VGA (again, DVI not recognized).

I am out of ideas. The IT department here at school is no help, as their suggestion was, "Keep using google to figure it out!"

Please help.

Buggered video card/chip? Isn't really a good way to test/fix it on a laptop though.  Maybe something's loose somewhere in the dvi connector?

How does it play one monitor at a time?

Quote from: PachmanP on December 17, 2009, 09:03:36 PM
Buggered video card/chip? Isn't really a good way to test/fix it on a laptop though.  Maybe something's loose somewhere in the dvi connector?

How does it play one monitor at a time?

Dual monitor display works in Ubuntu.

Both monitors work with DVI connections on other machines. My laptop can output to another monitor with DVI, just not mine, it seems.

trade someone monitors, and quit rubbing cat food on your cables

Quote from: jeremy_nash on December 17, 2009, 11:14:26 PM
trade someone monitors, and quit rubbing cat food on your cables

I like my monitors.

ubuntu works... so it's a software (HELLLLLLLO MICROSOFT !) problem again.

sorry, you knew that already.

sorry, I gave up on fixing all things windows like, ohhh, 5 years ago now.

buy a mac

Quote from: ohgood on December 18, 2009, 01:27:54 PM
ubuntu works... so it's a software (HELLLLLLLO MICROSOFT !) problem again.

Yes, except that it does work... just not with my monitors. Like I said, I can use my DVI output to other monitors, just not the two I own for some reason.

And a complete hard drive erase and an entirely new OS... you'd think the problem would be fixed. I mean, I'm completely stumped.

Quote from: ohgood on December 18, 2009, 01:27:54 PM
sorry, I gave up on fixing all things windows like, ohhh, 5 years ago now.

This has been my first real problem with any Windows product. Most of the stuff I've encountered is easily fixable. This is the first time I've been completely and utterly stumped.

Quote from: ohgood on December 18, 2009, 01:27:54 PM
buy a mac

They don't have the necessary software I need for school, work, etc. That, and I don't know how to fix a Mac. Windows stuff is easy.

how strange 

Possibly a driver issue, maybe you changed versions during the install?

well since your attached to your monitors, have you tried downloading the proper monitor drivers for them, instead of generic pnp monitor?  I had to create my own drivers for my primary monitor, and my hdtv secondary monitor using powerstrip, to be able to set a custom resolution

Quote from: dohabee on December 18, 2009, 11:30:52 PM
how strange  

Possibly a driver issue, maybe you changed versions during the install?

Nope. Driver was up to date when I uninstalled it. Reinstalled a freshly downloaded copy.

When I got Windows 7 I had to get an entirely new driver for it. That was a fresh install as well.

Quote from: jeremy_nash on December 18, 2009, 11:49:56 PM
well since your attached to your monitors, have you tried downloading the proper monitor drivers for them, instead of generic pnp monitor?  I had to create my own drivers for my primary monitor, and my hdtv secondary monitor using powerstrip, to be able to set a custom resolution

The monitors I use don't have Vista drivers, unfortunately. However, when I did have XP I never needed the monitor specific drivers. I did install them. No difference. Other PnP monitors work with DVI on my system, and my monitors work with DVI on other systems.

Maybee your laptops resolution settings are too low/high for your monitor but not the others you are testing with?

What if you get it working w/ another monitor and hot swap yours in?

Quote from: scottpA_GS on December 19, 2009, 05:50:10 PM
Maybee your laptops resolution settings are too low/high for your monitor but not the others you are testing with?

Except that it works with VGA, and the resolution is just fine. And it's worked before as plug-and-play with no issues.

Quote from: scottpA_GS on December 19, 2009, 05:50:10 PM
What if you get it working w/ another monitor and hot swap yours in?

Tried it. Doesn't work. It works with other monitors, just not mine. I do not know why.

You would think it has to be in the monitor itself then? Like it needs re-set? I cant see how its the PC or the card if the PC has been restored 

Quote from: scottpA_GS on December 19, 2009, 08:36:44 PM
You would think it has to be in the monitor itself then? Like it needs re-set? I cant see how its the PC or the card if the PC has been restored 

You'd think, except that the monitors work on other systems. And the monitors work on my system during pre-startup and when the video driver is not installed. This makes me think it has something to do with the video card driver, except that the driver runs other monitors just fine. That made me think it was the monitor drivers, which a complete system wipe should have fixed.... except it didn't.

AHHHHHHHH!!!

time to trade someone monitors I guess? very strange

maybe its an incompatability with the newer video drivers?  try using the older drivers you used ot have?  if you know the specific driver revision?

Here is your your solution.

Get a new monitor.

Its the one that keeps having the issues. Whether you like it or not, its the most constant of them all.  You may have fried something in the monitor that other system due to being diff setup can overlook.  As for your specific video card..it says..nope i see an issue..i wont overlook it.

If you really want to test it out.. get another system same setup as yours in terms of video card.. and see if it sees it.   

Why spend so much time...when you can just "upgrade" what a great excuse to do so.

Quote from: Bluehaze on December 20, 2009, 10:45:04 PM
Here is your your solution.

Get a new monitor.

Why spend so much time...when you can just "upgrade" what a great excuse to do so.

never seen a better reason to upgrade than when something doesnt work the way u want it to

Quote from: Bluehaze on December 20, 2009, 10:45:04 PM
Why spend so much time...when you can just "upgrade" what a great excuse to do so.

Because I can't really afford an upgrade. I'm a grad student, I don't have money. Also, one of my monitors (provided by my work), is a Lenovo L22x, a 22" widescreen beast of an LCD. It's amazing. I can't afford better.

The thing is... if something was fried in the monitor, why will it display through DVI during pre-startup and if the video card driver is uninstalled?

because it hates you!  seriously I dont have any idea