New T400 Owner -- some questions

[BoydWiggins]

Hello,

I recently purchased a three-year old T400 in great condition. I bought this to narrow my desktop and laptop computers down to one. I am using a docking station with an external monitor, trackball, keyboard and mouse. I really like this setup, however; there are a few minor issues:

The first issue I am having is when the computer is docked, and manually put in sleep mode, when coming out of sleep mode the external monitor is not automatically detected. However, when it automatically goes into sleep mode, the monitor is automatically detected. In other words, if I manually put the computer in sleep mode, I have to open the lid to log into Windows 7, and then manually select the external monitor. I would like the external monitor to automatically be detected in both situations if possible.

The second issue I am having is my external keyboard has an odd layout, but I really like the keyboard. I have repainted/re-labelled and built a special enclosure for the keyboard (and monitor), and I would like to be able to remap the keyboard without affecting the T400s built-in keyboard layout when it is being used as a laptop. Is this possible?

Also, one more question if I may -- I am thinking about getting a smaller ThinkPad port replicator to replace the larger docking station. However, it seems as if none of the models (new and old) support a 1600x900 resolution. Is there a model that does?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[RealBlackStuff]

Have you tried a BIOS update?

Version 3.11-1.06:
(New) Added support for 1600x900 screen resolution on an external monitor.

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/researc ... MIGR-72858
I highly recommend that you burn the BIOS update CD and boot from it to do the update.

[BoydWiggins]

Thanks for the response. I have already updated the BIOS.

As for the 1600x900 resolution issue, the docking station that I have (Type 2505) works with this resolution; however, the smaller port replicators (for example, model 43R8770) claim to not be 1600x900 compatible. I am wondering if I have overlooked a model that does support this resolution? I would like to get one of these as they are more compact and have audio ports built in.

[Monck]

Ad1. BIOS->Config->Display now choose

[BoydWiggins]

What do you mean exactly?

[Monck]

You can choose Boot display device, when you change this for VGA or DVDI after sleep you should use external LCD

[dr_st]

The 2505 is the Essential Port Replicator - it has no DVI out, so I assume you are using VGA. Try selecting VGA+LCD as the boot display device in the BIOS, as suggested by Monck.

Instead of opting for a USB port replicator (such as 43R8770), I'd advise you get the Minidock (2504). It's basically the same as your current one, except it has a DVI out, audio ports (even SPDIF) and a built-in USB hub.

The USB port replicators may be more compact when you put them on the desk without the laptop, but the overall footprint of laptop+port replicator is actually higher than of the proprietary docks, where the laptop sits on top. Furthermore, they have two big disadvantages: they don't provide power to the laptop (the power cord must be connected separately), and their total bandwidth is limited by USB2, which is not nearly enough for high frame-rate video. As such, connecting your main monitor through them is not advised.

[BoydWiggins]

The problem is, I only have two options in the BIOS --ThinkPad and Analog (VGA). I do not have the option to select both. Setting it to VGA does allow it to boot from the external monitor, but I still have the same issue when returning from sleep mode. Do you think the 2504 minidock will solve this issue when using DVI-out rather than VGA?

[BoydWiggins]

I ended up getting the Minidock (2504). However, I am still having the same issues. When the computer goes to sleep while docked, the external monitor is not automatically detected. Will switching from a VGA to DVI output correct this?

This is incredibly frustrating as I have to either restart my computer for it to detect the monitor, or manually switch over to the external monitor and then choose the correct screen resolution. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this?

[dr_st]

You may be able to get it to work by reinstalling the video card driver. But at this point it's more like shooting at random and hoping something hits.

[BoydWiggins]

Thanks -- I've give that a shot. Is this a common problem among T400's?