Laptop acting like I have 2 monitors?

Drea

I'm hoping someone can help. Ever since I've had my laptop it's always acted as if I have two seperate monitors.

I'm not sure how to explain but at the right side my screen doesn't end... the mouse continues on further, yet obviously I can't see it...

These are my display settings (http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/8725/31670026.png), you can see it says I have two displays and you can also see when I print screen that I get a picture of two different displays, one which just has my background wallpaper to the right.

I'm hoping someone knows what I'm talking about because I can't explain well and I'm not sure why this happens.

If anyone can help I'd appreciate it

Drea

I have tried the windows key and P and get the options Disconnect Projector, Duplicate, Extend or Projector Only. It is on Extend at the moment. I tried to select disconnect projector but it just made my screen completely black so I had to change it back.

Duplicate does make me seem to have only one display (mouse stops at the right edge like it's supposed to) but it makes everything HUGE.

Drea

Okay, it seems that Windows thinks my normal laptop screen is a projector... very helpful.

gel_boy

What you want to do is click on the screen that you want to use at the top (if you don't know which is which click the identify button) and then make sure that the "make this my main display" checkbox is ticked. Finally click the multiple displays dropdown menu and then select "show desktop only on #", clicking the option of whatever screen you want to use. Click ok and that should sort it, I've not used windows 7 so can't be sure but it's a similar process in XP, vista etc.

gel_boy

as for the projector problem, check the display box and see what's in there.

Drea

That didn't work but I have managed to fix it, although I don't think it's done properly but it works I duplicated the display on "both" screens and then changed the resolution on the one with my desktop on it. So it thinks it's showing the same thing on two screens.

(that's how my friends who's helping me explained it, I have no idea personally :rotfl:)

Drea

Sorry for all the posts. Unfortunately the fix we found doesn't stay when my computer turns off!

fitshase

One thing to check is to see if you have a "Graphics Options...>" option when you right click on your desktop screen.

If so, go to it and then choose "Output to...>" and then laptop. Chances are it's stuck on extended display or something similar.

Drea

I do have Graphics Properties, but can't see anything about Output on there. Oh this is so annoying!

Lil306

Couple things, one of them was mention above

I suspect it's on a form of extended desktop too, I haven't got Windows Vista/7 open atm so can't check, but it may be under "advanced settings"... I'll check it later to confirm

Have you tried using FN+F5/F7, this will cycle through external inputs quickly and will resort back to one screen

What graphics adapter are you using, Nvidia or ATi?

Nvidia, there is a control panel where you can setup the display. With ATi you have to adjust the settings

Drea

I just tried FN + F5 which shows an icon of a laptop with a blue square around it but it doesn't seem to cycle through anything. F7 does nothing.

I am using ATI.

It's just annoying me because I have got a new graphics tablet and can't use it properly until this is fixed. It's had this problem since I got the laptop