===================================================================== ===================================================================== DisplayLink Software Release: External Release Note Software Package: DisplayLink Demo Version: 5.0.17801.0 ===================================================================== ===================================================================== EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is R5.0 Release Candidate. This release has gone through significant system testing, however some tests are still outstanding, and therefore suitable for use in a test environment. It is not suitable for use on production systems. DisplayLink Software Release 5.0 delivers the following features: - Faster sleep / hibernate - Faster connections (less flashing) - New GUI options for fast desktop layout configuration This release is not compatible with MS Windows 7 and will refuse to install on that operating system. Please visit http://www.displaylink.com/win7 for DisplayLink Windows7 preview drivers. Please note that the following areas of functionality have undergone very limited testing and are not recommended: - Use with over three DisplayLink screens - Use on Intel/ATI switchable graphics laptops This Release Candidate does not correctly support wireless DisplayLink devices: please use this software only with wired devices. Recommendations for use: ------------------------ If using with more than one device, make sure each device is fully installed and working before adding the next. Minor issues can generally be resolved by - detaching and reattaching the DisplayLink device - changing the display mode via the DisplayLink GUI, or - changing the display mode via Windows Display Properties. On Windows Vista WDDM (Aero and Basic): DisplayLink software works closely with the graphics card and there may be interoperability issues with some graphics cards. If this happens, (1) try to upgrade to the latest graphics drivers (2) try to upgrade to latest DisplayLink software (3) report the issue via your support channel (4) if necessary, boot into Safe Mode and use Vista's Backup and Restore Center to recover. Video: video is supported with most popular video players 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. For further support and information about DisplayLink software, please visit http://www.displaylink.com/support ===================================================================== ===================================================================== A. Introduction =============== This is R5.0 Release Candidate. This release has gone through significant system testing, however some tests are still outstanding, and therefore suitable for use in a test environment. It is not suitable for use on production systems. DisplayLink Software Release 5.0 delivers the following features: - Faster sleep / hibernate - Faster connections (less screen flashing) - New GUI options for fast desktop layout configuration This release is not compatible with MS Windows 7 and will refuse to install on that operating system. Please note that the following areas of functionality have undergone very limited testing and are not recommended: - Use with over three DisplayLink screens - Use on Intel/ATI switchable graphics laptops B. Contents =========== Executive Summary A. Introduction B. Contents C. New features D. Note on Windows Vista Modes E. How to Install F. How to Use G. Supported Operating Systems H. PC Minimum Specifications I. Language Support J. Supported Hardware K. Summary of Software State and Issues - Windows Vista WDDM K1. Windows Vista WDDM graphics card support K2. Normal use K3. Video players, rendering technologies and applications K4. Installer and auto-update function L. Summary of Software State and Issues - Vista XDDM, XP, 2K L1. Normal use L2. Video players, rendering technologies and applications L3. Installer and auto-update function M. Driver qualification information C. New features =============== DisplayLink Software Release 5.0 delivers the following features: - Faster sleep / hibernate - Faster connections (less screen flashing) - New GUI options for fast desktop layout configuration Faster sleep / hibernate Faster connections (less screen flashing) ---------------------------------- R5.0 is based on a substantially re-architected codebase, which has user benefits including faster sleep / hibernate performance and faster connection time. New GUI options for fast desktop layout configuration ----------------------------------------------------- The DisplayLink GUI now contains some new options that can be used to quickly switch between commonly used desktop layout configurations. D. Note on Windows Vista Modes ============================== Normally, Windows Vista is in WDDM mode. In this mode, Vista graphics drivers are used, and the Vista Aero Glass and Vista Basic themes are available. Windows Vista PCs whose graphics drivers are not Windows Vista native will run in XDDM (XP-Compatible) mode. In this mode, the 3D Aero Glass theme is not available. This mode will be limited to PCs that were upgraded from XP to Vista and PCs with low-end