** USB Graphics Adapter (UGA)
Software that runs on a PC and allows adding an additional monitor without requiring complicated hardware to be installed in the PC. The UGA can be loaded on almost any PC and some products install the software automatically using Auto-Install.
** Windows Display Properties (WDP)
A control panel built into windows for configuring multiple displays on a Windows PC. Accessed by clicking “Advanced…” in the DisplayLink GUI or though the “Display” icon in the Windows Control Panel.
Symptom:
Playing a WMV file in Windows Media Center causes a blank screen after a few minutes of playing
Problem:
This is due to an interaction of Windows Media Player overlays and UGA software
Solution:
The issue can be worked around by disabling overlay support in Windows Media Player. Please refer to FAQ 420075 for further information on how to do this
Symptom:
The message "Failed to install device driver" when trying to install the USB Display adapter
Solution:
This can occur if you have previously uninstalled the UGA software and then try to reinstall without rebooting.
The PC needs to be rebooted after an uninstall before new DisplayLink software can be installed.
Symptom:
Cannot uninstall "DisplayLink Core Software" under "Add/Remove Programs".
The user receives the error message "Cannot uninstall DisplayLink Core Software because it is being used by other installed products".
Problem:
The DisplayLink Core software cannot be uninstalled.
The core DisplayLink software and the customer driver software is separated for the situation where a customer has two products containing DisplayLink chips (e.g. a ACME Dock at work, and a DisplayLink enabled TV at home).
Using the example above, the Add or Remove dialogue would identify three items:
- ACME Dock.
- Logie Baird TV Display Adaptor
- DisplayLink Core Software
If one of the products is uninstalled, then the remaining product still needs the DisplayLink Core Software.
If only one product remains, and is uninstalled, then it will remove the DisplayLink Core Software as well.
This means that the DisplayLink Core Software will report itself as "in-use", causing the error seen
Solution:
To remove the DisplayLink core software, ensure that all customer driver software has been uninstalled. In the above example this means uninstalling the ACME Dock and the Logie Baird TV Display Adaptor.
Once both products have been uninstalled, the DisplayLink core software will automatically be uninstalled.
Symptom:
When setting the DisplayLink Graphics Adaper to primary, the setting is not remembered by windows when pressing "Apply" or "OK" on Windows display properties.
This normally occurs on laptops.
Problem:
The primary graphics adapter may ensure that the laptop screen, if enabled, is always the primary screen.
Solution:
This is due to a third party application ensuring that the laptop screen is always primary.
To prevent the laptop screen from being primary, it needs to be disabled. This should allow the DisplayLink graphics adapter to be primary.
However after a reboot, the primary graphics driver may detect that neither of the laptop displays are enabled, therefore re-enable the primary laptop display. This will prevent the DisplayLink Graphics Adapter from becoming primary after a reboot.
| Version |
Release date |
Major Features or Fixes |
| 4.3.9881 (4.3 M3) |
Mar 2007 |
- Cooperate with safely remove hardware requests
- Improved latency and performance under Vista Aero
|
| 4.3.9677 (4.3 M2) |
Mar 2007 |
- On Vista WDDM, detection of directly-attached screens and mode switching using Fn-F7 or equivalent keys are now supported in general
- On Vista WDDM, playing DVDs using Windows Media Player or Windows Media Centre now works
|
| 4.3.9110 (4.3 M1) |
Feb 2007 |
- Show auto-update dialogs in English on US English machines
- Install correctly when there are Far Eastern / non-English characters in the user name
- Improved video playback performance on XP
- Verify support for Windows XP SP3
|
| 4.3.8432 |
Dec 2007 |
- Vista Aero (3D desktop) support
- DisplayLink SDK support for custom GUI development
- Improved video playback performance on XP
- Auto software update
|
| 4.2.7056 |
Aug 2007 |
- Removed EDID monitor range checking. Software will now try and display on a monitor even if it does not support the EDID reported timings. This means that an image will try to be displayed, which may not look perfect. Previously the screen would have been blank.
|
| 4.2.6711 |
July 2007 |
- GUI now correctly recognises the language of the PC and not always shown in English
|
| 4.2.6685 |
July 2007 |
- Extend support in Vista basic mode (No Aero support)
- Improved DVD playback
|
To set up the USB Display Adapter to be the primary display:
- Open the "Settings" tab of the Display properties page.
- Click on the Monitor connected to the DisplayLink Graphics Adapter and ensure that the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" is checked.
- Check the "Use this device as the primary monitor".
The orientation of the screens can also be adjusted by dragging the location of the blue screens to match the actual physical layout.
Note: To stop this screen being the primary monitor, another screen must be selected as the primary monitor.
Note for laptop users: Some notebook graphics chips will not permit any monitor other than the built-in notebook screen to be the primary monitor. Please see FAQ number 4200144 for more information.
Symptom:
If you move a window onto an extended display and then you change the position of the extended display, the windows do move with the extended display, except for the Windows Display Properties dialogue.
Solution:
This is an issue with Windows which is covered by Microsoft knowldgebase article 891391
A work around for this issue is to:
- Re-open the display properties dialog (e.g. right-click the desktop and select "Properties")
- Press escape (without clicking another window)
The next time WDP dialog is opened, it will appear on the main screen.
Symptom:
Although not supported or tested, the USB display adapter can be installed and used under Windows 2003 Server. However the USB display adapter does not operate in extend mode.
Problem:
By default, when installed, Windows reduces the Hardware Acceleration level of the USB Display Adapter. The USB Display adapter requires full hardware acceleration to be enabled to correctly operate.
Solution:
To enable full hardware acceleration:
- Open the Windows Display properties
- Click on the "USB Display Adapter (DisplayLink)"
- Click on "Advanced"
- Select the "Troubleshoot" tab
- Make sure that the hardware acceleration level is set to "Full"
- Click "OK"
It will now be possible to use the USB display adapter in extend mode.
Symptom:
Windows icons are not drawn properly when being mirrored to the USB Display adapter. Moving the mouse over the icons forces them to be re-drawn correctly.
Problem:
This can occur when the USB Display Adapter is mirroring the primary display and there is another screen in extend mode, e.g. the direct VGA output from a laptop, the icons on the Windows desktop may not be drawn properly.
Solution:
This is a Windows issue, and the solution is to disable the extended screen if appropriate.
DisplayLink will try and work around the issue in a future version of software
The USB Display Adapter supports a subset of DirectDraw commands.
There is currently no support for Direct3D or hardware acceleration on Windows XP
DisplayLink Windows software supports up to 6 devices connected to the PC at any one time.
DisplayLink Intel Mac software supports up to four devices connected at any one time.
Symptom:
On installation of the USB Display adapter, the Ultramon smart taskbar does not appear on the new display.
Problem:
This is an issue with Ultramon not supporting the dynamic addition of display adapters.
Solution:
The solution is in a FAQ on the Ultramon website here.
Symptom:
Installing the software under Vista does not install a DisplayLink Graphics adapter. A user cannot extend the Windows desktop.
Problem:
This is a known limitation in v4.1 software. If the user has installed Vista graphics drivers (WDDM), Vista only allows one graphics card to be supported. This means that DisplayLink cannot install an extend driver.
Solution:
This has been fixed in version 4.2 and upwards.
V4.2 Provides multiple extended desktops in Vista Basic mode (not Aero).
V4.3 Supports Vista Aero.
