Can't achieve max resolution of external monitor via Aspire 5740G - please help!

Posted this elsewhere on here but figured I might get more help if I create a dedicated thread for it.

Basically, I have an Acer X233H 23" monitor, and a new Acer Aspire 5740G laptop (Windows 7, [email protected], Radeon HD5650), connected via VGA. 1920x1080 is of course what I'm after. The maximum resolution I can get at the moment is 1600x1200 which just isn't good enough. I require a higher resolution for work purposes.

GPU drivers are up to date, Intel VGA driver I came across on Acer's site won't install (I don't think this is the problem), and I've tried creating custom profiles/drivers for the monitor itself via Powerstrip.

Powerstrip at least seemed to have allowed me (via the aforementioned method) to configure the resolution slider to let me move it up to 1920x1080, but it defaults back to 1600x1200 regardless if I try to change it (don't get the option to save the setting via Windows). Doesn't matter if I change the res via Windows 7's display setting, via Catalyst Control, or via Powerstrip itself. Always happens.

Any ideas?

I'm not afraid to start getting technical, in terms of editing things, using old drivers etc. I spent most of last night night looking around on the net, trying things out, and asking elsewhere, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask here too. If I have to I may brave Acer's technical support line but at 50p a minute over here I'd rather not.

 

One possibility is that the refresh rate is set too high, say above 75 MHZ.

 

^ I agree. My Sharp Aquos 65" widescreen LCD TV can only display 1920x1080 at 60Hz. Anymore Hz than that & the screen would go black. So I guess it depends on the monitor's specs and what it can handle. You should check your settings in Catalyst Control Center.

 

Unfortunately (as that would make sense), I've never set it higher than 75mhz.

Very strange. Just updated with the latest (as in today's) ATI Catalyst drivers too, and no change.

 

Connected a different laptop (an Asus) to the monitor tonight, interestingly got the same problem - resolution capped at 1600x1200.

Was Windows 7 too, and I think a much older ATI graphics card.

 

Now it's time to test it the other way around and connect 5740 to another Full HD monitor.

 

Indeed, unfortunately sourcing another monitor to test it on is proving a problem. Got it to output 1920x1080 via an HDMI connection with an HDTV however.

Also retried it with the new Catalyst 10.6 drivers, and the 2 (ATI and Intel) VGA drivers you can get from the laptop's product page on Acer's website.

 

Have you already tried another monitor cable?
Additional question: apart from the other laptop you already tried, does this monitor work properly with a desktop computer (VGA connection)?

Michael

 

Yes I had tried another cable, and yes it worked fine with a desktop.

However, it appears to be the case that I have fixed it!

Plugged in someone else's Vista-based laptop on which it worked fine, took that out, put mine back in, and it works!

I'm guessing it can now read the EDID of the monitor or whatever it is.

 

I spoke too soon, unfortunately.

As this monitor only has one port, it therefore shares it with my Xbox 360 (which for the record has never had an issue connecting to the monitor).

Leave the console running via it for a certain amount of time... and the laptop 'forgets' what the monitor is when it's reconnected.

I can get around this by using System Restore and connecting Vista-based laptops to it (neither is a failsafe method however) but this is far too much hassle to involve myself in each and every time I want to connect the laptop to an external monitor, which is often.

I have the day off tomorrow and plan to call Acer's technical support line, but is there anything that they could really say to help me? By all accounts this is quite possibly a Windows 7 issue.

It's looking more and more likely that I'll have to replace the monitor tbh - one with a VGA port AND an HDMI port would at least allow me to connect both my laptop and my 360 to it when I want to, and since nothing else would be going in said VGA port, I'd imagine the monitor and laptop wouldn't get confused about each other as they are at the moment.

That said if anyone can think of anything to help my situation then I'd be glad to read your advice.

edit; this is all related to Windows recognising it as a 'Generic Non-PNP monitor', which of course is incorrect.