graphics cards. DisplayLink software supports both modes in different ways, and the level of support and issues are different in the two cases. E. How to Install ================= Important note: If you installed a previous R5.0 beta release, uninstall all previous DisplayLink software before installing this version of the software. Important note: users who have v3.x ‘USB Display Adapter’ software installed in Add/Remove Programs must uninstall it before installing this release. Devices using v3.x software will continue working after this release is installed. Important note: if you are installing several devices, make sure that each is fully installed and showing an image before attaching the next. Software-first install ---------------------- - Unzip the release package - Run ‘setup.exe’ - Once installation is complete, attach a DisplayLink device / screen to the PC and wait for it to come up. Hardware-first install from release package (.zip) -------------------------------------------------- - Unzip the release package to a convenient place, - Connect the DisplayLink device - Point the ‘New Hardware Found’ wizard at the unzipped release package. Hardware-first install from CD ------------------------------ - Put the CD into the PC's drive - Connect the DisplayLink device / screen - Point the ‘New Hardware Found’ wizard at the CD drive. Uninstalling the Release ------------------------ - Go to ‘Add or Remove Programs’ dialog box (XP or 2K) - Go to 'Uninstall a Program' or 'Programs and Features' dialog box (Vista) - Select the customer product you installed - Choose ‘Remove’. F. How to Use ============= DisplayLink screens can run in three modes: - extend mode: the screen is part of the extended desktop - mirror mode: the screen copies the contents of the primary screen - off mode: the screen is black. Display modes can be controlled through the DisplayLink GUI (DL-GUI) and through the Windows Display Properties dialog box (WDP). DisplayLink Manager GUI (System Tray Icon) ------------------------------------------ This is an icon in the systray that looks like a monitor. Click on the icon to bring up the menu. You can control - screen resolution - colour quality - rotation - mode (extend, mirror, off, dock) - extend position (right, left, above, below) - turn off your notebook monitor - auto-update configuration - manual check for newer software. Windows Display Properties (WDP) -------------------------------- To open WDP on XP / 2K - right-click on the desktop - select 'Properties' from the context menu - go to the Settings tab To open WDP on Vista - right-click on the desktop - select 'Personalize' from the context menu - click on Display Settings link To open WDP from DL-GUI - bring up the DL-GUI menu - click 'Advanced...' With WDP you can control - screen resolution - colour quality - extend position - primary screen - refresh rate - whether the device is enabled (= part of the extended desktop) or not (= mirror or off mode). G. Supported Operating Systems ============================== This release supports the following operating systems: - Windows 2000 SP4 - Windows XP SP2 - Windows XP SP3 - Windows Vista SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit editions) H. PC Recommended Specifications ================================ DisplayLink software can be run on PCs ranging from Netbooks (e.g. Asus EeePC), Notebooks/Laptops, and Desktops - on processors ranging from Atom N270 based PCs, basic single Core CPUs, and of course the latest Dual and Quad Core CPUs. The performance of the software is dependent upon the processing power available, and so more capable systems offer higher performance. Recommended typical 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 typical 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 will be lower (or CPU loading higher). Windows XP/2000 =============== * For 1-2 monitors, business usage, productivity target. This may not provide full frame rate DVD playback at full screen. - 1.2GHz Single Core CPU (Celeron or Atom N270 for example) - 512MB memory * 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: - 1.8GHz CPU - 1GB memory * For 6 screens where 1 screen can run full screen DVD video: - 1.6GHz Core Duo - 1GB memory I. Language Support =================== DisplayLink software is localised in the following languages: - English - French - German - Dutch - Italian - Spanish - Portuguese - Polish - Hungarian - Russian - Traditional Chinese - Simplified Chinese - Japanese - Korean J. Supported Hardware ===================== - DL115 / DL125 / DL165 / DL195 devices are supported. - DL120 / DL160 devices are supported. - Earlier devices are supported for backwards compatibility. We support all hardware by default. The following devices will be correctly branded, all other devices will be branded "DisplayLink device". This package supports up to 0 devices with these PIDS: USB_0000: None USB_0010: None USB_0011: Display Adapter (GPIO) USB_0030: Kensington Dock USB_0031: Kensington sd200v USB_0032: Kensington Dock 33367 USB_0033: Kensington Dual Monitor Adapter USB_0034: Kensington sd300v USB_0035: Kensington Wireless Docking