External display and Scientific Linux 6.1, Detection/use of external display in SL6

[aerolight]

Hi *

I have a ThinkPad X61 tablet running Scientific Linux 6.1. I would like to use this laptop in conjunction with my external display, an Acer S220HQL, using the VGA port. When the display is connected to the laptop, it does not appear to be detected by the laptop and there is no change. The Display Preferences dialog shows only one display (that of the laptop).

I am confident that all of the hardware is in working order as the laptop had Ubuntu installed previously and the display worked well with it.

Could some clever/kind person point me in the right direction on how I might get the external display working with Scientific Linux 6.1?

I give you preemptive thanks.

Further information:

output of command lspci | grep -i graphics:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary) (rev 0c)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (secondary) (rev 0c)

output of command xrandr -q:

Screen 0: minimum 640 x 480, current 1024 x 768, maximum 1024 x 768
default connected 1024x768+0+0 0mm x 0mm
1024x768 0.0*
800x600 0.0
640x480 0.0

[AndrewSerk]

Hello aerolight and welcome to Scientific Linux fora,

This isn't exactly a clever thought and you may have already checked into this, but most laptops require you to use a set of keys that are bound via the bios to use the external vga port. I believe the keys are" fn + f7 " on a Thinkpad. There may be a setting in the bios to enable the external vga as well.


Hope this helps,

[aerolight]

QUOTE (AndrewSerk @ Feb 1 2012, 06:47 PM)

Hello aerolight and welcome to Scientific Linux fora, This isn't exactly a clever thought and you may have already checked into this, but most laptops require you to use a set of keys that are bound via the bios to use the external vga port. I believe the keys are" fn + f7 " on a Thinkpad. There may be a setting in the bios to enable the external vga as well. Hope this helps,

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I've tried the trick (and checked BIOS settings). I think I'll have to experiment further. There's something fundamental in the way the hardware is being picked up that I'm not getting.

[AndrewSerk]

Hi,

You could create a xorg.conf and manually edit the file with the appropriate info for you external vga. Here is a link to how to create a xorg.conf file: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_create_xorg.conf but I am not exactly sure what you will have to add to get your external working.


Hope this helps