catalyst 6.2 windows 98 does not detect laptop screen properly

[pkkilleru]

Hi Everyone,

 

I own an Acer Aspire 5502WXMi that I wish to dual boot into Windows ME and Windows XP. (I have also tried Windows 98 with the same results)

 

I got everything up and running fine on Windows ME minus the wifi card (2200BG) but I don't really care about it.

 

What I do really care about is the ATI Mobility Radeon X700 that I got to run partially with the below driver versions:

 

8.03.98.3-041103a-019079E-ATI    4.14.01.9150    (Catalyst 4.10)

8.03.98.3-041103a-019924E-ATI    4.14.01.9150    (Catalyst 4.11b)

8.03.98.3-050117a-021000E-ATI    4.14.01.9150    (Catalyst 5.2)

8.03.98.4-050817a-026397E-ATI    4.15.1.9163      (Catalyst 5.9)

8.03.98.5-060124a-030314E-ATI    4.15.1.9165      (Catalyst 6.2)

 

Anything older than the driver versions above will not work (yellow exclamation in device manager)

 

When I say partially I mean that the driver loads fine and has full functionality (both 2D and 3D), but for some weird and VERY ANNOYING reason it will not detect the laptop screen (1280x800) properly (please see attached pictures).

 

I have added the proper resolutions in the inf files, they are available and working, but the problem still remains with the laptop screen. I have also tried to load a driver for the screen. Also to interchange the driver files between versions....

 

As an example, I have attached a picture from Windows XP where the laptop screen is properly detected and available (please see below).

 

I have looked everywhere, spent hundreds of hours for a solution but it became more and more obvious to me that the problem had nothing to do with the inf, but with the drivers themselves (most probably because they were not designed for mobile platforms).

 

I need to mention that if I connect the laptop to an external monitor, everything is fine, the image looks perfect on the external monitor, but it does not fix the laptop screen.

 

 

If you have any suggestions, the knowledge to modify the drivers, any friends that know how to modify them, any workarounds that I can use (maybe a hack to make Windows 98/ME and the drivers to think that the laptop screen is an external 1280x800 screen), heck I am ready to try anything to make it work, I would really appreciate it.

 

Laptop Screen at 640x480

Laptop Screen at 800x600

Laptop Screen at 1024x768

Laptop Screen at 1280x786

Laptop Screen not present (not detected in Windows 98/ME, notice how the image gets cropped in the middle. On native resolution 1280x800 the image is cropped in two places and even more shrunk horizontally)

Laptop Panel in XP (Laptop Screen is detected in Windows XP properly)

[jumper]

> Laptop Screen at 640x480

Nothing to see.

> Laptop Screen at 800x600

Nothing to see.

> Laptop Screen at 1024x768

Analog sync problem. Probably wrong refresh rate. Is this the laptop screen or an external crt?

> Laptop Screen at 1280x786

Appears to be working correctly at 1024x768 (square icons, pillar box on right side). Best photo of the set, but no mode information (rez/depth) displayed. Need to see Adapter, Monitor, and Displays tabs for this mode (or info from them, see below). This is a very usable mode.

> Laptop Screen not present (not detected in Windows 98/ME, notice how the image gets cropped in the middle.

> On native resolution 1280x800 the image is cropped in two places and even more shrunk horizontally)

Photo is cropped on three sides making it hard to judge what we are seeing. Video mode seems to 1280x768x16

> Laptop Panel in XP (Laptop Screen is detected in Windows XP properly)

Photo is cropped on two sides, but screen seems to be detected and working properly at 1280x800x32.

In all modes:

* In the Adapter tab, is refresh rate set to Adapter default or 60Hz?

* In the Color Management tab, what is is the "Current monitor"?

* In the Monitor tab, what is the Monitor and is the auto-detect box checked?

* In the Performance tab, is Hardware acceleration set to "None"?

How much system RAM (1GB?) and what are you doing to limit it?

You can also try testing at 8-bit color depth.