A single extended desktop is possible with v4.1. A user needs to uninstall the WDDM graphics adapter for the primary graphics card. Instead they need to install the XDDM (XP graphics drivers) for the graphics card. If the primary graphics card is using XDDM drivers, DisplayLink will install an extend driver to provide a single extended screen.
Note: Before changing the drivers for the primary graphics card, a user must uninstall any DisplayLink software
Symptom:
Movie playback is not smooth when played on the USB display adapter. It is worst when playing a media clip in full screen.
Problem:
Movie playback may not be smooth due the large amount of display data being transferred during movie playback.
Note: Movie playback has been greatly improved in later versions of software. DisplayLink recommends using the latest available software for movie playback.
Solution:
DisplayLink regularly improves video playback through driver updates. Please ensure that you are using the latest version of the DisplayLink driver.
Other ways to improve the performance are:
- Reduce the resolution of the display to 640x480 or 800x600
- Use the USB display adapter in extend mode
- Terminate any other CPU intensive applications running on the computer.
DisplayLink supports playback of SD/DVD/480p resolution video clips. HD clips are not currently supported.
Symptom:
There is a few seconds delay between connecting the USB Display adapter to the PC and an image appearing on the display.
Solution:
The reason for this is that the PC needs to detect the new USB device and configure it. This configuration can take a few seconds to complete before the USB Display Adapter is ready to start displaying an image.
If the USB Display Adapter is part of a dock, all other elements in the dock could need to enumerate first, which can take a significant time.
Symptom:
On connection of the USB display adapter, the Found New Hardware Wizard does not appear.
"DisplayLink Core Software" is not found under "Add/remove programs".
Problem:
This can occur if the DisplayLink device has previously been connected to the PC, but the Found New Hardware wizard had been cancelled. This means that the PC may not prompt for the installation of the DisplayLink device software again.
Solution:
The DisplayLink software needs to be installed manually by running Setup.exe from your installation CD, or by downloading the latest software from your supplier.
To identify the version of software installed
- Open Add/Remove Programs from Windows Control panel
- Locate the "DisplayLink Core Software"
- Click on it, then click 'Click here for support information'.
- The dialog box that comes up gives the version number. In the example below it is 4.1.6232.0
The following languages are supported in the latest Windows software
- English
- French
- Italian
- German
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Dutch
- Hungarian
- Russian
- Polish
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Japanese
- Korean
Unsupported languages will default to English.
Symptom:
I am using a Toshiba Dynadock and am experiencing blue screens, reboots, or corrupted images on web pages.
Problem:
This is caused by the Ethernet driver in the Dyandock.
Solution:
Please ensure you are using the latest AX88772 USB Ethernet driver. It can be downloaded from the ASIX website:
http://www.asix.com.tw/products.php?op=pItemdetail&PItemID=86;71;101
Symptom:
The OpenGL screensavers (the 3D ones such as 3D flowerbox) do not display correctly in either extend or mirror mode, and may cause screen flashing.
Problem:
This is due to interaction between OpenGL and the DisplayLink graphics drivers.
Solution:
The solution is to not use the OpenGL or 3D screensavers
Symptom:
Google Earth maps are not drawn correctly on the mirrored screen. Moving the mouse over the screen forces them to be re-drawn correctly.
Google Earth sometimes does not work on an extended screen.
Problem:
This occurs because Google Earth uses 3D libraries that interact with the DisplayLink graphics drivers. The problem occurs with both OpenGL and DirectX configurations of Google Earth.
Solution:
The solution is to use Google Earth on an extended screen if appropriate. DisplayLink recommends OpenGL mode rather than DirectX mode for Google Earth.
Minimum system requirements are:
Windows Vista
For Windows Vista, the Windows Experience Index (WEI) is a useful measure of hardware level. The WEI is accessible from Computer->Properties or from Control Panel->System.
The recommended minimum hardware requirements for the PC are
- WEI score of at least 3 in the ‘Graphics; Desktop performance for Windows Aero’ category.
- Recommended: WEI score of at least 3 overall, as recommended by Microsoft.
- At least one USB 2.0 port
- 30 megabytes (MB) of free disk space
- Computer screen for use with the DisplayLink device, if it is not integrated.
- Network access for software downloads, or access to a CD-ROM drive.
If the PC specification is below this, performance may be low and functionality may be impaired.
Windows XP/2000
- For 1-2 monitors, business usage, productivity target. This may not provide full frame rate DVD playback at full screen.
- For 3 monitors where 1 could run DVD video while also targeting productivity and business apps. Will support only 1 video of DVD resolution at full screen:
- For 6 screens where 1 screen can run full screen DVD video:
- 1.6GHz Core Duo
- 1GB memory
DisplayLink regularly improves video playback through driver updates. Please ensure that you are using the latest version of the DisplayLink driver.
It is not possible to change the Windows Display Property settings for a DisplayLink display that is not connected.
This is because Windows does not take account of the settings for screens that are unavailable.
Playing movies in mirror mode is not supported by Windows and therefore not supported by DisplayLink. This is because the Windows mirror driver does not support DirectX, required by some media players.
Video playback can be unpredictable in clone mode in Windows and performance will be considerably lower than the same screen in Extended desktop mode.
Symptom:
Adobe Photoshop Album Start Edition 3.0 does not work in full-screen mode on an extended desktop where the extended display resolution is lower than the full screen resolution
Problem:
Adobe Photoshop Album Start Edition 3.0 maximises to the size of the primary screen, not the size of the screen it is on.
Solution:
This is a limitation of Adobe Photoshop Album Start Edition 3.0. Either use it in windowed mode, or adjust the resolutions of the primary and extended monitors so that they match.
DisplayLink software does not run on 64-bit editions of Windows XP. Do not try to install.
DisplayLink now offers 64-bit Vista Drivers, which can be sownloaded from this website.in a future version of the DisplayLink software.
(However, these Drivers will NOT work on Windows XP 64-bit systems.)
Symptom:
This can occur if a user has been using an application on an extended display, eg Skype. The extended display has been disconnected but the Window still appears on the disconnected display.
Problem:
Some applications remember their position relative to the primary display, even if this display no longer exists.
Solution:
This is a Windows and application issue.
Click the application icon in the taskbar once to minimize, then click it again to maximize the window. Some applications will then move the window to a visible part of the screen. (this usually works with MS office apps).
If that doesn't work, follow the steps below to move the Window back onto the primary screen:
- Select the lost window using Alt-tab
- Use CTRL+space bar to bring up the Window menu
- Press 'M' to select 'Move'
- Press a cursor key (arrow key)
- The mouse can now be used to move the dialogue box on to the primary display.
Once moved onto the primary display the window should continue to open on the primary display.
Symptom:
The PC requests a reboot after installing DisplayLink software
Problem:
Windows 2000
A reboot is required on Windows 2000, otherwise the DisplayLink service cannot start running
Windows XP
A reboot is asked for occasionally if the DisplayLink installed detects that Windows has not correctly loaded the DisplayLink graphics drivers.
Windows Vista
After version 4.5, a reboot is on longer required to complete the installation or upgrade on Windows Vista
Solution:
The user must reboot the PC, if prompted, to start the DisplayLink software running correctly.
Yes. After a reboot, the numbers used in Windows Device Properties to identify the attached screens may change. Press the 'Identify' button for an easy way to find the new numbers.