Station USB_0051: IOGEAR External VGA USB_0052: IOGEAR External VGA USB_0053: GUC2020DW6 USB_0055: GDIP201 USB_0056: IOGEAR Wireless USB VGA adapter USB_0100: Samsung UbiSync Monitor USB_0101: Samsung UbiSync Monitor USB_0102: Samsung UbiSync Monitor USB_0103: Samsung UbiSync Monitor USB_0110: TOSHIBA Video Dock USB_0111: TOSHIBA Video Dock USB_0112: TOSHIBA Video Dock USB_0113: TOSHIBA dynadock USB_0118: USB to VGA Adapter USB_0119: USB to VGA Adapter USB_011A: USB to DVI Adapter USB_011B: USB to DVI Adapter USB_0120: LG USB Easy Connection USB_0121: LG USB Easy Connection USB_0128: REX-USBDVI Multi Display Adapter USB_0130: USB Adapter USB_0131: USB Viewer-UV120 USB_0132: USB Viewer-UV160 USB_0133: XtraViU USB_0134: XtraViU USB_0135: XtraViU USB_0136: XtraViU USB_0137: USB 2.0 VGA Adapter USB_0138: USB2DVI USB_0139: USB Monitor USB_013A: Ethernet USB_013B: None USB_013E: UWB USB_013F: USB Monitor USB_0140: USB to VGA (AN24X0) USB_0141: USB to DVI (AN24X0) USB_0142: DU9001N2 USB_0143: USB Display Adapter USB_0144: Ultra USB to DVI-VGA Cable Driver USB_0145: None USB_0146: DU2771N1 USB_0147: DU2781N1 USB_0148: USB Display Adapter USB_0149: Sewell DVI Card USB_014A: Sewell DVI Card USB_014B: Monitor Plus USB Adapter USB_014C: DVI over Ethernet USB_014D: AV over Ethernet USB_014E: Wireless Video Dock USB_0150: I-O DATA USB-RGB USB_0151: I-O DATA USB-RGB/D USB_0155: None USB_0158: Display-Enabled Tablet Cradle USB_015A: None USB_015B: Snowdon-USB Display Adapter USB_015C: Snowdon-USB Display Adapter USB_015D: Yushan-USB Display Adapter USB_015E: TRENDnet TU2-DVIV Display Adapter USB_015F: None USB_0160: Targus Universal Notebook Docking Station with DVI Video USB_0164: Silverstone USB_0165: Realtek USB_0166: Realtek USB_0167: Realtek USB_0168: Multi-I USB Device USB_016A: Wizntec showiz USB_016C: None USB_0170: VL-120V USB_0171: VL-120D USB_0172: VL-160V USB_0173: VL-160D USB_0174: Logitec USB Display Adapter USB_0175: Digi-Link Display Adapter USB_0176: None USB_0178: Projector USB_0179: Projector USB_017A: Projector USB_017B: Projector USB_0180: SONY VGP-UPR1 (Display Adapter) USB_0188: CMO2228 Prototype USB_0189: Acer LCD Monitor USB_018A: ASUS EzLink Display USB_0190: Wireless Video USB_0191: Wireless Video USB_0198: WS Tech USB Multi-Display USB_0199: Ftest USB_019A: None USB_019B: Forward Video USB to DVI Adapter USB_019C: Great Wall USB_019D: Lenkeng USB_019E: TX USB_019F: RichTec EasyExtend USB_01A0: Network AV System Display Adapter USB_01A1: None USB_01A8: Snowdon-USB Display Adapter USB_01A9: Yushan-USB Display Adapter USB_01AA: CG Serial D-SUB USB USB_01AB: MMD-2000 USB_01AC: BUFFALO GX-DVI/U2 USB_01AD: USB Display Adapter USB_01AE: EVGA UV Plus+ USB_01AF: Wireless Projector USB_01B0: Acer Monitor USB_01B8: None USB_01BA: USB-LCD USB_01BB: None USB_01BC: None USB_01BE: ASUS EzLink Display (VW202B) USB_01C0: d.Client-USB USB_01C1: d.Vice USB_01C2: d.Client-NET USB_01C3: d.Panel-USB USB_01C4: d.USB Display USB_01CD: None USB_01D0: USB Docking Station USB_01D3: None USB_01D4: HP USB 2.0 Docking Station USB_01E0: Lenovo Display Adapter USB_01E1: Lenovo Wireless USB Port Replicator USB_01E9: EXT-USB-2-DVI USB_01EA: EXT-USB-2-VGA USB_01EB: MVD-USB-2-DV USB_01EC: MVD-USB-2-VGA USB_01F0: PKG USB_01F9: PortRep PR06 USB_01FD: Goodrich LDS Display USB_0200: Acer LCD Monitor USB_0205: None USB_020D: None USB_0211: M-View USB_0212: None USB_0213: Acer LCD Monitor USB_0214: HD Cinema USB_0215: USB2VGA USB_0216: SoundGraph Wireless FrontView Monitor USB_0219: TVI_USB Monitor USB_021A: USB-VGA USB_021F: Digizo 2 USB_0220: iShow USB_022D: NEC Projector Prototype USB_0231: USB to DVI (AN2440) USB_0232: Vantec USB to DVI USB_0233: USB to VGA (AN2410) USB_0234: USB201 USB_0235: USB202 USB_0236: DSH-200U2 USB_0239: USB Display USB_023D: Village Tronic ViBook USB_0241: USB Projector USB_0243: TruLink Wireless USB to VGA adapter USB_024B: Hightech USB_024C: SUNWEIT USB Display USB_0252: None USB_0257: DisplayLink Device USB_0258: DisplayLink Device USB_0259: Avoinca Product USB_025A: Avoinca Product USB_0300: Projector USB_0301: Projector USB_0302: DisplayLink Device USB_4010: Villagetronic USB_4011: Villagetronic USB_4012: Wireless Projector USB_401A: nanovision Mini Monitor USB_4028: Minimon USB_4029: Minimon USB_8010: Prototype USB_8030: Prototype USB_8031: None USB_8040: Prototype USB_8041: Kestrel USB_8042: Merlin VGA USB_8043: Merlin DVI USB_8044: Hawk USB_8050: Lynx USB_8051: Osprey USB_8052: Raptor Docking Station USB_8053: None USB_8054: None USB_8060: Prototype USB_8061: Prototype USB_8062: Pegasus VGA USB_8063: Pegasus DVI-I USB_8064: Orion USB_8070: Vega USB_8071: Vega (Wireless) USB_8072: None USB_8073: Prototype USB_8074: None USB_C031: Composite Dock USB_C051: Composite Osprey K. Summary of Software State and Issues - Windows Vista WDDM ============================================================ K1. Windows Vista WDDM graphics card support -------------------------------------------- Because of restrictions in Vista WDDM support for graphics cards, the DisplayLink software works closely with the graphics drivers for the PC's graphics card. This software supports interworking with single