How To Make An External Monitor My Default Monitor?

Problem, my laptop screen is fukt, I get about 5 mins before it totally greys up and freezes.
I have so far solved this problem by hooking up my desktop monitor to my laptop but every time I have to reboot (or if the lead falls out, which it does occasionally as my laptop has no screwholes to lock the monitor cable in place), I have to change manually over to my external monitor.
My main concern is that one of these days and knowing me it will be sooner rather than later, I will be unable to access my laptop manually to switch monitors over due to this problem.
I have tried accessing the bios, the display settings and my graphic card settings, all to no avail.
The only thing I have found and have managed to do is to configure "hot keys" to switch screens.
Any one have any ideas?

Specs:
I am running a Fujitsu Seimens Amilo Pro,
Intel Centrino Dual processor,
with Windows XP* Professional, Service Pack 2 (5.1.2600),
and bog standard graphics,
Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family

That's odd,of course I'm running Vista but when I open display settings it asks me what monitor I want to run as default.Looks easy,but then I have never tried to switch.I wonder why yours won't?:confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alkie

my laptop screen is fukt

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translation - the backlight is failing shortly after turning on.

If you can only view graphics for five minutes after startup
it is due to thermal failure. As the device heats up, some
faulty component of the screen's power supply ( called an
inverter ) fails to function, and so it needs replacing. There
is nothing wrong with the display itself. The backlight or
CCFL ( Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp ) is not likely at
fault or the screen would not be initially viewable.

http://www.lcdparts.net/howto/FAQ.aspx
http://www.lcdparts.net/howto/techsupport.aspx
Unless you have superior do it yourself technical skills this is
not a repair for an end-user, despite encouraging assurances.
http://www.lcdpart.com/doc/ccfllampreplacement.html
http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/category/lcd-screen-repair


I cannot fathom why you would pursue this " workaround "
and endure the inconvenience instead of fixing the cause.
The expense for this to be done professionally will exceed
the value of the laptop. So in that context I can see the
motive for making the best of the situation.

Alternatively:
1)
You could just move the hard drive to another laptop. This
also requires some skill, and another laptop. Then you would
have to do a " repair install " of the windows edition validated
for this new laptop to preserve the original settings ( mostly )
and make it bootable.

2)
The laptop's hard drive can be accessed as in a local area
network from your desktop by an ethernet connector,
Control Panel > Network Setup Wizard ,
and data files ( non executable and read only ) can be copied
over to the desktop's hard drive, or simply accessed from there.
Much simpler than you using the laptop as a keyboard.
Explained here :
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-us/help/02ddfbec-7a97-4788-9d54-86f174a95f841033.mspx

Understand that when you installed programs in your original
laptop they are entered in the registry and other system files
and so if you copy a folder from one drive to another it isnt
the same as installing it, so don't expect those to work
without re-installing.

3)
WinXP utility to move your previous user settings and files
onto another computer will copy over your laptop files and
programs essentally intact into the windows installation of
the desktop. The same if you have Vista on your desktop.
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and
Settings Transfer Wizard
Your mileage will vary and expect to loose some settings on
your desktop. This works best as a new installation to a new
hard drive ( with windows installed ) in the desktop.
* Note that if your desktop is an older 32 bit system, then
the 64 bit laptop software won't work there without being
re-installed, providing the setup file is not exclusively 64 bit.

.

Hey Al, I was going to suggest pretty much everything Franky had to say here, he beat me to it by just a minute or so;) It's nice to have people on the board who know how the "pretty naked women" appear on our computer screens:D

Good job "GRRRR"

The Shape

Thanks for your informative suggestions and links franklynn.
As you so rightly stated, the expense is stopping me from getting it professionally seen to, so I guess I will soldier on as I am doing, unless of course I win the lottery :D
Regarding the laptops h/d there is nothing of any great importance on it as I save all my films, music, applications and such on my external drive, therefore it would be no great loss to me if I had to ditch my laptop altogether and continue on my PC, I had previously looked into my problem on the wonderful thing we call the "interweb" ;) to be told much the same thing, I was just looking for confirmation of this I guess.

Thanks anyway