It is also possible that a "dummy" adapter is installed in some scenarios.
Symptom:
When a movie is paused and the window of the player is moved, the picture sometimes stays where it is and does not move with the window. This has been observed with MPlayer and with RealPlayer when a divx is played.
Problem:
This is a known limitation for performance reasons and is application specific.
Solution:
Do not move the player window while the movie is paused.
Symptom:
When installing DisplayLink with an anti-virus program installed, a high alert warning is shown saying that a malicious script is detected. The installation does not complete unless all scripts are allowed to run
Problem:
This occurs because the installer runs some VB scripts. Depending on its security level, an anti-virus program would alert about this.
Solution:
A user may have to disable virus checkers, or lower their security level to allow installation.
Symptom:
This can occur if a device that the PC has not seen before is attached to a USB port that has not seen a device before Problem:
If a DisplayLink attached screen is moved from one USB port to another, and if it has never been connected to the new USB port, it stays in a disabled state until a user logs in. In particular, the login screen does not appear on it.
Solution:
There is no workaround to this issue
Symptom:
The following error message is seen in the Tool tray:
Problem:
This can occur if trying to mirror a primary display larger than 4 MegaPixels. These are modes above 2300x1700 (4:3) or 2600x1500 (16:9).
Solution:
Reduce the size of the primary screen if you want to use mirror mode.
Some DVD players and movie players do not respond well when a monitor is enabled or disabled in the Windows Display Properties dialog box or when a non-primary monitor is made the primary monitor.
Problems include the following:
- WinDVD and VLC behave unpredictably when screens are enabled or disabled.
- RealPlayer resets back to the beginning of a DVD when a second or third screen is enabled or disabled.
- Windows Media Player appears to be unaffected when screens are enabled or disabled, though there is a little flicker.
Some DVD players and movie players do not respond well when the movie window is moved from one monitor to another.
Problems include:
- WinDVD 8.0
- Dragging a paused movie from either the Displaylink adapter screen to the Laptop or from the Laptop to the Displaylink adapter screen results in a blank player screen on the destination screen.
- WinDVD 5
- When moving a playing movie window onto an extended screen, the movie should be stopped or paused, then moved, then restarted.
- PowerDVD 7.0
- Moving a paused movie from either the Displaylink adapter screen to the Laptop or from the Laptop to the Displaylink adapter screen results in a blank player screen on the destination screen.
- Dragging a paused movie from an extended Displaylink adapter screen to the main screen, playing it, pausing it, dragging it back to the Displaylink adapter screen and then playing it again results in the player display only appearing in the space occupied by the player's overlay control.
- Windows Media Player 9
- 16:9 DVD, moving the playing window to the Displaylink adapter screen results in the player looping through the DVD chapters, without displaying anything.
- Move it back to the main screen and it displays again.
Symptom:
In some situations, some screen updates do not appear on the DisplayLink screen but do appear when the mouse is moved over the place where they should be.
This can occur
- On the DisplayLink Graphics Adapter screen if it is cloning the primary screen and there is a second DisplayLink Graphics Adapter screen that is extending
- On the DisplayLink Graphics Adapter screen if it is the primary screen and there is a directly attached screen that is extending
- If the Hardware acceleration is reduced (from Windows Display Properties, select DisplayLink monitor, 'Advanced', 'Troubleshoot' tab).
Problem:
This is caused by Windows altering the frame buffer directly, bypassing standard GDI calls. This means that the DisplayLink driver does not get informed of the changes.
Solution:
The workaround is to make sure that the Hardware acceleration is at its maximum value, and to use the mouse to 'paint in' areas that were not updated.
Yes, Windows Media Player (WMP) version 10 works on DisplayLink Graphics Adapters when part of the extended desktop.
WMP does not respond well in all situations:
- WMP can default to using a decoder that does not work on DisplayLink Graphics Adapter extended screens. This occurs with decoders that require the video mixing renderer. The workaround is to turn off support for the video mixing renderer. To do this:
- Open the Tools Menu
- Select options
- Select performance
- Select the advanced button
- Uncheck the two boxes labelled 'use video mixing renderer'.
- WMP may not fully redraw if the video window moves, or other windows move over it.
- Although not supported, using WMP 9.0, with a 16:9 DVD and moving the playing window to the Nivo screen results in the player looping through the DVD chapters, without displaying anything. Move it back to the main screen and it displays again.
- If you start WMP, then move it to the DisplayLink screen and start a 16:9 DVD it displays incorrectly with an aspect ratio of 4:3. If the DVD is started with the window on the main screen, it plays with correct aspect ratio.
- Moving another window on top of the WMP window sometimes leaves a small white area
Windows Media Player version 11 issues
- Windows Media Player 11 may have issues playing video on an extended screen under Vista.
- If Windows Media Player version 11 is playing video on an extended DisplayLink display, and if the resolution of that display changes, the video may move to another display or may show corruption. Clicking on or moving the video windows fixes this.
- Setting Windows Media Player 11 to full screen mode, only displays on the primary screen. When set back to windowed mode, the window is displayed on the DisplayLink extended screen correctly. This also occurs if using a direct VGA connection from the primary graphics card, therefore this is an issue with WMP v11.
- When unplugging the USB cable, the video window correctly returns to the main display, but no video is displayed - the video area is transparent. As soon as the window is moved, the video is displayed ok. This also occurs with a direct VGA connection therefore it is an application issue.
- Video playback using WMP v11 in mirror mode will not be smooth, as it is software rendered
- WMP v11 does not support fast user switching while playing videos
Yes, PowerDVD works on DisplayLink Graphics Adapters when part of the extended desktop.
PowerDVD does not respond well in all situations, however. In particular:
- Video hardware acceleration must be turned off in the PowerDVD options (configuration options, video tab).
- With PowerDVD 7.0, dragging a paused movie from either the Nivo to the Laptop or from the Laptop to the Nivo results in a blank player screen on the destination device. Also, dragging a paused movie from an extended Nivo to the main screen, playing it, pausing it, dragging it back to the Nivo screen and then playing it again results in the player display only appearing in the space occupied by the player's overlay control.
- When the mouse is moved over the playing movie, a black shadow appears behind it.
- Uncovering the PowerDVD window (by moving another window off it) may cause other screens to flicker and redraw.
- Playing Bluray on NVidia 7950 GFX or 7600GS GFX may cause the USB displays flicker on and off intensively.
Yes, WinDVD works on USB Graphics Adapters when part of the extended desktop.
WinDVD does not respond well in all situations, however. In particular:
- With WinDVD 8.0, dragging a paused movie from either the Nivo to the Laptop or from the Laptop to the Nivo results in a blank player screen on the destination screen.
- WinDVD8 doesn't run full screen on a directly-attached non-primary monitor. This is an application issue with WinDVD 8.
- With WinDVD 5, when moving a playing movie window onto an extend screen, the movie should be stopped or paused, then moved, and then restarted.
- A black shadow appears behind the mouse pointer when it is moved over movie window.
- WinDVD does not like resolution change of the screen to the left or below of the screen it is playing on. This causes clipping of the video window.
- WinDVD4 will not work with ANY extended screen playback
Skype video does not work with DisplayLink Graphics Adapters under Windows XP. This is because it requires Video Mixing Renderer (VMR9) support, and the DisplayLink Graphics Adapters do not currently support this functionality.
