DELL E2420HS (03) PDF DOCUMENT

Dell Display Manager is a Microsoft Windows application used to manage your DELL E2420HS monitor or a group of monitors. It allows for manual adjustment of the displayed image, assignment of automatic settings, energy management, window organization, image rotation, and other features. After installation, Dell Display Manager runs each time the system starts and places its icon in the notification tray.

Dell Display Manager (DDM) uses the DDC/CI channel to communicate with your monitor. You must ensure that DDC/CI is enabled in the monitor’s On-Screen Display (OSD) menu. To do this on your DELL E2420HS, navigate through the menu to ‘Others’, select ‘DDC/CI’, and set it to ‘On’.

To open the Quick Settings dialog, click the Dell Display Manager icon in the notification tray. This dialog box allows for convenient adjustment of the monitor’s brightness and contrast levels. You can select ‘Manual Mode’ or ‘Auto Mode’, and the screen resolution can be changed. The Quick Settings dialog also provides access to the advanced user interface for more functions.

In the Dell Display Manager’s ‘Basic’ tab, you can select ‘Manual Mode’ to manually choose a preset mode, or select ‘Auto Mode’ which applies a preset mode based on the active application. The monitor’s Brightness and Contrast can be directly adjusted from this tab.

When multiple Dell monitors are connected, you can apply brightness, contrast, and color preset controls to all monitors simultaneously. To do this, open Dell Display Manager, go to the ‘Basic’ tab, and select the checkbox for “Enable display matrix control”.

The ‘Auto Mode’ tab allows you to associate a specific Preset Mode with an application. When ‘Auto Mode’ is enabled, Dell Display Manager automatically switches to the corresponding Preset Mode whenever the associated application is activated. To add a new application to the assignment list, simply drag the application’s icon from the desktop, Windows Start Menu, or elsewhere, and drop it onto the current list. Please note that Preset Mode assignments for batch files, scripts, loaders, and non-executable files like zip archives are not supported.

The Easy Arrange feature helps you effectively organize your application windows. First, go to the ‘Easy Arrange’ tab in Dell Display Manager and choose a pre-defined layout pattern that suits your work. Then, drag your application windows into the defined zones, and they will automatically position and resize. You can press “>” or use the Page Up/Page Down key to find more layouts. To create a custom layout, arrange the open windows as you like and then click ‘Save’.

If you frequently use the Windows snap feature, you can prioritize it over Easy Arrange. In the ‘Easy Arrange’ tab, select the checkbox for “Hold down the SHIFT key to enable zone positioning”. After this is enabled, you will need to press the Shift key to use Easy Arrange positioning, while standard dragging will use the Windows snap feature.

Yes, if you are using multiple monitors in an array or matrix, the Easy Arrange layout can be applied across all the monitors as a single desktop. To enable this feature, go to the ‘Easy Arrange’ tab and select the checkbox for “Span multiple monitors”. You will need to align your monitors properly to use this feature effectively.

The ‘Input Manager’ tab in Dell Display Manager provides ways to manage multiple video inputs connected to your DELL E2420HS. All available video input ports (e.g., VGA, HDMI) are listed. You can give each input a custom name. You can also define a shortcut key to quickly switch to your favorite input and another shortcut key to quickly switch between two specific inputs if you often work between them. You can also use the dropdown list in this tab to switch to any available input source.

Yes. Dell Display Manager (DDM) communicates with your monitor even when the monitor is displaying video from another computer. You can install DDM on the computer you frequently use and control input switching from it. You may also install DDM on other computers connected to the monitor to control it from them as well.

Dell Display Manager (DDM) can track and restore your application window positions. To enable this, right-click on the DDM icon in the notification tray and select “Auto-restore window layout”. DDM will then automatically put the application windows into their original positions when you reconnect your PC to your monitor(s). For this feature to work, your applications must be kept running; DDM does not launch applications.

If you want to return to a favorite layout after moving application windows around, you can first save the layout. To do this, right-click the DDM icon in the notification tray and select “Save current window layout”. Later, to return to this saved layout, right-click the DDM icon and select “Restore saved window layout”.

DDM is able to know the monitor you have reconnected and restore application positions accordingly, even if you use monitors with different models or resolutions in your daily routine. In case you need to replace a monitor in a monitor matrix configuration, you can save the window layout before replacement and restore the layout after a new monitor is installed.

On supported Dell models like the DELL E2420HS, an ‘Options’ tab is available in Dell Display Manager that provides PowerNap energy conservation options. You can choose to either:

• Reduce brightness to the minimum level when the screensaver activates.

• Put the display to sleep when the screensaver activates.

If DDM does not work with your DELL E2420HS and shows an error icon in your notification tray, please take the following troubleshooting actions:

1. Make sure the video cable is properly connected between your monitor and your computer. Ensure the connectors are firmly inserted into position.

2. Check the monitor OSD (On-Screen Display) to ensure DDC/CI is enabled.

3. Make sure you have the correct and latest graphics card driver from the vendor (Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, etc.). The graphics driver is often the cause of DDM failure.

4. Remove any docking stations, cable extenders, and converters between the monitor and the graphics port. Some low-cost extenders, hubs, or converters may not support DDC/CI properly and can cause DDM to fail. Update the driver of such a device if the latest version is available.

5. Restart your computer.

DDM may not work with the following types of monitors:

• Dell monitor models that shipped earlier than 2013 and D-series of Dell monitors.

• Gaming monitors using Nvidia-based G-sync technology.

• Virtual and wireless displays do not support DDC/CI.

• Some early models of DP 1.2 monitors may require you to disable MST/DP 1.2 using the monitor OSD.

If your computer is connected to the Internet, you will be prompted to upgrade to a new version of DDM when it is available. It is recommended to download and install the latest DDM application. You can also manually check for a new version by right-clicking on the DDM icon in the notification tray while pressing and holding the ‘shift’ key. This will reveal a context menu with the option “Check for new version…”.