Hi,
Brief description: after replacement of an external LCD-monitor, the laptop fails to interconnect via docking station.
Configuration: Sony VAIO model VGN-BX297XP, with docking-station VGP-PRBX1 and Philips LCD monitor 200XW7 (external).
Last year I acquired a laptop with docking-station onto which I connected an external LCD-monitor; everything worked fine until recently the monitor broke down.
Under warranty it was replaced by an exact copy (same make and model) but failed to connect with the laptop via the docking station.
In a first attempt to solve the problem several potential software issues were addressed but this did not solve the problem; the entire laptop was restored with an image (Norton Save and Restore) to a point prior to the LCD-monitor failure so as to exclude any software issue (as it was functioning properly at the moment the image was made).
The laptop works excellent; with Windows XP (SP2) no problems are experienced.
However, when enforcing switch-over from laptop to LCD (Fn+F7) only two icons are availble, the icon for external screen is missing.
The docking station works fine as all othe peripherals (USB tv, webcam, external harddisk) are functioning properly.
Also the (new) monitor works good; it reports consistently 'no video input signal' when connected to the docking-station.
In the meantime the DVI-cable was interchanged, with no effect.
When connecting the LCD-monitor to the laptop directly via an VGA cable it also report 'no video input signal'.
In effect, the docking station (apart from video) seems to work and so does the LCD-monitor, consequently
the monitor and docking-station do not connect (dockingstation problem)
the laptop is not giving a proper video output on external buses
any other cause
Please advice.
The thing that puzzles me most is the fact that although Fn+F7 is working it does not display the possibility to switch over to an external monitor but only the options/icons 'LCD only' and 'settings'.
In the meantime Sony VAIO utilities were reinstalled (do not installed, fail to overwrite more recent version installed) and an attempt was made to use the VAIO Recovery Wizard but this does not offer the option to recover the hotkey functionality.
Any more suggestions?
Kind regards,
René Meijn
Hoeven
The Netherlands