How to disable a laptop screen?

[OrbitzXT]

I have a laptop with a VGA and HDMI out, and have two monitors hooked up to it via those two ports. According this site, I cannot have all three screens running at the same time. I knew that already though, and I'm getting the error message "Unable to save display settings." when I try and make it display on just the two monitors and not the laptop. What am I doing wrong and how do I correctly configure this?

 

[N-Gen]

OS? And where are you setting it, display driver config?

 

[OrbitzXT]

Windows 7, right clicking the desktop and selecting screen resolution. I selected the laptop screen and under "Multiple Displays" selected "Disconnect this display", so now I have it showing on only 1 external monitor, nothing else. At this point I thought I should be able to extend to the other monitor, but when I do it gives me unable to save display settings.

When I try and do it from nVidia control panel, there are five options...Laptop Display + Monitor 1, Monitor 1 + Laptop Display, Laptop Display + Monitor 2, Monitor 2 + Laptop Display, and "My display is not shown in the list"

 

[N-Gen]

Is there any Function + [Display Key] on the laptop? Maybe you could try using that to change something to enable using both.

 

[sneekypeet]

I'm with N-gen here, my Lenovo has a function key (like F2 or F3) that will do multiple screens or shut the lappy one down while I use the external connection.

 

[OrbitzXT]

I was able to shut off the laptop screen in Windows 7 "Screen Resolution" settings. But I still can't get the two external monitors to work together. I googled the issue and see a lot of people with the same problems, no fixes though. One solution talks about deleting a registry but I don't even have the registry key to delete.

 

[N-Gen]

Odd, what vga? Did your searches return the issue with the same VGA card or different ones as well?

 

[gaximodo]

you simply cant hook two external monitors together, one at a time

 

[scaminatrix]

What laptop is it Orbit?

 

[N-Gen]

you simply cant hook two external monitors together, one at a time

It is possible, I've done it with DVI and VGA at the same time, it works only if the laptop screen is disabled since the GPU will only deliver 2 signals at any time.

 

[OrbitzXT]

Its a Sony Vaio VGN-AR190G. Still can't seem to get this to work. Could it have something to do with the two external monitors being different native resolutions? One is 1920x1200 and the other 1920x1080.

 

[scaminatrix]

Hook up both monitors while the laptop is off, turn laptop on, and while it's POST-ing, press Fn+F7. When it boots into Windows, it *should* set the display settings automatically with fingers crossed. Trying to switch displays on a laptop while in Windows gives problems sometimes.

 

[OrbitzXT]

Hook up both monitors while the laptop is off, turn laptop on, and while it's POST-ing, press Fn+F7. When it boots into Windows, it *should* set the display settings automatically with fingers crossed. Trying to switch displays on a laptop while in Windows gives problems sometimes.

I tried this, no luck. I also tried two monitors of the exact same model for the hell of it but no luck either. I thought to try more recent nVidia drivers, but their website tells me I have to get the drivers from Sony since laptop ones are modified, which is what I have already.

 

[Frizz]

Hook one monitor up first then go to your personalize setting from rightclicking on your desktop to change the laptop's behaviour when you close the lid to disable the screen but keep everything else running. Then while your main display is now the monitor plug in the other one and see how you go.

 

[digibucc]

it depends on the hardware in the laptop, just becuase it worked for you N-Gen doesn't mean it always will. sorry but my bet is it doesn't work with your laptop, as all that should be necessary is disabling the laptop screen in display settings.

 

[cdawall]

Close the laptop.

 

[N-Gen]

it depends on the hardware in the laptop, just becuase it worked for you N-Gen doesn't mean it always will. sorry but my bet is it doesn't work with your laptop, as all that should be necessary is disabling the laptop screen in display settings.

I was only referring to the somewhat general post stating it's not possible.

On a side note, this is the last notebook modified driver I've tested just in case you want to try it. There probably will be no more future releases by the modder.
http://www.notebookforums.com/t/234794/beta-nbf-mobileforce-se7en-260-99-beta

 

[OrbitzXT]

Close the laptop.

Closing it got rid of the laptop's display from being shown in the "Screen Resolution" list, so now it's just the two externals...but it still is saying Unable to Save Display Settings.

 

[cdawall]

sounds like the driver said no go. try updating drivers or running an non-mobile driver.

 

[digibucc]

I was only referring to the somewhat general post stating it's not possible.

yeah i just noticed my post sounds kinda asshole-ish. sorry about that, didn't mean anything by it

 

[OrbitzXT]

sounds like the driver said no go. try updating drivers or running an non-mobile driver.

Noob question but which should I try? Its a GO 7600 GT. Nvidia said to go to Sony. It's Windows 7 32 bit.

 

[cdawall]

go on the NV site and check for 7600GT drivers. In all honesty I thought you were dealing with a newer laptop that one might be to far back to use both outputs.

 

[N-Gen]

yeah i just noticed my post sounds kinda asshole-ish. sorry about that, didn't mean anything by it

No problem mate, we're here to discuss. If everyone had the same answer why would be be here?

go on the NV site and check for 7600GT drivers. In all honesty I thought you were dealing with a newer laptop that one might be to far back to use both outputs.

This might be the case not with the series but with the card being mid-range notebook. My GO 7950GTX does fine with 2 outputs but there's a big difference between the two. However I don't see the actual point in it not supporting 2 external monitors but supporting internal + external, that's why it seems odd to me. I can see it being an issue if both used DVI connections but not in this case.