Hi from Washington DC. Needing help with a new installation of PCLinuxOS on a Compaq nx7400 laptop.
The back video port cannot be activated using the usual FN-F4 keystroke, and after about 10 mins of activity, the screen dips to a very low illumination. Normally a tweak of the mousepad or a spacebar hit would bring it back, but not here.
Any idea what I should be looking for as a solution? What other info can I provide here that would be helpful? Thanks very much.
-AP
Hmm... this laptop uses the Intel GMA950 video subsystem. What video driver are you using (you should probably be using the "i810 or later" driver)? This video system is not all that exotic, and should perform well with PCLinuxOS using the right driver.
Being unable to toggle up the external port is troubling - the Fn-F4 combo should be working - has it worked in the past (with other Linux distros or from Windows)?
This "new install of PCLinuxOS" - is that from the 2012.08 Maintenance Release or an updated 2012 (earlier than .08)?
From your description of the problem, it appears
your backlight may be shutting off. Take a flashlight and shine on the screen when it goes "black" and see if you can still dimly make out the screen. (Normally, a blanked screen will not show anything when the backlight is off. If you see your "normal" desktop reflected in your flashlight, you
may be experiencing a hardware problem...) If the unit is still under warranty, it might be wise to get with Compaq about it.
Jot back and let's hunt this sucker down.
Later On,
D
