In message , LVTravel
writes:


"Chris" wrote in message
...
On Oct 10, 3:14 am, "LVTravel" wrote:
"Chris" wrote in message

...

Hi -

I need some help please. The other day, I tried to display the
contents of my Win XP screen to an external monitor. That was
unsuccessful - worse, I can't retrieve the screen... the system seems
to boot, but only with a black screen.

I forget the key sequence required - and where I need to do this (I
can't log in, as I am working a bit blind).

Any help, for a silly issue, please?

Many thanks,
Chris

You hold down the Fn key and tap one of the F keys on the top row of the
keyboard. Which one depends on the laptop. It will either have the
letters
CRT or a small rectangle or similar symbol on it. After tapping the
key one
time wait at least 10 seconds before hitting the key again. The normal
sequence is something like this: laptop display only, laptop and external
display together, external display only and then back to laptop display
only, etc.

Let us know if this helps. If not what is your computer make and model?

Hi LVTravel -

Thanks for your help on this. I tried your suggestions and variations
(i.e. Fn + CTRL, Fn + ALT) for good measure (no luck with the
latter). The best I was able to get was the mouse pointer but still
over a black background. There does seem to be some hard drive
activity when I tried your suggestions.

I'm running a Toshiba Satellite 1130. Any other ideas?

Thanks again for your help.

Chris

If you got the mouse at one time you had the display set correctly for
the internal screen on the laptop but something else is wrong. When

I was going to say that.

you first boot the computer do you see any information displayed like a
Toshiba logo or numbers and letters detailing the bios settings? If
yes it is definitely in Windows if it becomes black after it boots
(with a mouse icon or an __ blinking in white in upper left on a black
background.

Attempt to start the computer in safe mode. Turn on the computer and
start tapping only the F8 key as soon as anything appears on the
monitor. Don't worry about any beeps that occur while hitting the F8
key. If the Safe Mode screen shows then select try to use the Last
known good configuration and see if the computer boots. If it does
shut down and restart again and you should be good to go. If not
reboot and try Enable VGA Mode.

Let me know where you stand after trying those options.

Good advice. Just on the offchance that you _have_ switched to external
monitor - which, as stated above, probably _isn't_ the case - try
connecting an external monitor to see if anything appears on it. But I'd
have expected something to appear on screen anyway, at least during
bootup.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

So, Heresy be damned (well, it would be, wouldn't it?).
Radio Times 24-30 July 2010 (page 24)