Troubleshooting and Maintenance 
  Troubleshooting Your Computer 
    Corporate Evaluator’s Guide  155 
Display Problems 
If the computer is on, but the screen is blank 
•  Move the mouse or pointing stick, or tap the touch pad. This will wake the display if 
it is in Display-off mode.  
•  Press Fn+F5 in case the internal display was disabled. (Do this three times to return to 
the state you started from.) 
•  If the computer is cold, allow it to warm up. 
If the screen is difficult to read 
•  Try setting the display resolution to its default setting of 1024×768 or higher, 
depending on your model: click Start, Settings, Control Panel, Display, Settings 
(Windows 98 or 2000) or Start, Control Panel, Appearance and Themes, Display 
(Windows XP). 
•  Try adjusting the size of the desktop icons and labels—see “To adjust the display” on 
page 37. 
If an external display does not work 
•  Check the connections. 
•  Press Fn+F5 in case the external monitor was disabled. (Do this three times to return 
to the state you started from.) 
•  The external monitor may not be detected. In the BIOS Setup utility, try setting Video 
Display Device to Both in the Main menu.  
•  If you’re using a TV connected to the S-video port, you must activate the TV—see 
“To use a TV set as a monitor” on page 85. 
•  Test the display with the e-Diagtools diagnostics. See “Testing the Hardware” on 
page 175. 
If an external display cannot use high resolutions 
•  For Windows 98, use the default display type for the internal display: Default 
Monitor. If you change the display type, non-Plug-and-Play (non-DDC) external 
monitors will not be able to use resolutions higher than the resolution of the internal 
display. You can check display settings using Display in Control Panel, or by right-
clicking the desktop and then clicking Properties.