graphics cards from Intel, ATI, Nvidia and Via, including NVidia SLI in SLI mode. DisplayLink cannot exclude severe problems in the case of graphics cards or driver versions that have not been interoperability tested with DisplayLink software. Should such problems arise, - First, upgrade to the latest graphics drivers for your PC. Latest drivers can be found on the PC manufacturer's or graphics card manufacturer's website. - Second, upgrade to the latest DisplayLink software available for your device. Use 'Check now...' from the DisplayLink GUI to find and download latest software. - If this does not help, please inform your DisplayLink device manufacturer's support line. Please give these details: + PC make, CPU and memory + graphics card make, model and driver version. Known Issues - General DisplayLink screens are not supported on systems with two graphics cards used simultaneously (supporting separate screens, or in ATI Crossfire configuration). Two graphics cards in Nvidia SLI configuration are supported. (1704, 4441) DisplayLink software may cause blue screens on software configurations where WDDM drivers from different manufacturers have been installed on the same system, even if just one graphics card is present. (4323) On Vista WDDM, TMM does not appear when DisplayLink screens are attached. It works normally when no DisplayLink screens are attached. (2569) On some systems with hybrid graphics architectures a maximum of 3 DisplayLink screens is supported when in High Performance GPU mode. (4459) On a hybrid machine with DisplayLink software installed do not change the bios settings to ATI only or Intel only. If you need to change those BIOS settings please first uninstall the DL software, then reinstall it once the new settings have been applied. (4339, 4506) On Vista WDDM, very occasionally, if the DisplayLink screen is primary with the main screen off, then the DisplayLink screen flashes continuously when resuming from hibernation. To cure the problem, detach and re-attach the DisplayLink screen. To prevent the problem, set the PC to require a password when coming out of hibernation. (2835) On Vista WDDM, very occasionally, if the DisplayLink screen is primary with the main screen off, then both the main and DisplayLink screens may show corruption when resuming from hibernation. To cure the problem, enable and disable the main screen. (3219) On Vista WDDM aero, DisplayLink software can cause some PCs to become more susceptible to TDRs (Timeout Detection and Recovery). More info at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/wddm_timeout.mspx. Suggested workarounds are (1) upgrade to the latest drivers for the native graphics card; (2) increase TDR timeouts as described in the linked article. (3217) Known Issues - Intel GMA Integrated Graphics Some older versions of Intel GMA drivers will cause corruption on the DisplayLink screen. The solution is to upgrade them to version 7.14.10.1111 or later. This is with Vista WDDM. (2164) Users of Vista WDDM with Intel graphics should exercise caution if using two or more DisplayLink screens at a time. Very occasionally, mode changes or detach/reattach of two DisplayLink devices at once has been observed to cause a complete machine lock-up. (2264) On Vista WDDM systems with Intel 945GM graphics and with graphics driver versions around 7.14.10.1461 and 7.14.10.1504, playing a video on a DisplayLink attached screen can cause the whole system to run very slow. A reboot is needed to resolve this. To avoid the problem, do not play video on such DisplayLink screens, or downgrade the graphics drivers. (3076) On Vista WDDM, some computers with Intel graphics reset DisplayLink screens from extend to mirror when coming out of sleep. A workaround is to disable the Intel persistence application, by removing HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Persistence (The normal value would be C:\windows\system32\igfxpers.exe). (2546) DisplayLink software is currently compatible with Intel/ATI hybrid graphics architectures. Nvidia hybrid platforms are not supported yet. (3068) Known Issues - ATI graphics The ATI Catalyst Control Center is a tool provided by ATI to control ATI graphics cards. In the presence of DisplayLink attached screens, some parts of the tool, such as its adjustments submenu, do not work. This is on all OSes. (1596) Some versions of the ATI Catalyst Control Center crash in the presence of DisplayLink software. This has been observed with versions since ATI driver version 8.360. This can cause problems when a screen is attached to the PC. To work around the problem, uninstall the ATI Catalyst Control Center. On Vista WDDM with ATI graphics, the ATI External Event Utility can interfere with remembered settings for DisplayLink screens. To avoid this, disable the ATI External Event Utility as follows: Navigate to Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Administrative Tools -> Services: Ati External Event Utility and change the startup type to Disabled. (2674) Known Issues - Nvidia graphics On Vista WDDM, Nvidia driver versions earlier than 7.15.10.7500 or 7.15.11.7500 exhibit slowness on DisplayLink