How to project from a laptop

Projecting from a laptop:

1. Turn on the projector.
2. Plug a VGA cable to the “Computer 1” jack in the back of the projector.
3. Plug the VGA cable to the Video Jack in the laptop (normally colored blue). If working with a Mac you will need an adaptor.
4. For PCs, press the Function (Fn) key and the F# key simultaneously. This should work for all models. The F# will vary depending on the manufacturer (F8 for Dells, F6 for IBM, etc.). The appropriate key will read CTR/LCD or will show a square with a line on it. This combination of keys switches the video image to the next display option. The options include the integrated display (that is, the laptop’s screen), an external monitor (that is the projector) or both displays simultaneously (the one we want).
   Troubleshooting: If this does not work, right click on the desktop. Scroll down to Properties. A window will open called “Display Properties”. Click on Settings. Make sure that Display 1 is selected. Monitor 1, the default display, should be the laptop’s screen and once it is selected the Fn + F# combination should work. If someone changed the default primary and secondary monitors, you need to read the documentation that came with the video card and refer to the user manual of the laptop.
5. Macs will detect the Projector automatically. If not, click on the blue apple (top left corner), go to System Preferences, and click on Display. On the next window, click on Arrangement Tab. Make sure that the option “Mirror displays” is checked. If when clicking on the display icon two windows open instead of 1, it means that the computer is "seeing" the projector, but is sending the image in an inappropriate resolution. First try clicking on the "Detect displays" button. If that does not work, try changing the resolution. ("800X600 extended/stretched" resolution would normally work; if not try "1024X792 extended/stretched").

If the projector shows only part of the laptop screen (for example, shows the background image of the desktop but not the icons) the problem is different. Someone selected what is called “Dual Independent Display Mode”. Then, you need to read the following:

For Microsoft Windows XP:

1. Connect the external monitor, TV, or projector to the computer.
2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Under "Pick a category", click Appearance and Themes.
4. Under "pick a Control Panel icon", click Display.
5. In the Display Properties window, click the Settings tab.
6. Click the Monitor 2 icon, check the box "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" and then click Apply.
7. Change Screen Area to the appropriate sizes for both displays and click Apply.
8. If prompted to restart the computer, click Apply the new color setting without restarting and click OK.
9. If prompted, click OK to resize your desktop.
10. If prompted, click Yes to keep the settings.
11. Click Ok to close the Display Properties window

To disable dual independent display mode:

1. Connect the external monitor, TV, or projector to the computer
2. Click the Settings tab in the Display Properties window.
3. Click the Monitor 2 icon, uncheck the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" option, and then click Apply
4. If necessary, press Fn+F# to bring the screen image back to the computer display.

You might encounter the same problem with MAC Powerbooks

This is what the MAC website says about it: "Open a Big Window on the World Want to see how easy it is to connect an external display to a PowerBook? Want to see that again? Seriously, with the PowerBook you just connect an external display and it works. First time, every time. You can even choose what you’ll see on the second display: the same image you see on the built-in display (that’s called video mirroring) or — the default — an extension of your Mac OS X desktop (called dual-display mode). Want to toggle between the two modes? Just use the F7 key. By the way, PowerBook offers five ways to connect an external display: DVI, ADC, VGA, S-video and composite."