Lenovo, Nvidia, why must this be so hard?!

So, I use my my T61P standalone, as a desktop replacement, when I'm out and about. At home, I use an external monitor, so this is the process I'm going through.

1.) Start/Wake Laptop, and connect everything.
2.) Tell the Windows driver I have an external monitor connected.
3.) Set the resolution on the Window external monitor panel.
4.) Set the external monitor as primary.
5.) Reorder the monitors on the Windows panel.
6.) Set the Nvidia battery manager, so that the machine doesn't sleep when the lid is closed.

When I disconnect the monitor, I generally have to do the same thing.

Notes sofar:

The Lenovo battery manager should have an external monitor lid option.

The Nvidia drivers should remember everything about my monitor, where it was, what resolution it ran at.

There are yet more complications, as Lenovo has a internal/external monitor keyboard-controlled application. I've used it. It does things, but what it does, I am not sure. It's a Weegee board application because it has no feedback.

There is yet more complications, as you can set the default monitor in BIOS, perhaps this should be experimented with. Right now its set to LCD+VGA, or visa-versa.

What I want:
Prefer external monitor at its native resolution, or use LCD when not connected.
A battery manager written by someone who uses their computer.

If anyone has information on how to streamline this a little, I would appreciate it.

 

Are you using dual display or just one?

Try hitting Fn+F8, it should toggle the displays.

Also, installing drivers for your external display might help it to remember the settings, rather than it just being another external monitor.

Greg

 

I use T61p too.
Try connect the LCD (mine is HP2465 with WUXGA) and then turn on the laptop.
Configure it.
Next time, when you connect the LCD and turn on the laptop, all your setting will be recalled.

PS
Create a new Fn-F3 profile with no action performed when the lid is closed.

 

Fn+F8 was the weegeeboard thing I had talked about. I've not been able to reliably predict its behavior.

This is what I want...

If externalmonitor=connected then:
sleepwhenlidclosed=off
useexternalmonitor=on

If externalmonitor=notconnected then:
sleepwhenlidclosed=on
useexternalmonitor=off

If lidopen=true and externalmonitor=connected then
dualview=on

 

Try the Presentation Director utility. You may have to download it from Lenovo via the support web site or ThinkVantage System Update.

Presentation Directory allows you to create a scheme with your preferred settings. The next time you just need to connect the monitor and select the scheme.

 

Presentation director would be the fifth thing having domain over the video, added to: Bios, Nvidia, Windows, and the FN-Keys.

Apparently, it's not perfect either.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=226685

 

Oh please don't this cause hope...
Check out the last rev.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-61583

 

(New) Add Automatic Optical Drive Power Off.

We've been talking about this one for quite a while !

 

I was disappointed that they wanted to add custom sound files to the lid closing, and yet there are no, forgive me, synergy between external monitors and the lid action.

If the lid action wasn't global, it would be an easy thing to create a power scheme for external monitor setups.

[The power manager needs a user interface rethink; they have been adding stuff to it for so long that you have a few options each hidden in several places. Progressive disclosure is a good concept, but for instance, the battery threshold settings are under "Battery Maintenance." Perhaps that menu should just be renamed "Battery."

They have disclosure spinners on the first page, but pop-ups for the rest.

The F3 settings should really go in the global power settings. There are white menus, two shades of gray.... The "Options" functionality should be integrated in the "Global Power Settings," but that tab menu should be renamed "Options."

Oddly though, I will say this, except for the lid-external monitor and the GUI du jore, it's not a bad piece of software.]

 

I could not find that option, perhaps it's not user adjustable?

 

I could not find that option as well. The only place where I see it is under Battery Stretch Options, but that's always been there.