Plugable

Plugable’s USB 2.0 Graphics Adapter (DisplayLink DL-195)

Posted on 07. Mar, 2010 by Bernie Thompson in UGA-2K-A

Plugable’s new USB 2.0 Graphics Adapter is now available on Amazon.com.

The DisplayLink DL-195 chip inside this adapter is the best high-end chip out there for adding a display over USB. And because it pushes USB 2.0 and analog VGA to their limits, it isn’t likely to be beaten by any other chip in the USB 2.0 generation.

For this new adapter from Plugable, we wanted to offer that high-end choice, and also make sure that everything else about the adapter package itself meets or beats any alternative out there.

• The Plugable UGA-2K-A includes a DVI->HDMI adapter (in addition to the usual DVI->VGA adapter)
• The latest drivers are available on Windows Update and from displaylink.com
• Open source available, so there’ll be new software written for this device, even years from now
• Public problem reporting and support, so you can always get the full story about the product
• Amazon’s fast shipping and A-to-z guarantee on your purchase

In future posts, we’ll cover some of the cool things this device can do by enabling many displays on any PC (things like create the ultimate day-traders’ war-room, with many displays built around a single laptop).

Until then, you can read more about the product launch in the stuffily worded press release here. And more on the product page at http://plugable.com/products/uga-2k-a/.

Win7 Plug and Play with the UGA-2K-A

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Bernie Thompson in Windows

Attach your new Plugable USB graphics adapter to a Win 7 PC. What happens?

.. driver is found and downloaded from Microsoft’s Windows Update system…

… and a DisplayLink EULA and a bunch of screen flashes later …

Windows 7 and a network connection takes care of it. No driver disk needed.

Enabling Windows Update on Windows XP

Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by Bernie Thompson in Windows

Windows 7 and Vista have Windows Update on by default, as do most recent Windows XP machines. So when a new USB device arrives, the system is able to go out to the Internet and check Microsoft’s huge library of drivers to find a match — a great plug and play experience for devices like those we make here at Plugable.

But Windows XP, when it originally shipped in 2001, didn’t have this capability. So to enable Windows Update on XP, if you don’t already have it on, just upgrade to XP Service Pack 2 or later, and follow Microsoft’s steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select one of the following options. We recommend that you select the Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them option.

Microsoft has more information in their knowledge base article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525