screens on some PCs. To fix this, please upgrade to more recent Nvidia graphics drivers. (2282) With Vista, a maximum of four DisplayLink screens are supported on machines with Nvidia graphics. In certain rare cases, exceeding this has been seen to cause repeated serious crashes. (1781) On Vista WDDM, older versions of Nvidia drivers with versions prior to 7.15.11.146 can behave badly in the presence of DisplayLink software. For instance they can cause blue screens when applications are maximised on DisplayLink screens. Also, if DisplayLink devices are attached or detached during restart, it may be necessary to press the reset button on the PC to restore normal functioning. (2119) On Vista WDDM, Nvidia 5 series graphics cards with driver version 7.15.10.9685 cause rundll32 crash messages in the presence of DisplayLink software. If you have such a card, please update to a more recent graphics driver version. (3077) On some Nvidia SLi systems, it is not possible to enable or disable SLi mode while a DisplayLink screen is attached. (3147) Triple SLi systems are not supported. (3146) DisplayLink software is currently compatible with Intel/ATI hybrid graphics architectures. Nvidia hybrid platforms are not supported yet. (3068) K2. Normal use -------------- System behaviour with DisplayLink attached screens has been well tested. Testing covers plug/unplug, mode changes, playing video, hibernate, sleep/standby, multiple users, different user rights, attached screen as primary screen, attached screen as only screen, and other aspects. There are many minor issues. General recommendations if something goes wrong: - detach then reattach the DisplayLink device's USB cable - change display settings using DL-GUI - change display settings using WDP. Known Issues - Hibernate / sleep / monitor power save / screensavers On Vista, very occasionally, DisplayLink devices fail to resume from hibernation or sleep. This is due to issues in the Vista USB subsystem. Hotfix http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941600 should help. This is believed to be fixed in Vista Service Pack 1. (2126) On Vista WDDM, DisplayLink attached screens can be slow when resuming from hibernation or sleep. This is a Vista problem and is believed to be improved in Vista Service Pack 1. (2165) On all OSes, the desktop background is occasionally missing after restart or after resume from sleep or hibernation. The screens are still usable, and the background can be set again to the desired picture. (2154, 2072) On all OSes, detaching or attaching DisplayLink attached screens while a screensaver is running may cause strange effects. Sometimes it is necessary to detach and reattach the DisplayLink attached screen after exiting the screensaver. (1984) 3D screensavers do not run well on DisplayLink devices and can cause flicker and/or decreased graphics performance. This is on all OSes. (1150, 1177, 4426) If devices are detached from the PC before going into standby, then reattached during standby, very occasionally they may not resume when the PC comes out of standby. If this happens, detach and reattach the devices to make them work again. (1492) Known Issues - Other 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). Users of PowerPoint 2007 can get round this by using "Show presentation on:" in the ribbon, rather than the "Set up slide show" box. (2337) Vista WDDM: it's best to avoid switching between 32 bit and 16 bit colour quality on DisplayLink attached screens. Occasionally, this causes the DisplayLink screen to stop working. Detach and reattach it to get it to work again. Very occasionally, this has caused a complete machine lock-up. (2070, 2260) On Vista WDDM, if a DisplayLink screen is primary, it is not possible for another DisplayLink screen to mirror it. (1870) CRT monitors may show speckles at very high resolutions. This is because the DisplayLink device cannot always support the high pixel clock required with high CRT refresh rates. (2155) After a reboot, the numbers used in Windows Display Properties to identify the attached screens may change. This is normal. (596) On Vista WDDM, when using the DisplayLink GUI to set rotation, occasionally the screen rotation will fail to match the GUI's rotation setting. To fix this, apply the setting again, or detach and reattach the DisplayLink screen. (2186) When using a display in mirror mode, changing the rotation setting can cause the display to go into extend mode. Setting the display back to mirror mode will show the correct rotation. (2261) Occasionally, on rotating a DisplayLink screen the monitor may freeze, change resolution or go black. This is most likely if several screens are attached. To recover, detach and reattach the DisplayLink screen. (4061) The log on screen may be offset or incorrectly sized, when DisplayLink screens are attached. (4144) After installing the DisplayLink software on a tablet PC, the pen calibration software may not work correctly. Rebooting solves the issue. (4448) On some configurations with many DisplayLink screens, the screens may take tens of seconds to display an image after connection, and to move windows after