Older HDMI monitor support?

dpouw

New member
I think this is a hardware issue not Windows, my wife purchased a new NEO Z83-4 and I tested it briefly with our older HDMI display (a Motorola Lapdock). It didn't work, but when I purchased an HDMI booster it worked. So I purchased a new N42-C for my wife and intended to use the Z83-4 myself with the lapdock, but it now doesn't work at all with either Minix PC using the HDMI port or the recommended active uDP to HDMI adapter. The Lapdock works fine with a Raspberry PI and an HDMI microscope camera, but I don't even get a BIOS screen when connected to the Minix. Windows device manager doesn't find it when running singly or with 2 monitors, and the manually detect button for the 2nd monitor fails. I know the display chip the Lapdock uses and tried installing drivers for monitors with the same chip but without success. Though without it displaying the Minix BIOS screen I was pretty sure it wasn't a Windows thing. Yes I know I should just buy a new HDMI monitor, but we live off-grid and the Lapdock is a nice size for me with good resolution and very power efficient. It's most frustrating that it worked just that one time! Can you think of anything that may help?

Thanks much,
Dave
 
Update: It's not hardware after all. If I leave it booted into the BIOS and swap cables, the display works fine, but stops working when I then exit and start windows. I guess the Minix BIOS splash screen only was displayed long enough the one time to have the Lapdock detect it.
So any ideas to get Windows to detect my display would be most appreciated!
 
Update: It's not hardware after all. If I leave it booted into the BIOS and swap cables, the display works fine, but stops working when I then exit and start windows. I guess the Minix BIOS splash screen only was displayed long enough the one time to have the Lapdock detect it.
So any ideas to get Windows to detect my display would be most appreciated!

Have you tried booting into safe mode yet? Does your older monitor work once booted?
 
Solved! Thanks for the replies. I discovered you have to update the graphics adapter in device manager >> choose from a list of devices >> select "Microsoft Basic Display Driver". Wow that took alot of time and effort to find. Hopefully this will help someone else who's HDMI device isn't recognised. It will only work for the built-in HDMI port, not the active adapter on the mini-displayport.
 
Oops. Not quite solved. It won't detect the Lapdock on reboot, the Minix indicator light just goes a dim green. If I start with a different monitor and swap cables it works fine again. The basic display driver is still loaded, and oddly the resolution setting is greyed out. So I think I'm at another dead end. But so close!
 
Truly solved this time. Turns out to be my fault. I'd opted to replace the Lapdock micro HDMI and USB plugs with standard-sized ones, but one of my signal wires was touching a shield wire, and I guess some devices grounded that shield wire better than others so it would work on some devices but not others. So for anyone out there considering the same thing, you might just buy the video and usb adapter instead of doing all that tiny soldering. The standard Minix 'Intel Graphics Driver' now detects the lapdock just fine on the HDMI port or via the mini-DP port, and the 'Generic PnP Monitor' driver detects the native resolution as well. Phew! But now that it's working, I must say it's a very sweet low-power PC setup!
 
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