| Author |
 Topic  |
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: |
 Posted - Sep 28 2004 : 07:44:45 AM
|
I've just installed Outlook 2003 on a new Acer Travelmate C301.
When email is checked, at the very end of the send/receive process the screen changes. Tightly spaced vertical black lines appear within the Outlook window, extending exactly to the edge of the frame of the main panes on three sides. Oddly, the lines stop about 40% of the way up the pane so they only cover 40% of the space within the frame.
The lines appear only if the Outlook window is maximized. However, they appear regardless of whether the window is maximized on the notebook screen in notebook mode, tablet mode, or dual monitor mode, and they also appear on the extended monitor in dual monitor mode if the window is maximized there.
If I switch to another program and then back again, essentially refreshing the screen, the lines disappear until the send/receive process occurs again.
If the program I switch to only refreshes a portion of the affected screen area, that part of the screen is fixed but the rest of the problem remains.
If I make a change such that the information in the Outlook screen moves upward, the lines move up too so that eventually the vertical lines can be placed almost anywhere on the screen.
I have reinstalled/updated my video and ethernet drivers. After doing so, the problem seemed to go away for a little while, then reappear. I also made a change to my Outlook view settings and the problem once again went away briefly.
My thought is that this is a conflict between Outlook 2003 and something that is particular to this notebook (hardware or driver), and something that doesn't happen all that often (explaining why the problem can go away for a while after some kind of update).
Suggestions?
|
|
|
daveshih
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
116 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer TMC110ci |
Posted - Sep 28 2004 : 08:14:13 AM
|
ghasp,
Can you do a quick test for us? Next time when this happens, do a screenprint (alt+printscreen) and paste it in Paint and save the image as a picture (bmp or jpg). Now what happen when you view this screenprint on another pc? Does it have the same anomaly?
If yes, then most likely Outlook has a problem, so do a repair or re-install. If not, then most likely your video driver has a problem, so do a re-install.
Also, this could be a hardware problem (ie. video card, or memory is corrupted). Is your tablet on and hot when this anomaly would happen?
|
Image Insert:
2.84 KB |
 |
|
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C301 |
Posted - Sep 29 2004 : 06:38:52 AM
|
The problem hasn't happened today (I changed some outlook settings which is a way to make the problem disappear for a little while), but I have already reinstalled the video driver and repaired Outlook, both to no avail.
I haven't noticed if the problem might be related to notebook heat. That is certainly a possibility. (Definitely the tablet is on when the anomaly happens . . .) |
|
|
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C301 |
Posted - Sep 29 2004 : 07:45:25 AM
|
The problem just returned. I do not feel that the notebook is unusually hot right now - maybe a bit warm, but the airflow out of the vent seems reasonable.
Here is a screenshot at fairly low resolution, I can provide higher if that would help anyone give me a suggestion.
Image Insert:
72.6 KB |
|
|
|
Crippit
Tablet PC Trainee
41 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer Travelmate C302xmi |
Posted - Sep 29 2004 : 12:24:03 PM
|
| Does it do it when you are using any other program but Outlook? |
|
|
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C301 |
Posted - Sep 29 2004 : 6:31:35 PM
|
| No, I've described the problem as completely as possible. Pretty strange, huh? |
|
|
|
daveshih
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
116 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer TMC110ci |
Posted - Sep 30 2004 : 12:42:09 PM
|
ghasp,
I don't personally own a c301, so I don't know about its BIOS settings. Is there anything in there that says something like ROM Shadow, or Video Shadow? If so, disable it.
BTW, WinXP Tablet SP1 or SP2? Also, under My Computers -> Properties -> Advanced tab -> Performances Settings, what do you have? Let Windows decide, best appearance, or best performance? What happens when you change from one to the other?
Another thought: the size and area of the vertical bar looks kinda like a docked TIP. So what happens when you have your TIP docked? Does the vertical bar happen also?
Yet another thought: what other programs/processes are you running? If you run only Outlook, does this happen?
Also, does C301 use Intel Extreme for graphics? If so, which version of the driver are you running?
Are you running any customized Wacom Tablet drivers?
|
Image Insert:
2.84 KB |
|
|
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C301 |
Posted - Oct 04 2004 : 10:27:37 AM
|
I still haven't looked at the Bios yet, but will.
SP2
I was using "best performance" except for 2 boxes checked. I just switched to full "best performance".
Docking TIP produced interesting results - see picture. There are now two sets of the vertical lines.
Image Insert:
80.91 KB |
|
|
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C301 |
Posted - Oct 04 2004 : 10:46:29 AM
|
More answers to daveshih:
It happens when the only application open is Outlook. I have 80 background processes operating (nothing that strange in my opinion) and it would be a pretty big job to run through them one by one trying to figure out if they are in conflict. Anything in particular you think I should focus on?
Intel Extreme Graphics 6.14.10.3889 (latest I think)
No customized Wacom drivers to my knowledge. Have no idea what you are talking about, actually. I am using it pretty much out-of-the-box I think. |
|
|
|
daveshih
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
116 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer TMC110ci |
Posted - Oct 05 2004 : 08:35:20 AM
|
My, my...what interesting results... Let's go at it one by one:
1. 80 background processes are quite a few. Right now my work desktop only has about 50. Start closing them one by one using TaskManager. You can start from non-system processes. If it complaints (something like "This is critical system process.") then skip. Whither it down one by one to the bare essentials and see if Outlook still acts up.
