[ale] [OT] need help xp internal mon broken, ext mon inop

[Ron Frazier (ALE)]

Hi all,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ron



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Ron Frazier
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