<div dir="ltr">Ron, <div><br></div><div style>Well, if you have the disc and the license code, you can always re-install (guaranteed cure for all Windows problems ;-) But then that will probably want to use the primary display so probably won't work. But, if you had a current backup you might try restoring that. </div>
<div style><br></div><div style>If you see the BIOS screen, you should be able to go into the BIOS and set it to boot from a CD or USB stick so maybe UBCD4W would help?</div><div style><br></div><div style>Now if you had a delay set for how long the computer waits to actually start loading Windows, you might be able to catch it and go into safe mode and MAYBE you'd get your external monitor back in safe mode, but I doubt it. If that did work and you knew which setting to change, which I don't off the top of my head. The external monitor was probably auto-disabled when the system booted and didn't find it.</div>
<div style><br></div><div style>Maybe a serial console, but probably that would have needed to have been configured beforehand?</div><div style><br></div><div style>Best,</div><div style>Greg</div></div><div class="gmail_extra">
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 6:15 PM, Ron Frazier (ALE) <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:atllinuxenthinfo@techstarship.com" target="_blank">atllinuxenthinfo@techstarship.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Hi all,<br>
<br>
Please don't flame me, but I need XP help. I KNOW it's getting obsolete (per other threads), but there's something cool about keeping a vintage computer running as long as I can. You guys are the geekiest people I know and I don't hang out on Windows forums.<br>
<br>
I have a vintage 2002 laptop. It's still very capable. 2.4 ghz cpu, 1 GB ram, 320 GB hdd. The laptop hinges broke and the internal monitor is non functional, but the OS THINKS it's functional. For years, I've been running on an external monitor via a kvm along with other pc's. Through a series of unfortunate events, including rebooting with the kvm switched to another pc, as far as I can tell, the system now thinks the external monitor is both the extended desktop and is deactivated.<br>
<br>
So, when I boot the PC, I see the bios requesting my password ON THE EXTERNAL monitor, so I know the monitor and vga port works. I enter it. I see the boot menu on my external monitor. I select Windows XP. The monitor goes blank and never returns. I can only assume that the windows login screen is showing up in the internal monitor (as far as the OS is concerned), but I cannot see that. I know the OS is running, because I can press the power button briefly and, after 5 seconds or so, the system shuts down.<br>
<br>
I've tried the function button on the keyboard to switch from internal to external monitor. That does no good. I tried the VGA mode boot option from the boot menu, and that worked. Operating in 640 x 480 mode is REALLY fun, not. However, when I do a normal mode boot, it stays blank again.<br>
<br>
Does anyone know how I can force the system back into mirror monitor mode, or better yet, permanently disable the internal monitor? Even if I have to boot Ubuntu and mess with files, etc., that would be OK.<br>
<br>
It won't kill me if I can't get this back, since I can boot Ubuntu and get to the files. I just didn't want to retire the unit just yet.<br>
<br>
Any help is greatly appreciated.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
<br>
Ron<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9 Mail.<br>
Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen.<br>
<br>
(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to<br>
call on the phone. I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy<br>
mailing lists and such. I don't always see new email messages very quickly.)<br>
<br>
Ron Frazier<br>
770-205-9422 (O) Leave a message.<br>
linuxdude AT <a href="http://techstarship.com" target="_blank">techstarship.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br></div>