Symptom:
Launch a command prompt (DOS window) and press Alt+Enter to switch the command prompt into Full Screen display mode. Any DisplayLink attached displays stop updating. When the command prompt is closed, the attached displays start working again.
Problem:
When the command prompt is switched to Full Screen mode, the whole Windows display subsystem is disabled and all screen rendering is done via the DOS subsystem. DisplayLink graphics drivers run within the Windows subsystem and cannot detect DOS direct drawing commands.
Solution:
The workaround is to use the command prompt in windowed mode.
It is often not possible to display two videos or DVDs on the same DisplayLink Graphics Adapter screen. This is because the overlay technology used to draw the video content onto the DisplayLink screen supports only a single overlay at a time.
If it is necessary to display two videos at once, make sure they are on different screens.
Video is supported on Windows Vista in WDDM/Aero Mode. Video is also supported in Extend mode on Windows XP. Video support is limited in other configurations including Windows Vista Basic Mode and mirror mode in Windows XP.
DisplayLink supports the latest versions of the following media players for use with its technology:
- VLC
- Power DVD
- Win DVD
- Windows Media Player
- RealPlayer
WinDVD , PowerDVD and Windows Media Player work well with DisplayLink Graphics Adapters. See separate FAQ entries for each of these players.
There is limited support for other players. Here are some examples:
- Quicktime movies may work on DisplayLink Graphics Adapter screens, however they cause a lot of screen flashing when starting up.
- Sometimes .mov files shown in Quicktime 7.4 show corrupt output. The workaround is to disable DirectX mode on the Advanced tab in the Quicktime player plug in settings.
- Mplayer only works on the primary display. It will work on a DisplayLink screen that has been made the primary display.
- VLC media player plays but has issues if the screen settings are changed during playing.
- Moving RealPlayer (v10) video between extended screens does not work. It either won't play on the second screen or when moved back onto the primary screen, the DVD playback restarts from the beginning. It also occurs on direct VGA, therefore an issue with Realplayer.
The distance between a computer and a device or hub is stated to be five meters according to the USB specification. The maximum distance distance per USB specification is 30m by using five hubs.
It is possible to extend the distance further by using networked USB solutions, however these devices may only support up to USB1.1 and not the USB2.0 standard. USB2.0 is required for DisplayLink's technology.
Symptom:
An error is seen in the tool tray:
Problem:
This can occur when entering extend mode with low system resources. The PC does not have enough memory to start an extended display.
Solution:
Close down any unused applications. The situation may also be improved by rebooting the PC.
Symptom:
A user may want to switch to using XDDM or WDDM graphics drivers for their primary graphics card
Problem:
If using a graphics card in WDDM (Vista drivers), DisplayLink only provides mirror mode to the user. Changing to use XDDM (XP drivers) will also allow a single extend session
To obtain XDDM drivers for your graphics card, you may have to contact your graphics card provider. DisplayLink cannot provide the XDDM drivers for 3rd party graphics cards.
Solution:
DisplayLink recommends to uninstall/reinstall displaylink software when switching between XDDM and WDDM display drivers on Vista.
Symptom:
Changing the primary monitor during movie playback stops the movie working on the primary screen
Problem:
This problem appears to be an issue with Windows, as the same behaviour is observed when using second output of VGA card.
Solution:
Do not change the primary display while playing a movie file
Symptom:
If a DisplayLink display adapter is set to be the primary monitor, and is disconnected, the PC will exit power saving mode
Problem:
This is because the Windows Display Properties change, bringing the PC out of power save mode
Solution:
There is no workaround for this issue
Symptom:
Installing DisplayLink software with Fast user switching and two users logged on
Installing DisplayLink software works, however no image is seen on the DisplayLink device
Solution:
A reboot is required before the system detects the new device.
DisplayLink recommends only installing the software when one user is logged into the PC
Symptom:
On uninstalling a DisplayLink branded product installation (eg ACME display adapter), the ACME display adapter does not blank and shows a frozen screen
Problem:
This can occur when uninstalling a branded product, and there are other DisplayLink branded releases installed. For example ACME software and Logie-Baird software are installed and a user removes ACME software.
Solution:
This is a known issue. Windows uninstalls the software before it sends a blank message to the device. It does not occur when uninstalling the last DisplayLink package
Symptom:
Disconnecting or reconnecting during screensaver cancels the screensaver, and can produce white screens, which don't cleanly exit.
Problem:
On all OSes, detaching or attaching DisplayLink attached screens while a screensaver is running may cause strange effects. The screensaver cancels because the Windows Display Properties change, which causes the displays to exit out of the screensaver
Solution:
Sometimes it is necessary to detach and reattach the DisplayLink attached screen after exiting the screensaver.
There is no workaround for the cancelling out of screensaver issue
Symptom:
Video performance is slow on Windows 2000, also moving a window is slow on a DisplayLink screen.
Problem:
In the Windows 2000 Device Manager under Universal Serial Bus Controllers there should be an item called "USB 2.0 Root Hub". If it is not there then they adapter will be using USB1.0 rather than USB2.0, which is slower.
Solution:
Install the USB2.0 driver as described in the Microsoft knowledgebase article here.
Symptom:
This occurs when connecting the monitor to the DisplayLink device using a VGA cable
Problem:
This monitor provides strange detection when connecting this monitor over VGA. The monitor keeps appearing as a "new" monitor. This causes the DisplayLink software to think there is a new monitor connected, causing the flicking on and off.
Solution:
To workaround this issue, disable auto-input detection on the monitor.
Symptom:
Setup.exe causes alerts sometimes during installation. An example message is shown below:
Problem:
During installation, it is possible that setup.exe tries to connect to the Internet to get Certificate Revocation List. This is to verify the DisplayLink digital signature. This is a normal part of the installation process.
Windows has a cache of Certificate Revocation Lists so Setup.exe does not have to connect to the Internet on each install.
Solution:
Please let Setup.exe connect to the internet if requested.
Symptom:
If a DisplayLink device is connected to a monitor that does not support automatic detection of supported resolutions (EDID), what modes are offered?
Problem:
If a monitor supports EDID, it will report a list of supported modes to the DisplayLink software. Those modes that are supported by both the monitor and the DisplayLink hardware/software will be offered to the user.
However if no modes are offered by the monitor, a different method must be offered
Solution:
If no EDID is detected and the monitor reports no supported modes, DisplayLink software will offer the following modes:
- 1680x1050
- 1600x1200
- 1400x900
- 1366x768
- 1360x768
- 1280x1024
- 1280x720
- 1024x768
- 800x600
- 720x480
- 640x480
Notes:
Higher resolutions may not be available on some devices
Not all these resolutions may be supported by the connected monitor. Please confirm that the resolution is supported by the monitor before connecting it, failure to do so may result in damage
Symptom:
The DisplayLink enabled device is installed by Windows as display 2. The display is visible in windows display properties, but cannot be enabled as an extended monitor.
Problem:
Some laptops with ATi based PCs always assume that the second display is the VGA port on the laptop, but on some occassions Windows may enumerate the displays in a different order.
ATi have written an application (ATI2EVXX.EXE) that runs in the background of windows. This application disables monitor number 2 if nothing is plugged into the VGA port.
If the DisplayLink adapter is installed as display 2, and configured to extend mode, then the ATi application disables it - because nothing is plugged into the VGA port.
