see that you have not inadvertently directed the computer to ignore the LCD
and instead output an image to an attached CRT (video monitor). If so, switch
back to the LCD. Consult the instruction manual (or carefully examine the
secondary labels on the keyboard) for details. For example, the key combina-
tion on one machine in my office uses the special Fn shift together with the
F5 key.If these suggestions don’t solve the problem, then you have the seeming
conundrum that goes something like this: How can I make adjustments to the
video display when I can’t see anything on the screen? These three ideas may
shed some light.Stop loading Windows and display the system BIOS screen
Here’s idea number one.- Consult the instruction manual for your laptop for directions to dis-
play the BIOS setup.
On some machines you see a brief notice on the screen as the machine
first comes to life; you may be asked to press the F2 or Esc button. - Look for a setting that changes the video output or selects an output
standard or a display resolution. On most machines, it should read
LCD for video output.
If you’re uncertain about proper BIOS settings and can’t get clear advice
on help screens or the instruction manual, do the following: Write down
all of the settings as they currently read. - Once you are certain you have a record of the BIOS settings, look for
a command on the BIOS screen that permits a reset to Setup Default.
Choosing the default should work fine if you haven’t made any changes
to your machine’s hardware, such as installing a new hard drive or a dif-
ferent CD or DVD drive. The BIOS automatically recognizes the amount
of memory installed and should determine the needs of drives, but
sometimes the best plans go awry. That’s why you made a complete and
careful copy of the BIOS settings as they existed before resetting to the
default. - If you haven’t made any changes to the BIOS settings, select Exit and
Do Not Save Changes or a similar command.
If you have made changes, or reset the BIOS to the default setting, select
Exit and Save Changes or a similar command.44 Part II: Explaining What Could Possibly Go Wrong