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

[Greg Clifton]

Ron,

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.

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?

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.

Maybe a serial console, but probably that would have needed to have been
configured beforehand?

Best,
Greg


On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 6:15 PM, Ron Frazier (ALE) <
atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com> wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
> --
>
> Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9 Mail.
> Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen.
>
> (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
> call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
> mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new email messages very
> quickly.)
>
> Ron Frazier
> 770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
> linuxdude AT techstarship.com
>
>
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