Solution:
Disable the background task ATI2EVXX.exe. This can be done by removing the startup entry in the registry under HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run/
Note: DisplayLink cannot take responsibilty for any problems caused by users changing or corrupting their registry.
Symptom:
When connecting multiple USB display adapters to a PC running Vista, only one screen can be configured in extend. All other screens are in Mirror mode.
Problem:
This is due to a restriction of Microsoft Vista. If the primary display is using XDDM (XP) graphics drivers, it is only possible to configure one extended display. WDDM (Vista) graphics drivers need to be used by the primary graphics card to allow more than one extended screen with the USB display adapters.
To identify whether XDDM or WDDM graphics drivers are being used, open the Windows Welcome Center from Control Panel. The graphics mode is shown here:
Solution:
Please download and install WDDM drivers for your primary graphics card.
Symptom:
The PC fails to boot when a USB device is attached
Solution:
This is observed on PCs with old BIOS. The solution is normally to update the BIOS from the manufacturer's website.
If updating the BIOS does not solve the problem, also try setting the USB Legacy Mode to Full Speed (not High Speed).
Symptom:
When installing the DisplayLink software, one or more reboots are required before an image is seen on the display.
Problem:
Windows XP
Occasionally, when installing the DisplayLink graphics drivers on Windows XP, the extend and/or mirror driver is not correctly started by windows and cannot be used by the DisplayLink software. The software detects this and prompts the user to reboot. The DisplayLink Graphics driver works correctly after a reboot.
Windows Vista
After installing on Windows Vista, a reboot is always required. This is required to allow the DisplayLink service to start.
After the PC restarts, occasionally the extend and/or mirror driver is not correctly started by Windows (same issue as XP above). Therefore another reboot may be prompted for. This means that it is possble that a PC using Vista may have to be rebooted multiple times before an image is seen on the display.
Solution:
DisplayLink continue to investigate a solution to multiple reboots sometimes being required in Microsoft Vista.
Symptom:
When connecting DisplayLink displays for the first time, not all displays start working.
Problem:
Connecting multiple devices at once is not recommended, as software may fail to install.
Solution:
When connecting multiple screens for the first time, make sure that eachdevice is working before attaching the next device.
Symptom:
Having installed the DisplayLink driver, the Primary and/or the DisplayLink display are in VGA and only 4 bit colour.
Problem:
Some third party graphics drivers assume the position of their displays and try and control DisplayLink displays. This results in unpredictable behaviour.
Solution:
This has been seen with an ASUS PCI-E graphics card. The problem is fixed by disabling the "Enhanced Display Driver Helper Service" in device manager:
Symptom:
When connecting or disconnecting a DisplayLink graphics adapter, the icon positions move.
Icons appear on the wrong monitor after you change the primary monitor in Windows XP.
Problem:
The same problems can be observed using two built in graphics adapters. Therefore these are not issues with DisplayLink technology, but with Windows. DisplayLink cannot fix these issues.
On XP, after the primary monitor is changed to an DisplayLink atatched extend screen, the desktop icons may appear on the wrong monitor.
These are both problems with Windows and its handling of extended displays.
Solution:
There is no solution for this issue. It is caused by Windows and is not related to DisplayLink.
DisplayLink currently support the major Microsoft Windows operating systems, including Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. For further details, please see FAQ 420088. DisplayLink does not currently support the Mac OS X or Linux operating systems.
A Mac OS X (Intel-based) beta driver for Intel Macintosh computers is available as a free download from the DisplayLink website.
DisplayLink is investigating support for other operating systems and will provide updates to this FAQ entry when more information is available.
DisplayLink announced its plans to support the Macintosh platform at MacWorld 2008, in partnership with Kensington. DisplayLink USB graphics devices will be supported on Intel-based Macintosh computers by installing a software driver on the Mac. The driver will be a free download from the DisplayLink website, and a public beta for Intel Macintosh is now available. For more information please see the DisplayLink Macintosh Press Release.
Problem: There is a problem with using Displaylink displays with Adobe Photoshop CS2. This is not a problem with the DisplayLink driver as the same problem is shown when installing CS2 on a VMware virtual machine with the VMware SXGA video driver.Solution: Updating CS2 to from v9.0 to v9.02 will fix the problem.
Symptom:
Running 'Check Now' from the 'Updates...' submenu of the DisplayLink UI when the network is disconnected produces the message "The server name or address could not be resolved".
Solution:
You have not currently got a connection to the internet. Connect to a network, then try again.
Symptom:
Some Dell laptops have a feature called Dell Media Direct, which is also known as Cyberlink PowerCinema on other systems.
This is a separate partition that can be booted into without booting up the main operating system, and it provides a limited set of services. DisplayLink USB Displays do not work in this environment.
Problem:
This feature operates as a closed platform and it is not possible to install DisplayLink software into it, so it cannot support DisplayLink attached screens.
Solution:
There is no solution to install DisplayLink drivers in this situation
Symptom:
If you start up a Skype Video call, and then drag the Skype window onto the USB extended screen, then move the window around the screen - any window decorations drawn over the video area remain visible and the video is not redrawn.
Problem:
Skype video requires VMR9 which requires hardware support. On Windows 2000 and Windows XP there is no support for VMR9 on DisplayLink displays, therefore the issues occur.
Using Windows Vista with a WDDM graphics driver allows the VMP processing to be done by the primary graphics card, before being sent to the DisplayLink display.
Solution:
Use the Skype video application on the main, directly connected display.
Symptom:
On Vista WDDM, some graphics-intensive applications use the GDI or OpenGL interfaces. On DisplayLink attached screens, such applications can display in a window but not full screen. Examples of such applications are Starcraft, Quake III.
Also, video/media players such as Windows Media Player, fail to play in full screen mode or Theater Mode (F9) on DisplayLink screens on some PCs.
Running these applications on a Displaylink Screen in full screen mode causes either a blank display, application crash, or, more rarely, a system crash (blue screen).
Problem:
R4.3 software running on Vista WDDM does not support full-screen OpenGL applications. Some such applications crash as they cannot handle this error.
Solution:
Run OpenGL applications in a window on your DisplayLink Display, rather than in full screen mode, should avoid this problem.
If this has caused a blank screen, double click on the blank screen and the player window is restored to non full screen mode, or, right click on the blank screen to invoke the player context menu and select exit full screen
Symptom:
If a DVD player is used to play High-Definition content on a DisplayLink screen, the content will not display and the player may crash.
HD Content window can also get blanked if it is moved / resized or obscured while paused.
Problem:
On Vista WDDM, video players sometimes use hardware overlays to display video. DisplayLink software does not support hardware overlays and these videos do not display on DisplayLink screens.
Examples:
- PowerDVD 7 and Bluray use overlays when playing DVDs and so cannot display DVDs on DisplayLink screens. See FAQ 420076 on how to turn off overlays on PowerDVD.
- vlc (dxvideo)can be configured to use overlays and will not work on DisplayLink screens if so configured.
Solution:
There is currently no solution to this issue. HD DVD's should only be viewed on your primary display.
Symptom:
On Vista WDDM, the machine may drop to basic mode when a new DisplayLink screen is connected. This is because because of Vista's normal performance calculation when new screens are attached.
Problem:
Vista thinks that it cannot run Aero with this hardware configuration, and so sets it's mode back to basic.
Solution:
Aero mode can be restored through Control Panel -> Windows Colour and Appearance -> Open classic appearance properties for more colour options -> Windows Aero.