disconnection. (4852) Occasionally, Windows will recognise that a DisplayLink screens has been disconnected after a long delay. (4852) Occasionally, moving a video window onto an extended, rotated DL screen results in corruption. To avoid this, don’t move the video window around or change display settings while watching the video. (4697) On ATI graphics, function key enabled display layout utilities may not work correctly when the DisplayLink software is installed. (4964) Some platforms that are running close to their performance limits run slow when DisplayLink screens are attached. A reboot usually solves the problem. (5162) On some configurations, using more than 3 DisplayLink screens might cause some DisplayLink screens to show corrupt or missing graphics. Detaching and reattaching the screens should cure the problem. (4747, 4835, 5159) K3. Video players, rendering technologies and applications ---------------------------------------------------------- Video is supported on Windows Vista in WDDM (Aero) mode. Video playing and rendering using hardware overlays is not supported. The following players are tested by DisplayLink: - Windows Media Player 11 (www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.mspx) - WinDVD 8 (www.intervideo.com) - PowerDVD 7 (www.cyberlink.com) - RealPlayer 11 (www.real.com). This table shows what rendering interfaces are supported: Interface Supported on Vista WDDM Aero? DxVA Yes, if supported by the GPU D3D Yes, but not if the DisplayLink screen is primary DirectDraw Yes OpenGL Yes, but not full screen, windowed only GDI+ Yes, but not full screen, windowed only On Vista WDDM Basic, video is not supported. It may work in some cases but exhibits poor performance. It may stop working after an update from Windows Update that affects the graphics subsystem. (2028) On all platforms, depending on the player, there may be problems if the video window is moved between screens while video is running. It may be necessary to close and restart the video player. With Vista WDDM, on some lower-spec PCs, videos on DisplayLink attached screens pause frequently for several seconds at a time. This is because there is insufficient system performance to display video smoothly. (1798) Known Issues - General Don't change the logged user or 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. (1982, 4435) 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 uses overlays when playing DVDs and so cannot display DVDs on DisplayLink screens. vlc can be configured to use overlays and will not work on DisplayLink screens if so configured. (1807) 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 3. Also, video players such as Windows Media Player, WinDVD fail to play in full screen mode on DisplayLink screens on some PCs. (1655, 2134) On Vista WDDM, applications such as games that use Direct3D will not display on a DisplayLink attached screen that is set to primary. (1815) Some players, including Windows Media Player, do not play DVD content well on DisplayLink attached screens which are set as primary. (2084) Full screen video might flicker on extending rotated DisplayLink screens. The remedy is to avoid rotating the DisplayLink screen, or to play video in a window. (4695) On Vista in Basic mode, video will not play on DisplayLink screens after installation until the PC is rebooted. In Aero mode no reboot is needed before video will play. (4432) Known issues with specific players and applications On Vista WDDM, if Windows Media Player is moved to the DisplayLink screen and is then made full-screen, the screen blanks. To get out of this situation, either 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. (2032) Skype video is believed to be unreliable with Vista. It may cause crashes. On Vista WDDM, if WinDVD is asked to play High-Definition content on a DisplayLink screen, the content will not display and the player may crash. This is because the player uses hardware overlays, which are not supported by DisplayLink software. (1986) On Vista WDDM, if PowerDVD 7 is playing video on a DisplayLink attached screen, and if the screen is rotated, then PowerDVD 7 crashes. The workaround is to apply rotation to the screen before launching PowerDVD 7. (2013) K4. Installer and Auto-update function -------------------------------------- The installer and auto-update function work on all supported operating systems, both hardware-first and software-first. Known issues Do not attach two new DisplayLink devices at once as software for one of them may fail to install. Instead, fully install one device and see it working before attaching a second device. (2022) On Vista WDDM, the machine may drop to basic mode when a new DisplayLink screen is connected. This is because of Vista's normal 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. (2069) If you attach a new DisplayLink device, allow software to start installing, then cancel the install part way through, hardware-first install may no longer work. To complete the install, it may be necessary to run setup.exe directly. (1573) Virus checkers set to very high security may prevent the installer from running. They should be set to lower