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Display: Dell™ Latitude™ LS Portable Computers User's Guide

bullet.gif (1107 bytes) Adjusting the Brightness bullet.gif (1107 bytes) Dual-Display Mode
bullet.gif (1107 bytes) Expanded Video Mode bullet.gif (1107 bytes) If You Have Display Problems
bullet.gif (1107 bytes) Video Drivers and Video Resolution bullet.gif (1107 bytes) Cleaning the Display and Touch Pad
bullet.gif (1107 bytes) Customizing Video Resolution

Adjusting the Brightness

To adjust the brightness of the display, you can use the key combinations shown in Table 1.

note.gif (515 bytes) NOTE: When you run the computer on battery power, set your computer's brightness control to the lowest setting that affords comfortable viewing. You can extend your battery life by using the minimum brightness setting.

Table 1. Brightness Key Combinations and Their Functions

Keybd3.GIF (872 bytes)

Key Combinations Function
<Fn> + down arrow Decreases brightness
<Fn> + up arrow Increases brightness
note.gif (515 bytes) NOTE: To use key combinations on an external keyboard, enable the External Hot-Key option in the system setup program and use <Scroll Lock> instead of <Fn>.

Expanded Video Mode

When working in MS-DOS® text mode, you can select the font used to display text. Press <Fn><F7> to toggle between regular video mode (serif font) and expanded video mode (a serif font with extra leading). In expanded video mode, items in resolutions other than 800 x 600 expand to fill the screen, which is useful if you are working in 800 x 600 resolution on a 12.1-inch super video graphics array (SVGA) display.

note.gif (515 bytes) NOTE: You may have difficulty using the display fonts feature with MS-DOS programs that use downloaded fonts. For optimum video performance in these cases, do not use expanded video mode.

Video Drivers and Video Resolution

The Dell-installed video drivers work with the operating system to let you customize the video resolution, number of screen colors, and refresh rate of your display.

note.gif (515 bytes) NOTE: The Dell-installed video drivers are designed to offer the best performance on your computer. Dell recommends that you use only these drivers with your factory-installed operating system.

Table 2. Combinations of Resolutions and Colors Supported
Resolution Color Options Display Refresh
Rate		 External Monitor Refresh Rate
640 x 480 256 colors High Color (16-bit) (65,536 colors) True Color (24-bit)
(1,677,721 colors)		 60 Hz 60, 75, or 85 Hz
800 x 600 256 colors High Color (16-bit)
(65,536 colors)		 True Color (24-bit)
(1,677,721 colors)		 60 Hz 60, 75, or 85 Hz
1024 x 768* 256 colors High Color (16-bit)
(65,536 colors)		 True Color (24-bit)
(1,677,721 colors)		 60 Hz 60, 75, or 85 Hz
1280 x 1024* 256 colors N/A N/A 60 Hz 60 Hz

* At this resolution, only an external monitor will display the entire desktop area at one time. For the computer's display, using this resolution sets the display to pan mode, which allows you to scroll left, right, up, and down to view the entire desktop.

To use the 1280 x 1024 or the 1024 x 768 resolution on an external monitor for a system running the Microsoft® Windows® 95 or Windows 98 operating system, set the external monitor to Plug and Play Monitor as described in the following procedures.

For Windows 95, perform the following steps:

  1. Click the Start
  2. Double-click the Display icon.

  3. Click the Settings tab, click Advanced Properties, and click the Monitor tab.

  4. Click Change..., click Plug and Play Monitor, and click OK twice.

  5. Set Display area to 1280 x 1024 or 1024 x 768 and click OK.

For Windows 98, perform the following steps:

  1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  2. Double-click the Display icon.

  3. Click the Settings tab, click Advanced..., and click the Monitor tab.

  4. Click Change..., click Next, and click Display a list of all the drivers.

  5. Click Next, and click Show all hardware.

  6. Under Manufacturers, click (Standard monitor types).

  7. Under Models, click Plug & Play Monitor, and click Next.

  8. Click Next again, click Finish, and click Close.

  9. At the Display Properties screen, set Screen area to 1280 x 1024or 1024 x 768, and click Apply.

  10. Click OK, click Yes, and click OK.

To display more colors, select a lower resolution. If you select a resolution and color combination that the computer does not support, the computer automatically selects the next supported combination.

Customizing Video Resolution

  1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

    The Control Panel window appears.

  2. Double-click the Display icon.

    The Display Properties window appears.

  3. Click the Settings tab, and then set the resolution by dragging the slider in the Desktop Area box. In the Color Palette box, choose the number of colors from the menu provided. For more information, see your operating system documentation.

    If you choose a resolution or color palette that is higher than is supported, the settings adjust automatically to the closest possible setting.

  4. To change the refresh rate, click the NeoMagic tab, and then follow the instructions on your display.

    note.gif (515 bytes) NOTE: You can adjust the refresh rate only on an external monitor. If the NeoMagic tab is inactive, your external monitor adjusts the refresh rate automatically.

Dual-Display Mode

With Windows 98, you can use an external monitor as an extension of your display (see your operating system documentation for more information).To set up your computer for dual-display mode, perform the following steps:

  1. Connect the external monitor.

  2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  3. In the Control Panel window, double-click the Display icon.

  4. In the Display Properties window, click the Settings tab.

  5. Change the Colors option to High Color (16 bit).

  6. Change the Desktop Area to 1024 by 768 pixels.

  7. Click Advanced....

  8. Click the NeoMagic tab.

  9. Select the Set Dual-Display checkbox and click Apply.

  10. Click Yes when prompted to restart your computer.

  11. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  12. Double-click Display, and then click the Settings tab.

    Two display icons appear in the Settings window.

  13. Click the display icon marked "2."

  14. When asked if you want to enable this monitor, click Yes.

  15. Click Apply, and then click OK.

If You Have Display Problems

If your computer is receiving power, but nothing appears on your display (such as light, text, or graphics) or the display image does not appear as you would expect, try the following measures to resolve the problem:

  1. If the display is blank, you may be in suspend, standby, or suspend-to-disk (S2D) mode. Press the power button to resume.

    If the display is blank and the power indicator is on, the display may have timed out. In this case, press any key on the keyboard to resume normal operation.

  2. If the low-battery warning occurs, connect the AC adapter to the computer or replace the battery.

  3. Adjust the brightness.

  4. If your computer is attached to an external monitor, press <Fn><F8> to switch the video image to the display.
    note.gif (515 bytes) NOTE: It takes several seconds to switch the video image.

Cleaning theDisplay and Touch Pad

If the display or touch pad become smudged from use, they can be cleaned using a soft, clean cloth slightly dampened with water. Always turn off the computer before cleaning the display or touch pad.

To clean the display, stroke the cloth across the display in one direction, moving from the top of the display to the bottom.

To clean the touch pad, stroke the cloth gently across the surface of the touch pad. Do not allow water from the cloth to seep between the touch pad and the top cover of the computer.

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