Octopus Overlords

The Bride of Ironrod has an IBM Thinkpad. When it's home, she plugs in a 15" Compaq LCD desktop monitor and uses that as her main display. Her Windows desktop displays identically and simultaneously on both the laptop screen and the LCD monitor.

Or I should say it did. After a recent power outage, the Compaq monitor stopped working, so she just used her built-in laptop screen.

Today I determined that there is nothing wrong with that Compaq monitor...but I can't make it duplicate the laptop screen like it used to. I can extend her desktop from the laptop screen onto the Compaq monitor. I know how to switch the primary and secondary displays, so that the Compaq becomes her primary monitor and the laptop screen becomes the extension. I can even turn off the laptop screen and use just the remote monitor. But I can't figure out how to do what she wants: Make the remote Compaq monitor duplicate the laptop's screen. I know it's possible, because that's how it worked before the Compaq went on the fritz. But I cannot figure out how I set it up last time. I'm sure this is just a Windows setting someplace. I think her video adapter is a Radeon 9000.

The REAL preferred functionality would be for the Compaq to act as the primary display when it is plugged in, and the laptop screen to automatically take over when the monitor is unplugged. But that's probably too much to ask for. I will be happy if someone can tell me how to just make the displays identical again.

Ironrod wrote:The REAL preferred functionality would be for the Compaq to act as the primary display when it is plugged in, and the laptop screen to automatically take over when the monitor is unplugged. But that's probably too much to ask for. I will be happy if someone can tell me how to just make the displays identical again.

I run my notebook at home in just this manner. I've got a desktop PC with a 19" monitor and a KVM switch between the monitor/keyboard and my desktop and my notebook's docking station. When the notebook is in the docking station it's video out is wired to go into the monitor.

The ability to switch between the various modes (video to notebook's screen only, extend to the external monitor to the left or the right side of the notebook's screen, mimic the notebook's screen and the external monitor, or the mode I use: go to the monitor only and leave the notebook's screen dark) is a function of the video card software. I believe I access those functions with a right-click on my desktop and then going down to the properties (as if you were changing resolution, background picture, etc.). From there I believe it depends on your video card's particular software.

Maybe updating video drivers (or the like -- say trying third-party {Catalyst} drivers depending on the video card manufacturer) would enable other modes?

Best of luck,
~Neal

Ironrod wrote:. I'm sure this is just a Windows setting someplace.

On the laptops we use here at work (Dell) we use a keystroke to switch between the 3 output modes (laptop display only, monitor display only, or both at once). Its labeled CRT/LCD on my laptop.

Try hitting the Fn key and various function keys at the same time. The Dell laptop on my desk is Fn+F8, but I seem to recall Think Pads being Fn+F5 or Fn+F7.

Turned out to be Fn + F7. The Bride asked me to post the following:

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you

She was plum tickled to have her monitor working again.