security during installation and restored to high security once installation is complete. (935) When installing, make sure that only a single user is logged into the PC. That user needs administrator privileges. (1112) On PCs where vbscript.dll is not registered with the DLLServer, the DisplayLink installer cannot run. (1824) AutoUpdate dialogs and menus are not yet localised in Hungarian, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese. Other languages are complete. L. Summary of Software State and Issues - Vista XDDM, XP, 2K ============================================================ L1. Normal use -------------- XDDM mode on Vista 64-bit is not supported. Please upgrade your graphics card driver to the latest native Vista version available. System behaviour with up to six DisplayLink attached screens has been well tested. Testing covers plug/unplug, mode changes, playing video, hibernate, sleep/standby, multiple users, different user rights, attached screen as primary screen, attached screen as only screen, and other aspects. There are many annoyances and intermittent issues. General recommendations when something goes wrong: - try detaching then reattaching the DisplayLink device's USB cable - try changing its display settings using the DisplayLink GUI or the Windows Display Properties dialog box. Known issues - hibernate / sleep / monitor power save / screensavers On all OSes, the desktop background is occasionally missing after restart or after resume from sleep or hibernation. The screens are still usable, and the background can be set again to the desired picture. (2154, 2072) On all OSes, detaching or attaching DisplayLink attached screens while a screensaver is running may cause strange effects. Sometimes it is necessary to detach and reattach the DisplayLink attached screen after exiting the screensaver. (1984) 3D screensavers do not run well on DisplayLink devices and can cause flicker and/or decreased graphics performance. This is on all OSes. (1150, 1177, 4426) 3D screensavers are not displayed on DisplayLink screens that are rotated in portrait mode. (5076) When the machine is set to ask for a password after standby / sleep / hibernate / screensaver etc, sometimes the login screen displays on all attached screens and sometimes it displays on a single screen only. If devices are detached from the PC before going into standby, then reattached during standby, very occasionally they may not resume when the PC comes out of standby. If this happens, detach and reattach the devices to make them work again. (1492) Very occasionally, DisplayLink screens may fail to resume from hibernation or standby. They come on after detach / reattach. (4681, 4660) Windows Foundation Presentation based applications may show corruption or flashing on DisplayLink screens when opened. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Presentation_Foundation for details of WPF based applications. (4825) Some platforms that are running close to their performance limits run slow when DisplayLink screens are attached. A reboot usually solves the problem. (4760, 4761) Known issues - Windows 2000 Installation of DisplayLink driver on Windows 2000 SP4 requires patch SP4 Rollup 1. This is available from www.microsoft.com. See Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB891861. It is important to check in Windows 2000 that full USB2 is available, otherwise performance will be impaired. To do this, look in Device Manager under Universal Serial Bus Controllers for an item called "USB 2.0 Root Hub". If it is not there then performance will be USB1. (1188) On Windows 2000, when many devices are attached to the PC and the PC is hibernated then woken up, not all the devices come back to life immediately. It is occasionally necessary to detach and reattach the USB connection to a device to coax it back to life. (1293, 1302) On a Windows 2000 system where only a DisplayLink screen is enabled, locking the screen and then disconnecting it could cause all the other screens to remain unusable. Reconnecting the DisplayLink screen solves the issue. (4501) Foreign language support on Windows 2000 has not been fully tested. Layout information (enabled/extending/primary) for the main screen is sometimes lost after reboot. The layout can be restored using the Windows Display Properties dialog box. (4636) Known issues - other When fast user switching to an user account without administrative privileges and then logging off, the DisplayLink screens may go black. (4446) 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). Users of PowerPoint 2007 can get round this by using "Show presentation on:" in the ribbon, rather than the "Set up slide show" box. (2337) CRT monitors may show speckles at very high resolutions. This is because the DisplayLink device cannot always support the high pixel clock required with high CRT refresh rates. (2155) 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. The workaround is to uninstall the ATI Catalyst Control Center. (2054) After a reboot, the numbers used in Windows Device Properties to identify the attached screens may change. This is normal. (596) L2. Video