Clinton here, with another juicy, very juicy moment in our build-up to Windows 7.

Ok so, I was thinking as I always do, back to when navigating through the avenues and byways of features within Windows XP and Vista was character building.

And, a feature that was always contentious was the ability to connect to projectors.

Oh the bliss, depending on the driver and the time of day, that your system would miraculously connect and synchronize to the projector with the perfect resolution.
In other words, a match made in cyber heaven! Granted this one is for laptop users primarily.

To get things working, you have to do something like this: 

1.        Connect one end of the video cable to the projector unit.

2.        Connect the 15-pin connector of the cable to the PC.

3.        Turn on projector.

4.        Turn on PC.

5.        If the image from the screen does not show on the screen, Press the FN – “function” key and normally F7 or F8 until the image on the laptop screen shows on the projected screen.

6.        Connect the USB cable and install driver software as needed to make remote control functions work.

7.        Show your presentation on the Screen.

In Windows XP, open the Display icon in the Control Panel and then click the Settings tab. If you ran into any trouble, you could visit the configuration settings to make sure your hardware is working properly.

In Windows Vista, open Personalization in the Control Panel and then click Display Settings. Here you will be able either to configure projector settings, and use it to setup a second display or to display what is currently being shown on your computer. If you were using a laptop and it was connected to a docking station, it would also cause problems with the projector trying to verify it properly.

Therefore, you would need to disconnect the laptop from the dock before reconnecting the projector. For best results, you would need to have both the computer and projector turned off before making the connection between the two. Hectic!

In Windows 7, you now have the following feature:

Press Windows key + P = Presentation Display Mode menu. From this feature display to can alleviate the stress of dealing with obscure OEM display Drivers. This is especially useful for notebook users trying to connect to an external projector. So the quick and easy function of this shortcut key, Windows+P, displays a popup menu.

This menu offers the following features:

·         Onscreen ONLY

·         Duplicate or Clone the image to BOTH onscreen AND LCD/Projector

·         Extend the image to BOTH onscreen AND LCD/Projector

·         Extend to LCD/Projector ONLY

To action: Use your keyboard arrows to navigate through > Click Enter to activate.

Note:
To activate this feature by typing displayswitch.exe in the search programs and files text box. In other circumstances when you require more control over volume, screen brightness etc…simply click Windows+X, to bring up the Windows Mobility Center feature.
This feature existed in Windows Vista too.

So now, if you use a laptop, Windows+X can quickly make those hiddent settings available such as speaker volume, wireless network connection status, and display brightness. In addition, all of these settings are in one location, you now save time and don’t have to rummage around in the taskbar with icons, right-clicking to find settings.

Horrible!

Again, this is awesome when you need to quickly adjust laptop settings in different places—such as traveling from your desk to a meeting, or going from home to the airport.

GO NOW and download the 32bit or 64bit version (for Dual Core CPU’s).

Go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

Have a great day! J

Clinton Garbutt – Desktop Productivity Specialist
MCP, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP

DATA#3
Australia’s Integrator of the Year