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Dual monitor setup with identical monitors - why do the monitors look different?

I set up a laptop w/a docking station, keyboard, & 2 identical monitors such that when the laptop is closed, I can work off of the 2 monitors. However, despite the monitors being the same model, they have different recommended resolutions. When I go with those, one of the monitors shows everything as larger/more "zoomed in" than the other. But if I change the resolution, everything on that monitor gets slightly blurry.

The laptop is Windows 7. The monitors are Dell E1916H. The docking station is Dell E-Port Plus Model PR02X.

When I right-click on the desktop and hit "screen resolution," this is what I see:

-For the "good" monitor, the "Display" drop-down says DELL E1916H and the "Resolution" drop-down says "1366 x 768 (recommended)." The "Multiple displays" drop-down says "Extend desktop to this display," and it states "This is currently your main display." This monitor is connected to the docking station w/a DP cable.

-The "problem" monitor says "Non-PnP" in the "Display" drop-down. (I'm not sure why it wouldn't say E1916H like the other one.) The "Resolution" drop-down says "1024 x 768 (recommended)." The "Multiple displays" drop-down says "Extend desktop to this display." There is a checkbox for "Make this my main display" that is currently not checked. This monitor is connected via a VGA cable.

How can I get the second monitor to look like the first one? The only difference I can think of between the two is that they're connected with different cables.

Thank you!

2 Answers

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  • Chris
    Lv 7
    2 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    The problem is: one monitor is connected with a VGA cable.

    Since VGA is analog, your laptop cannot identify the monitor. All is knows is that there's some device at the other end, a non-Plug and Play one. What you can do is try and find and set the appropriate driver, telling your computer that it's also a E1916H. Once you do that, you should be able to set the correct resolution.

    The Dell website only has drivers for Win 10 though. Try a generic 1366x768 flatscreen driver.

  • 2 years ago

    VGA cables don't give monitor info to the computer, so it doesn't know what resolutions it can do (or what model it is)

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