Extended desktop on laptop with no monitor!

[solitaire89]

Having been the sole IT tech for 4 years, they have finally given me a machine to call my own... an old knackered laptop with no screen, running XP Pro SP3. The machine is so old it doesn't warrant me replacing the damaged screen and housing, so I've just taken the entire mangled mess off to make it safe and to get moving. It would, however, be quite useful to get an extended desktop up and running. I have a single VGA connection to play with on the machine, and if I use a VGA splitter it thinks that both monitors are 1 when I try to identify them, yet I still lose the pointer off the right side of them!! It's almost as though the laptop still "thinks" it has its screen attached. It's not urgent/essential, it would just be useful Thanks!

[Tricky_Dicky]

Can you not do Fn+F5 to output only to the external monitor?

Rich

[Guest drewinc]

or fn + f8 on dell laptops

[solitaire89]

Hold on... I think I've just posted a blonde thread...

 

If there is no laptop screen, it automatically displays on the external monitor, and (in my case) Fn+F4 does nothing. BUT, if I'm right here then it was a VERY blonde moment, there is only one VGA connection on the back, adding the splitter does nothing but split the signal from that single output to go identically to the 2 external monitors attached... therefore I can't have an extended desktop.

 

I'm right, aren't I... Oops!

[Guest drewinc]

you could get a usb vga port and have an extended desktop ( we had a laptop running here with 4 external monitors)

[solitaire89]

you could get a usb vga port and have an extended desktop ( we had a laptop running here with 4 external monitors)

 

Thank you, you've just saved me from being the colour of a small tomato Now, considering that they wouldn't even give me my own machine, what are the chances of me managing to bag one of those through work?!

 

Thanks for the solution, I'd really like to get it up and running in a productive state

[Mcshammer_dj]

I have a kensington docking station on my laptop which includes an addition vga connector, ethernet and four USB ports

[solitaire89]

I have a kensington docking station on my laptop which includes an addition vga connector, ethernet and four USB ports

 

Thanks for that, I didn't know that they could have extra VGA connectors. That might be the way forward, considering that the machine can hardly be called a laptop (the battery is a gonner too, so has to be plugged in the whole time).