Symptom:
Vista WDDM sometimes fails to redraw windows when dropping from Aero to Basic mode with multiple screens attached. Problem:
This also happens with directly attached screens and with no DisplayLink software installed. Therefore this is an Operating System issue.
Solution:
Ensure you download the latest patches from Microsoft.
Symptom:
Changing "Extend to" direction ,while playing a video on the extended USB screen ,results in black video image.
Problem:
Media players tend not to support Display settings changes while playing video
Solution:
Don't change the display mode, position or arrangement of attached screens while a video is running. This usually confuses the video player and the video may stop playing.
Symptom:
On Vista WDDM, some computers with Intel graphics reset DisplayLink screens from extend to mirror when coming out of sleep, or unlocking after a lock screen.
Problem:
The Intel software is updating the display settings according to what it thinks is required; this occurs after the DisplayLink Manager has finished setting up the displays. The Intel software "Graphics Media Acceleration" control panel applet and system tray icon does not recognize our monitors.
Solution:
The easiest way to stop this problem is to disable the Intel persistence application, igfxpers, using Windows defender.
To disable the Intel desktop persistence program:
- Open control panel
- If you are not using the classic view, select "Change startup programs" from the Program group, then go to step 7 li>If you are using the classic view select "Windows Defender"
- Click on the "Tools" icon
- Click on the "Software Explorer" link
- Ensure the Category is set to "Startup Programs"
- Click on the "Show for all users" button
- There should be three items called "Intel (R) Common User Interface", click on each until you find the one that has the File Name: igfxpers.exe
- Press "Disable"
- A message "Are you sure you want to disable the application" will appear, make sure that the file name is correct and then press "Yes"
- Close Windows Defender and then restart the system.
To reenable the Intel desktop persistence program use the same steps, but press "Enable"
Symptom: Solution:
XP:If the PC is in monitor powersave mode and if a DisplayLink attached screen is added or removed, some screens may leave monitor power save mode.
Vista: Un-plugging a DisplayLink screen while in power save mode brings main display out of power save mode. Any remaining USB connected displays stay in powersave mode.
On connection, the DisplayLink screen is unaware of the power save mode being currently enforced by the PC. Therefore, if connected during power save, it will display the Windows desktop.
Symptom:
When QuickTime video is played on a DisplayLink USB screen and is set to fullscreen, it moves onto the primary screen.
Problem:
This issue can be reproduced even if there is no DisplayLink software installed.
Solution:
This is standard behaviour for Quicktime and not related to DisplayLink technology
Symptom:
On a machine with ATI graphics, the ATM Catalyst Control Centre will issue a warning if the DisplayLink screen is the only display. The warning is "The Catalyst Control Centre is not supported by the driver version of your enabled graphics adapter. Please update your ATI driver, or enable your ATI graphics adapter using the Display Manager".
Some parts of the tool, such as its adjustments submenu, may also not work. This is on all Operating systems.
Problem:
The ATI Catalyst Control Center is a tool provided on machines with ATI graphics cards for managing extra screens. Some versions of this tool crash in the presence of DisplayLink software. This has been observed with versions since ATI driver version 8.360.
Solution:
This warning may be harmless, and not actually affect your working environment. If it does affect your system, the workaround is to uninstall the ATI Catalyst Control Centre.
There is currently no solution to this issue.
Symptom:
Following a software first install, rebooting, connecting the DisplayLink adapter, the user is told that: "You must restart your computer to apply these changes."
Reboot as requested and the user is requested once again to reboot. At no time is there a display on the nivo monitor.
In the Windows Display Properties (WDP) there is only ever one display representing the laptop screen.
Problem:
Vista Starter Edition is a cut-down version of Vista. Starter edition does not support multiple extended screens, therefore does not support DisplayLink software.
Solution:
Upgrade to minimum package Vista Home Basic, or any of the premium or Business Vista operating systems.
Currently it is only possible to mirror the primary Windows display
On Vista if a DisplayLink screen is primary, it is not possible for another DisplayLink screen to mirror it. Only the primary graphics card can be mirrored.
Symptom:
Installer failed, saying that you do not have the required Microsoft patch SP4 Rollup 1 KB891861.
Problem:
If you installed the language pack after the SP4 patch, then the date stamp on NTOSKRNL.EXE will be incorrect.
The Microsoft WIN2K MUI (Language pack) installs a version of ntoskrnl.exe with the date stamp of the translated file (5.0.2195.1) rather than the real version of the file.
The root cause is KB263212 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263212/. There are several Microsoft knowledge base articles that describe problems installing hotfixes, DirectX, and internet explorer, because of the same problem. There is a recommended order for installing the language pack described in KB323282
- Install Windows 2000
- Install Language Packs
- Install Service Packs
If this installation process is followed, then the ntoskrnl.exe has the correct version number and date stamp, and our software will install correctly.
Solution:
There is a workaround:
- Go to Control panel, Regional Options
- Select the General tab and change the Menus and Dialog combo box to English.
- You will need to log off, and log back on. Complete the installation of the DisplayLink software (which should now succeed),
- Reset the menus and dialog options back to your preferred language
- Log off and back on again for the language change to be applied.
Alternatively
- Re-install Win2K in the correct order as specified by KB323282
Symptom:
Various symptoms may be observed, such as:
- Display Contrast in Universal Access will not be shown on DisplayLink displays.
- Screen Flash in Universal Access will not be show on DisplayLink displays.
- Color calibration will not function on DisplayLink displays.
- The desktop on the DisplayLink displays may not show the correct colour.
Problem: The DisplayLink Mac Driver does not currently support gamma correction, and therefore some issues arise.Solution: We are aware of this issue, and hope to support gamma correction in a future release.
Symptom:
Following software upgrade all desktop icons have moved to primary screen.
Problem:
During the upgrade process, the installer needs to remove the drivers for the USB adapters. This means that, for a short time, your PC does not "know" about your USB displays. So that you can still work, we make sure that your icons move to a display which is still connected, i.e., your primary display.
When the new software is installed, it does not know where your icons were positioned, and so it leaves them where they are.
Solution:
Unfortunately you'll need to manually relocate your icons.
Symptom: DisplayLink display may remain blank when Mac resumes from sleep/powersave.Problem:
Tiger Users: DisplayLink displays connected to Kensington & Toshiba docks may not display when the Mac awakes from a system sleep.
All Users: DisplayLink displays connected to a hub may not wake up after Mac resumes from a system sleep.
Solution:
Disconnecting and reconnecting the DisplayLink display/device should hopefully cause the display to resume and function correctly.
Please note at present we suggest that a maximum of 2 DisplayLink devices are connected to a hub at anyone time, to ensure optimum performance and reliability.
However this is a known issue and we are investigating a possible fix for a future release.
Symptom: Only one resolution is available for use when an Apple Cinema Display is connected to a DisplayLink device.Solution: This is a limitation of the hardware of the Apple Cinema Displays, and a known issue, which we shall try to resolve in a future release.
Symptom: Display Preferences crashes, if open, when a DisplayLink display is disconnected.Solution:
Do not disconnect a DisplayLink display when System Preferences is displayed.
This is a known issue, and we shall try to resolve it in a future release.
Symptom:
Applications that require Quartz/OpenGL/hardware acceleration support are likely to exhibit problems if they are run on a DisplayLink Display.
