Please help me display on 2 monitors!

[COlady]

I know you guys are computer wizards around here. Can someone please help me?

I'm trying to connect two external monitors to a docked Dell computer and use only the external monitors and close the laptop.  If I'm understanding I have one monitor that has a while DVI-D cable and one monitor that has a blue VGA cable. Will this work? Do I not have the correct cables? I tried doing the duplicate monitors setup but could only get the display to switch from one external and the laptop screen to the other external and the laptop screen rather than both externals.

Thanks for any help!

[zolotiyeruki]

What model laptop do you have?  I assume it's a Latitude of some sort?

[slugline]

What, exactly, do you have? This will depend heavily on the brand/model of your equipment. Even if you see both DVI and VGA ports, some video adapters are only intended to send output through one or the other, but not both.

[ScottEric]

Duplicate display may not be the right setting, you might want Spanned display if that's an option?  Duplicate will only replicate what's on your laptop monitor to another monitor.

[JLee]

Look for the option for 'extended desktop'. This only has one external display, but you want to find an option to set your output to both external displays and not the laptop's display:

What, exactly, do you have? This will depend heavily on the brand/model of your equipment. Even if you see both DVI and VGA ports, some video adapters are only intended to send output through one or the other, but not both.

The OP is currently getting laptop + external display, so it is capable of driving two displays.  I suppose it's possible that the docking station is a one-or-the-other deal, but I have yet to actually see that myself.

[K-ice]

For me I plug in a second monitor.

Right click on desktop --> Screen Resolution --> Multiple Displays --> extend this display.



Or you can maybe find the path here Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Display\Screen Resolution

[COlady]

What model laptop do you have?  I assume it's a Latitude of some sort?

Yes, latitude.

[COlady]

Look for the option for 'extended desktop'. This only has one external display, but you want to find an option to set your output to both external displays and not the laptop's display:

What, exactly, do you have? This will depend heavily on the brand/model of your equipment. Even if you see both DVI and VGA ports, some video adapters are only intended to send output through one or the other, but not both.

Thanks J Lee! You rock, this worked!
The OP is currently getting laptop + external display, so it is capable of driving two displays.  I suppose it's possible that the docking station is a one-or-the-other deal, but I have yet to actually see that myself.

[COlady]

Okay, Jlee, another question:

How do I close the laptop and not shut down? Good thing I had everything saved because closing my laptop did not go well...

[JLee]

Okay, Jlee, another question:

How do I close the laptop and not shut down? Good thing I had everything saved because closing my laptop did not go well...

Go to the Control Panel and then Power Options.  There should be an option that says something like "Change what closing the lid does" and you want to change that to "do nothing."