# Video Issues with Windows XP and Bootcamp



## kyragtopgirl (Feb 27, 2008)

Hope you can help me with this. I can't find anything anywhere.

I am running an iMac with Mac 10.4 (Tiger) and a a Radeon X1600 Video card. I have Bootcamp installed and it is running also Windows XP Pro. Both OS's are fully updated. All drivers have been installed in Bootcamp. Everything is running fine except:

When I want to attach a VGA display (Plasma TV)while running Windows, I can't get the signal to show up. It works fine if I am running Mac, but it is acting like the signal isn't even getting to the TV. I have attached a PC to the Television, and it works fine. If it is resolution issues, it usually says on the TV that it is an "invalid format." Then, I know it's a resolution problem, but if it says "Not Signal," as it does now, I know there simply isn't a signal. I know that when you connect an external VGA to a laptop you have to press function keys to get the signal to output, but with an iMac, you don't have function keys, or do you? I would appreciate any help in this. The computer is in a school computer lab, and the teacher would really appreciate the fix. Thanks for your time. 
:4-dontkno


----------



## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Chances are if it works with the Mac OS and not Windows, then it's not going to be something you can fix. The ability to output to a TV isn't a software issue, it's a low level hardware issue, and the video card's hardware is make to work with the Mac OS, not Windows. On the card there is something called firmware, and it's onboard code for the card to work, and talk to the OS. Mac and Windows video cards have different firmware, and will not talk to the other OS, hence why you can't buy any old video card and put it in a Mac, and you can't put a Mac video card in a Windows PC. It would seem that Apple has written the drivers that allows Windows to use most of the video card functions, but the TV out isn't one of them. The only way to be sure is to see if AMD has Windows drivers for that video card on their support site that you can download and try, but be careful as it may just mess the whole Windows install up.


----------



## kyragtopgirl (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks for your reply. That makes sense. The only way I could figure out how I could make it work is to install Parallels, and then run Windows over Mac. That might be our only option. Thanks again. 
K:wave:


----------