Some known application issues include:
- Finder
- Cover flow in Mac OS X 10.5 may become corrupt on a DisplayLink display, if it is set to be the main display
- DVD Player
- DVD Player will move back to the native display, if you try to move it to a DisplayLink display
- Front Row
- DVDs will not be played on a DisplayLink display when mirroring
- This application will not load when a DisplayLink display is set to be the main display
- Google Earth
- Terrains may not load if run on an extended DisplayLink display
- Zooming in and out may be unusable on a DisplayLink display
- iMovie
- iMovie may refuse to load and show the following error: "iMovie requires a graphics card that is compatible with Quartz Extreme. One or more of your graphics cards does not support Quartz Extreme"
- iPhoto
- The DisplayLink display is blank when playing a photo slideshow
- Keynote
- Embedded QuickTime movies will not be displayed on a DisplayLink display
- This application will not run if a DisplayLink display is set to be the main display
- Screen Savers
- OpenGL screen savers will not be shown on a DisplayLink display
- Mosiac screen savers will not be shown on a DisplayLink display
- PhotoBooth
- This application will not run if a DisplayLink display is set to be the main display
- Backdrops will not function on a DisplayLink display
- VLC Player
- This application will crash if a DisplayLink display is set as the main display
- iChat
- The iChat windows blanks if effects are being used and the window is resized
- When partaking in a Video Chat, you cannot enter full screen mode, when used on a DisplayLink display.
- Aperture
- This application crashes when opening large images on a DisplayLink display
- Skype
- This application's window can not be resized, or set as full screen when ran on an extended DisplayLink display
- Parallels
- This application's window can not be set as full screen when ran on an extended DisplayLink display
- Quartz Composer Visualizer
- This application may crash when used on a DisplayLink display.
Problem: The DisplayLink Mac driver does not currently support Quartz/OpenGL/hardware acceleration, and therefore some applications, which require this functionality, encounter difficulties when run on a DisplayLink display.Solution:
Some problems can be avoided by ensuring that a DisplayLink display is not set to be the main display (i.e the display with the menu bar).
If an application refuses to launch when a DisplayLink display is present, try to disconnect all DisplayLink displays, then try to relaunch teh application. Then connect the DisplayLink displays.
This is a known issue, and we hope to support Quartz/OpenGL/hardware acceleration in a future release.
Symptom: Performance may decrease when using 'Spaces' or other applications that require 2D acceleration support.Problem: The DisplayLink Mac driver does not currently support 2D acceleration, and therefore some other applications may not function correctly, or with reduced performance.Solution: We are aware of this issue, and hope to support 2D acceleration in a future release.
Symptom:
Displays are shown as "Display 1", "Display 2" etc, instead of the actual display name and model.
Problem:
This problem occurs when two or more displays/devices with the same name are connected. Display Preferences will show the correct display names.
Solution:
This is an issue with the Mac menu bar, however we are aware of this issue and hope to resolve it in a future release.
Symptom:
When switching between a VMWare operating system and Mac OS X, the DisplayLink display continues to show the VMWare operating system.
Problem:
This problem occurs when a DisplayLink display is connected once VMware is running.
Solution:
This is a known issue which we aim to resolve in a future release.
Symptom: Users may observe reduced performance and reliability on DisplayLink displays when more than two DisplayLink devices are connected to a hub.Problem:
Some hubs struggle to effectively manage the data transfer, when more than two DisplayLink devices are connected to the same hub.
Solution:
Therefore at present we suggest that a maximum of 2 DisplayLink devices are connected to a hub at anyone time, to ensure optimum performance and reliability.
This is a known issue, which we hope to resolve in a future release
Symptom: Some users may encounter blue screens, or system freezes when trying to use Fast User Switching with DisplayLink displays connected.Solution:
We suggest that users do not use Fast User Switching when DisplayLink displays are connected, as we have experienced unreliability with this operating system function on certain configurations.
This is a known issue, and we aim to fully support fast user switching in a future release.
Problem:
Not all messages in the uninstaller are region specific and some may only be shown in English.
Solution:
This is a known issue, which we hope to resolve in a future release.
Symptom: The "Login Window" does not appear when selected from the Fast User Switching menu, if DisplayLink displays are connected.Solution:
Try disconnecting the DisplayLink displays, and requesting the "Login Window" again. It should now appear as expected.
This is a known issue and we hope to support Fast User Switching in a future release.
Symptom:
After installing DisplayLink software, and rebooting, Windows went to Basic mode. It may also occur when a new extra screen is attached.
Problem:
This can be caused by some PCs not having enough resources to support aero mode on multiple displays.
Solution:
This is caused by Vista's performance calculation when new screens are attached. Aero mode can be restored through Control Panel -> Windows Colour and Appearance -> Open classic appearance properties for more colour options -> Windows Aero.
Symptom:
Installing DisplayLink software on a system running version 10 of PCAnywhere, causes system to crash with Blue Screen (BSOD).
Problem:
An analysis of a crash dump shows that awvid5.dll has the problem. This module appears to be the 'pcANYWHERE32 Win NT 5 Display Driver'. Removing PCAnywhere from the PC meant that our software then functioned correctly. The version of PCAnywhere being used was 10.5 in this instance.
Solution:
Upgrade to version 12 of PCAnywhere, which functions correctly.
Symptom:
DisplayLink technology is application independent. Therefore any applications should work with DisplayLink displays
However, as the DisplayLink display is a software based graphics driver, not all hardware acceleration is available to applications. The information below explains the levels of hardware acceleration available in Windows XP and Vista. This can be used to work out if certain applications will work with DisplayLink displays.
Solution:
| Interface |
Windows XP support |
Windows Vista support * |
| DxVA |
No |
Yes, if supported by the primary graphics card |
| Direct 3D |
No |
Yes, but not if the DisplayLink screen is primary |
| DirectDraw |
No |
Yes |
| OpenGL |
No |
Yes, but not full screen, windowed only |
| GDI+ |
No |
Yes, but not full screen, windowed only |
* This is in Vista aero glass mode.
Symptom:
There are a number of different modes that the graphics drivers can run in under Windows Vista. This article summarises the different graphics modes and the terms used in other articles.
Solution:
Microsoft changed the underlying graphics architecture between XP and Vista. When using Vista you should have the latest Vista compatible graphics drivers installed. The Vista graphics driver can be referred to at the WDDM driver.
It may still be possible to take the XP graphics driver for your graphics card and install it under Vista. This is referred to as XDDM mode. This is not a fully supported operating scenario. DisplayLink does not recommend XDDM mode.
When running in WDDM mode, the Vista display can either be in Basic mode or Aero Glass. The difference between these two modes is shown below:
Basic Mode
Aero glass mode
DisplayLink recommends customers use Vista Aero.
Symptom:
When uninstalling DisplayLink software on Vista, the operating system's User Access Control subsystem may issue the warning 'An unidentified program wants access to your computer'. This is a normal part of Vista's User Access Control and must be accepted for the uninstall to complete.
Solution:
Allow the program to run. Your DisplayLink software will uninstall.
Symptom:
If the DisplayLink display is set as the primary and a user connects to the PC using remote desktop, no display is shown on the DisplayLink screen after the remote desktop session.
Problem:
DisplayLink software does not support Windows Remote Desktop. Using Remote Desktop can cause the machine to subsequently fail to display on DisplayLink screens, or to change which screen is primary.Solution:
Although nothing is shown on the DisplayLink screen, it should be possibel to log into the PC. Once logged in, the DisplayLink display will start to work.
