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Intel and Samsung not talking |
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Last night I was shuffling computers and monitors at a client's office, and ran into an odd situation. I suspect it's pretty rare, but if anyone runs into it, I hope this helps.
The particular items that wouldn't work together were a Sony VAIO notebook (sorry, don't remember the model number) with an Intel 915GM graphics chipset, and a Samsung Syncmaster 215TW that I was trying to connect as an external monitor (replacing a smaller NEC monitor). The Sony recognized the Syncmaster, and Windows allowed me to extend the desktop onto it; everything seemed to be just fine, except that the screen remained black (all but the message "Analog: check signal cable.") I got very, very tired of that message...
Well, I unplugged and replugged both ends of the VGA cable; I
downloaded the latest drivers for both the Intel chipset and the
monitor - no change. I plugged the monitor into my own laptop (a
Toshiba with a Radeon XPress 200M chipset) and it worked just fine. I
plugged the NEC back into the Sony - worked just fine. I was at my
wit's end, when it suddenly struck me: the VGA cable (which came with
the NEC) was suspiciously thin. So I went down the hall to the machine
where the Samsung had previously been located, and took the Samsung VGA
cable from there (which was about a third larger in diameter.) It
worked beautifully - and the thin cable worked just fine on the other
machine/monitor combination.
I've done some Googling since, and it looks like this was a case of "the pin 9 problem
" - but I don't understand how, since the same cable had been working
between the Sony and the NEC for months, and is working now on the
machine down the hall. Without cutting the cables apart, my best guess
is that - since not all 15 wires are required - NEC simply left out a
few wires to save manufacturing and shipping costs. For some reason,
the combination of a Samsung monitor and an Intel chipset apparently
needs to use one of the missing wires. Go figure...
The moral of the story: if all else fails, try a fatter cable! |
