OT: Severe Mac Mini problem

[Terry Vogelaar (de Mare)]

Hi all,

I have a severe problem with a Mac Mini I bought and I hope someone can 
help me. I am sorry for this off-topic post, but I wouldn't know who 
else I could ask.

I made an application in Revolution to display texts on a LCD 
projector. I previously used a mediaeval Windows laptop to run that on, 
but it responded way too slow. So I bought a Mac mini 10 days ago and 
tried it. But it didn't work. I called the Apple helpdesk and they 
didn't have a clue. I got some tips on other lists; some useful 
responses but still the problem isn't solved.

The problem is (probably) that when the Mac detects a monitor it hasn't 
known yet, it defaults to the 800x600 resolution during startup. But 
the LCD projector accepts only 1024x768 or higher. Because the previous 
monitor used a 1024x768 resolution it starts with that. So first it 
shows the grey Apple logo with the spinning wheel. But then it detects 
the unknown screen and defaults to the unsupported 800x600 resolution, 
so the screen turns blue. Because the Mac Mini only can use 1 screen at 
a time, I couldn't think of a way to change the settings without being 
able to see the screen.

So do any of you know a solution to this problem? Are there 'hubs' to 
split one VGA signal into two 'screens' (that both display the same)? 
Is there a way to change the default settings to a higher resolution?

I tried an AppleScript that ran on startup to change the screen 
settings automatically. The script worked with my test monitor; not 
with the LCD projector. Others suggested to boot the Mac Mini without 
monitor and then connect the LCD projector. No result. I also heard 
that hitting F7 might help. Nothing. Also booting with another monitor, 
switching to 1024x768 and then connecting the LCD projector didn't 
work.

Any other suggestions?

Terry