Symptom:
DisplayLink displays are secondary displays. There currently needs to be a primary graphics card in the system.
Solution:
Windows XP
Under Windows XP, DisplayLink install their own virtual graphics adapters under device manager and Windows Display Properties. These are indepentant of the primary graphics card.
Windows Vista
Under windows Vista, the DisplayLink graphics driver works closely with the primary graphic card to allow the Vista aero 3D effects. Therefore under Vista, we work with certain primary graphics cards and configurations.
DisplayLink works with all NVidia, ATI and NVidia (including SLi configurations) graphics cards under Vista. We do not support the SiS or Via graphics chipsets.
DisplayLink may not work if there are multiple graphics cards installed in the PC. Also, DisplayLink does not support ATI crossfire configurations
Symptom: When trying to install the DisplayLink software the installer stops and displays a message containing "error message 2738".Problem: VB Scripting is not currently working correctly, so the installer can not continue. Solution:
The VB Scripting may not be operational due to following reasons:
- Personal firewall or anti virus software disables the use of VB scripts.
- Check if there is an option to disable VB scripts in your anti virus and/or firewall software. Ensure the option is not disabling the use of VB scripts.
- If you are unsure if there is an option to disable VB scripts, disable you anti virus/firewall software for installation
- The OS has disabled VB scripts, to enable them again perform the following:
- Log in as an Administrator
- Click on Start->Run
- In 'Open:' text field type "cmd" and click OK (Command Line Window will appear)
- In the Command Line window type: "regsvr32 vbscript.dll" and press Enter (this should enable VBScripts on your PC, with a message saying "DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded" to confirm this).
- Windows Scripting Host installation is broken
- You need to reinstall the Windows Scripting Host, which can be downloaded from here.
Symptom:
Changing the refresh rate of the DisplayLink monitor has no effect.
Problem:
This can occur with Windows Vista and happens more often in Vista basic mode (not aero). The refresh rate change event from Widnows is not correctly sent to the DisplayLink driver.
Solution:
DisplayLink aim to fix this in a future version of software.
There is a workaround for this issue. If wanting to change the refresh rate of the monitor, to also change another resolution parameter at the same time. For example change the colour depth or resolution. Changing another display parameter aswell as the refresh rate will then correctly send the new refresh rate to the DisplayLink driver. Once the refresh rate is set, the other display parameter can be set back to the original value.
Symptom:
Screen corruption can occur for a number of reasons. This article describes possible causes and solutions for screen corruption issues.
Problem:
It is possible that the display has not been correctly updated by Windows. To see if this is the problem:
- Press "Print Screen" to capture the desktop
- Paste the print screen into Windows Paint
If the corruption is still present, then the corruption was caused by windows (as the corruption is in teh Windows graphics buffer, which DisplayLink uses) and not introduced by DisplayLink.
If the corruption is not present, then this could be a known issue
Solution:
Some older versions of Intel graphics drivers will cause corruption on the DisplayLink screen with Vista. The soltution is to upgrade them to version 7.14.10.1111 or later.
If using a combination of mirrored and extended screens, the mirrored screens may got get correctly updated. This is because the DisplayLink mirror driver does not get all display updates from windows when there are extended screens. For example desktop icons may not be shown and can be "painted in" with the mouse pointer. This is a known issue and the solution is to disable the extended displays when using mirror mode.
Symptom:
On Windows Vista, DisplayLink attached screens can be slow when resuming from hibernation or sleep.
Solution:
This is a Windows Vista problem and is believed to be improved with Vista Service Pack 1.
Symptom:
The DisplayLink GUI can display resolutions that the Windows Display Properties dialogue box will not display. This happens with resolutions below 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels high.
Problem:
Windows Display Properties (WDP) does not like modes smaller than 800x600, but can show them (especially if the current mode is between 640 and 800 pixels wide, and 480 and 600 pixels tall).
Modes smaller than 640x480 are never shown, and WDP will try to change it to a higher mode.
If the only available mode is below 640x480, the following error will be seen from Windows Display Properties:
Solution:
This is a limitation of Windows Display Properties. Smaller displays should be managed through the DisplayLink GUI. Alternativly, 3rd party software will support displays with small resolutions, for example Ultramon.
Symptom:
In Powerpoint, the "Display slide show on:" menu has a bug which means that it does not work when there are gaps in the numbering of enabled displays (as shown in WDP).
Problem:
The behaviour described is caused by a bug in PowerPoint when there is a gap in the Windows Display Properties (WDP) numbering of ENABLED displays.
PP enumerates the NUMBER of enabled displays, then populates the "Display slide show on:" box with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, ... etc display (as numerated by WDP), whether or not the display happens to be attached and enabled.
This means that if displays 1 and 3 are enabled (a common set up when there is one DisplayLink display attached), then the "Display slide show on:" menu in the "Set up slide show" box actually shows Display 1 and Display 2 (assuming there is a disabled 2nd head on the graphics card). As expected, enabling display 2 fixes the problem.
Solution:
Users of Powerpoint 2007 can get round this by using "Show presentation on:" in the ribbon, rather than the "Set up slide show" box.
Symptom:
System does not boot correctly with DisplayLink driver installed.
Problem:
This is an extremely rare case, and can occur due to the following reasons:
- A newly installed Mac OS X update is not compatible with a preexisting DL driver
- A newly installed DL driver is not compatible with the installed Mac OS X version
- A third party kernel extension or application loaded at boot is not compatible with the DL driver
Solution:
In these cases the solution is to shut down the computer by pressing the power button for more than 5 seconds. During reboot hold down the shift key for approximately a minute, this will invoke a safe boot. A safe boot will take considerably longer than usual.
No third party kernel extension or application will be loaded during safe boot and automatic login will be disabled, so the user will have to log in to their account.
Once logged in, the user should run the DisplayLink uninstaller, and reboot. After reboot the user should then try to install the latest DisplayLink driver, or third party kernel extension, whichshould hopefiuly resolve this issue.
Symptom:
Having installed the DisplayLink adapter under Windows Vista, the graphics adapter name is same as the primary graphics adapter
Problem:
This can occur after an install. The new DisplayLink graphics adapter do not have the DisplayLink name until after a reboot.
This can cause issues with applciations for the primary graphics adapter, as they may try to control the new DisplayLink graphics adapter.
Solution:
DisplayLink is working on a fix for this issue. If this does cause an issue, then reboot the PC so the names of the DisplayLink graphics adapters are correct.
Symptom:
On Vista WDDM with ATI graphics, TMM brings up the ATI Catalyst Control Center (CCC). Some versions of the CCC crash in the presence of DisplayLink software.
Problem:
DisplayLink software on Vista works by using the primary graphics card driver to add extra screens. The ATI Catalyst Control Center does not appear to work with more than two ATI graphics adapters, therefore crashes when used in conjunction with DisplayLink
Solution:
A workaround is to disable task "MobilePC\TMM" from the Task Scheduler at Control Panel -> Admin Tools -> Task Scheduler.
Symptom:
On Vista WDDM in Aero mode, if the Task Bar is set to "auto hide", it goes transparent when a screen is detached from the PC.
Problem:
This is a Windows issue as it occurs with all secondary screens, not just DisplayLink screens
Solution:
To avoid this problem, do not set the task bar to auto-hide.
