Dell 1210S trouble detecting windows 8 laptop through HDMI/USB

Hello,

I've been having difficulty using my Dell 1210S/1209S with my
new Dell Inspiron 14 5000 Series laptop running Windows 8.  
I need to use the HDMI port,
since there is no VGA port. I have an HDMI to VGA adapter, but
projector does not detect the laptop as a source.

I'm not sure if it's a projector issue or laptop issue.

Initially I thought it was a firmware problem, so I updated
it using another box.(running windows 7) 
This did not help.

Am I missing necessary drivers for the laptop?

Cheers!

Jim