2. Have you applied Office SP1?
3. Start | Run | Msconfig. Notice any weird services and/or startup programs in there?
4. Wacom is the vendor that produces the digitizer that sits behind your screen and recognises your stylus input. They've put out newer drivers for all tablets that uses their technology (http://www.wacom.com/tabletpc/). Some of their latest beta drivers can be buggy, but if you haven't heard from them, then it's a none issue. Might want to give those a try, too, if you feel up to it.
This is one of the more intriguing questions I've come across. Perhaps you should post it also on TabletpcBuzz's "Tablet Software" forum (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=5) and Microsoft's Tabletpc newsgroup (http://communities.microsoft.com/Newsgroups/default.asp?ICP=windowsxp&sLCID;=US&newsgroup;=microsoft.public.windows.tabletpc)
to get other people's feedback.
Don't give up!
|
Image Insert:
2.84 KB |
|
|
|
zero8
Tablet PC Trainee
United Kingdom
5 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C302Xmi |
Posted - Oct 06 2004 : 09:36:51 AM
|
Ghasp, I have a week old C302xmi with Office 2003 and have exactly the same problem as you. |
Image Insert:
2.48 KB |
|
|
|
ghasp
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
10 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C301 |
Posted - Oct 06 2004 : 7:14:27 PM
|
Well, I don't have time tonight to try Daveshih's suggestions. I really don't want to close processes one-by-one, assuming that I need to reboot after each. Man, that could kill a whole night's sleep.
I just spent some time with an Acer support person. He told me that I needed to reinstall the video driver in safe mode (I had been doing it in regular mode). So after doing this the problem is . . . WORSE. Now I get big thick black lines extending 80% up the screen.
Very reassured to know that someone else has the same exact problem.
I have spybot and norton anti-virus installed. Think maybe it has something to do with one of those? |
|
|
|
qcomdrj
Tablet PC Guru
USA
646 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer C302 XMi-G |
Posted - Oct 06 2004 : 10:40:56 PM
|
| You don't have to reboot after killing each process, not if you do it from CTRL-ALT-DEL. Only if you do it in <msconfig> would you have to reboot to see the effects of each one, but if you do it in msconfig then the effects will be lasting (until you turn whatever back on). What video settings do you have it on? |
|
|
|
|
Jannock
Tablet PC Ponderer
USA
73 Posts
My Tablet PCs: C303xmi. |
Posted - Oct 06 2004 : 11:12:06 PM
|
Let us know what happens. I just got Office pro 2003 and was going to load it on to my C303 when it comes back from the shop on Friday. Think that i might just wait now. Do others have office 2003 on their tablets? Did anybody do it as an upgrade from office XP or does this problem only occur on new installs?
-Jannock
|
|
|
|
|
daveshih
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
116 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer TMC110ci |
Posted - Oct 07 2004 : 09:21:12 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by ghasp
Well, I don't have time tonight to try Daveshih's suggestions. I really don't want to close processes one-by-one, assuming that I need to reboot after each. Man, that could kill a whole night's sleep.
Like others have said, you don't need to reboot after closing each process from within TaskManager.
quote:
I just spent some time with an Acer support person. He told me that I needed to reinstall the video driver in safe mode (I had been doing it in regular mode). So after doing this the problem is . . . WORSE. Now I get big thick black lines extending 80% up the screen.
Look at the bright side. It is actually progress. It means that it does has something to do with the video driver. I've always install my Intel Extreme drivers in regular mode, though. Hmmm...wonder why it would cause more problems.
Try this:
1. Be in regular mode (no need for Safe Mode, I think)
2. Re-download the Intel video driver (ver 14.7, I think), but download the .ZIP version, not the .EXE version.
3. Extract the files into an empty folder
4. Run Setup -b -overwrite -s from the command line (it forces a reboot, overwrite all files, and in silent mode)
5. Reboot
Hopefully this overwrites everything video driver setting wise and give you a clean slate to work with.
quote:
Very reassured to know that someone else has the same exact problem.
I have spybot and norton anti-virus installed. Think maybe it has something to do with one of those?
Oh, yeah, disable all anti-virus and anti-spyware before you do the aforementioned steps.
Don't give up!
|
Image Insert:
2.84 KB |
|
|
|
daveshih
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
116 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Acer TMC110ci |
Posted - Oct 07 2004 : 09:24:42 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Jannock
Let us know what happens. I just got Office pro 2003 and was going to load it on to my C303 when it comes back from the shop on Friday. Think that i might just wait now. Do others have office 2003 on their tablets? Did anybody do it as an upgrade from office XP or does this problem only occur on new installs?
-Jannock
Mine's been fine (tried couple of versions of beta, both clean install AND upgrade from Office XP). Don't forget to install Office SP1. I'd do it in this order:
1. Office 2003
2. Office 2003 SP1
3. Windows XP SP2 (if not already installed).
Don't wait... Office 2003 SP1 really does shine on a tablet... |
Image Insert:
2.84 KB |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
vertical lines appear after send/receive 
