Are you willing to send your system to us? Yes
Is your system a laptop or desktop? Laptop
If desktop, is it custom built, or manufactured?
If desktop, what is the make/model of your motherboard?
What is the make/model of your system? Lenovo 3000 C200
What is the model of your CPU? Intel T2080
What is the make/model of your failing display(s)? AU Optronics B150PG01
If laptop, is your built-in display failing? Yes
What is your operating system? Windows Vista Business
Is it a 64-bit or 32-bit operating system? 32-bit
What display driver version do you have installed? Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset Family provided by Intel Corp, 10/22/2008, ver 7.15.10.1587 (this was the Lenovo download). I have also tried the slightly older version that is the latest one available directly from Intel. I have also tried the one available from Windows Updates. All fail the same way.
What type of connection are you using? (HDMI, VGA, DP, DVI?) LVDS
What happens that results in the blackscreen failure? It *always* goes to a black screen in normal mode after the Windows splash/progress bar (before getting to the Welcome screen). It always works in safe mode, or if I uninstall the Intel 945 device. This laptop is dual-booting with Lubuntu 14.04, and that driver works fine.
I have another Lenovo 3000 C200 here configured much the same way, but it does not have the blank screen problem. Its configuration differs slightly in that it has 2GB RAM instead of the 1GB on the problem machine, and it has a 1024x768 display instead of 1400x1050 as on the problem machine.
Also worth noting: The machine that works OK only has one Intel 945 display adapter device. The problem machine has two, though I understand that this is actually the expected behavior (see http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/intel945gm/sb/CS-022194.htm). If I disable the device for PCI bus 0, device 2, function 0, then the other device disappears, there are effectively 0 display adapters installed, Windows uses a default display device, and I can boot into normal mode and set the resolution to a max of 1280x1024. It's a bit fuzzy at this non-native res, but at least it's in the ballpark of expected behavior.
I should add that the screen on the problem machine is not OEM, but a replacement of higher resolution. But the chipset specs show that it should be supported, and the Lubuntu performance confirms that -- also thereby confirming that the resolution is not BIOS-restricted.
And yes, I did flash to the latest BIOS and update everything.
Is there a better workaround for this older chipset? Or is Intel willing to take this laptop and work on it?