I was actually referring to win xp settings (display going dim on a laptop is a power saving feature) tho if you should have power saving settings in bios, it would be best to disable these too.
(i do not know if your bios has such settings since i don't own such a laptop)
Same for standard display - windows xp setting.
Is the correct monitor selected in your display settings?
Make sure that the correct monitor appears in Display properties. If the wrong monitor is selected, Windows might not use the full capabilities of your monitor, and you might be restricted in your choice of screen resolutions.
To check your monitor selection
Open Display Properties in Control Panel.
Click the Settings tab, click Advanced, and then click the Monitor tab.
The monitor that is selected for your computer is displayed under Monitor Type.
If correct monitor isn't listed, click Properties.
Click the Driver tab, and then click Update driver.
After the Hardware Update Wizard starts, click Install from a list or specific location, and then click Next.
Click Don't search. I will choose the driver to install, and then click Next. This provides a list of monitor manufacturers and models.
In Manufacturers, click the manufacturer of your monitor, and then in Models, click the model name.
If your monitor isn't listed, click (Standard monitor type) in Manufacturers, and then choose the most compatible setting for your monitor in Models.
Click Next, and then click Next again.
Note
To open Display Properties, click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display.
Still doesn't seem like a bios issue to me, tho ibm advises to have the latest (which you have) but then they say that for every problem you might have.
Some (maybe) usefull links :
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... selected=5
http://www.computing.net/hardware/wwwbo ... 29776.html
By the way - trying linux is always nice - if it doesn't help it still is fun trying to get a laptop to work with it.
Hope this helps!