players, rendering technologies and applications ---------------------------------------------------------- On Vista XDDM, video support is very limited. With extended screens, video or DVD playback are not supported in general. Exceptions: PowerDVD7 and Quicktime are able to display video on a DisplayLink attached display, so long as that display is the primary display. Video is not supported in clone mode. It works, but exhibits poor performance. (1495) On XP, video support is limited to players that support hardware overlays. In extend mode, the following media players work: - Windows Media Player 11 (www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.mspx) - WinDVD 8 (www.intervideo.com) - PowerDVD 7 (www.cyberlink.com) - RealPlayer 11 (www.real.com) There is limited support for other video players, and for video in mirror mode. This table shows what rendering interfaces are supported: Interface Supported on XP extend? DxVA No D3D No DirectDraw Yes OpenGL No GDI+ No On all platforms, depending on the player, there may be problems if the video window is moved between screens while video is running. It may be necessary to close and restart the video player. Known issues - general Don't change the logged user or 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. (1982) Some players, including Windows Media Player, do not play well on DisplayLink attached screens which are set as primary. (2084) DVD movies will not play back if they are dragged to an extended DisplayLink screen while running. They play OK if the player starts up on the extended screen. (no bug number) On Windows 2000, video playing is not supported. (2708) Known issues with specific players and applications Windows Media Player sometimes fails to play DVDs on extended screens on Windows XP. The workaround is to switch off VMR in WMP. (3884) RealPlayer does not play DVDs on extended or mirrored screens on Windows XP. This is the case whether the extra screens are DisplayLink screens or directly attached. (2802) Skype video is believed to be unreliable with Vista. It may cause crashes (no bug number). Skype video does not work on DisplayLink screens with Windows XP. This is because Skype video uses VMR9, which is supported by DisplayLink software on Vista WDDM, but not on Vista XDDM or on XP. Trying to use skype video on XP may cause black screens or freeze the DisplayLink attached screen. (1651) On XP, WinDVD may crash when trying to play Bluray with the DisplayLink screen as the primary screen. (3785) When using a display in mirror mode, changing the rotation setting can cause the display to go into extend mode. Setting the display back to mirror mode will show the correct rotation. (2261) Occasionally, on rotating a DisplayLink screen the monitor may freeze, change resolution or go black. This is most likely if several screens are attached. To recover, detach and reattach the DisplayLink screen. (4061) L3. Installer and Auto-update function -------------------------------------- The installer and auto-update function work on all supported operating systems, both hardware-first and software-first. USB drivers have been signed. Known issues On Windows 2000, DisplayLink software fails to install on PCs where Service Pack 4 was installed before installing a MUI pack. This is a Windows issue - see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 263212. To work round this problem, 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. Install DisplayLink software, and then set the language settings back to their original settings. (1010) Do not attach two new DisplayLink devices at once as software for one of them may fail to install. Instead, fully install one device and see it working before attaching a second device. (2022) If you attach a new DisplayLink device, allow software to start installing, then cancel the install part way through, hardware-first install may no longer work. To complete the install, it may be necessary to run setup.exe directly. (1573) Virus checkers set to very high security may prevent the installer from running. They should be set to lower security during installation and restored to high security once installation is complete. (935) When installing, make sure that only a single user is logged into the PC. That user needs administrator privileges. (1112) On PCs where vbscript.dll is not registered with the DLLServer, the DisplayLink installer cannot run. (1824) AutoUpdate dialogs and menus are not yet localised in Hungarian, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese. Other languages are complete. (Vista XDDM) Occasionally, after install and reboot, the DisplayLink devices are not operational. In this case, reboot again and they become operational. (969) M. Driver qualification information ----------------------------------- The following DisplayLink driver components included in this release have been qualified and signed by Microsoft's Windows Quality Labs (WHQL) with the specified submission identification number: ID 1322076 - usb-v5.0.17489.0 ID 1319651 - mirror-v5.0.16859 ID 1319878 - extend-v5.0.16961 ID 1321659 - filter-5.0.17276.0 ID 1322409 - composite-v5.0.17570