Laptop/notebook PC recommendations anyone?

Quote from GATrader:

Hi. I am looking at a Toshiba satellite notebook and was hoping to connect an external monitor to it and have 2 screens so I can put charts on 1 screen and order entry on the laptop screen. The guys at Best buy and circui city said that if I connect an external 17" I would see what is in the notebook's screen-which is a dupe. I always thought that windows 2000 and above have multi monitor capability. I explained to the guy that my desktop has win 2K and can plug 3 single cards and have 3 screens act a a huge desktop.He says that is only possible in desktops.

Anyone here think differently? Thanks in advance.
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Man those salesclerks are a shame,
it all depends on the type of graphic card your laptop has "on board" , a dual monitor card allows you to see your desktop splitted on two monitors, or you can have two "mirror"monitors.
Since W98 multimonitor func. is available, up to..i don't remeber the exact number, but sure many more than you ever need.
 
Thanks mark1. I always thought that pre win98, it is card dependent so traders who want mult needed to buy appian,colorgraphics,etc.Furthermore, I assumed that mult monitor capability post win 98 did not depend on the card since the OS detects all the graphics card present and "divides" the desktop in slivers which can be set thru OS. What you are saying is that not only do you have to have win 2K above (which is what is in new notebooks nowadays) BUT you also have to have a graphics card that supports multi? Are these cards in sub-$1000 laptops too? thanks
 
The "newer" laptops have this capability.

Right click on the desktop. On the menu that pops up, select properties. This brings up the Display Properties dialog. Click on the settings tab.

If there is only one box in this screen with a number 1 and no box with a number 2, then your laptop's video card does not support an external monitor for desktop expansion, although it may still support an external monitor to replace/mirror the laptop's monitor - not the same thing. The second link below shows what this dialog looks like if you scroll down a bit.

If it does show two boxes, you're in luck. Just connect the second monitor, the drivers and away you go (WinXP is real easy, see second link below.)

If you really want to do this and your laptop does not support it, you can try to see if you can add a video card in one of your PCMCIA slots/Docking station. I have never done this, but I know it is possible.

Check out

http://www.appian.com/support/?page=faq&topic=faq021

and here for some ideas

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/customize/multimonitor.asp

nitro
Quote from GATrader:

Hi. I am looking at a Toshiba satellite notebook and was hoping to connect an external monitor to it and have 2 screens so I can put charts on 1 screen and order entry on the laptop screen. The guys at Best buy and circui city said that if I connect an external 17" I would see what is in the notebook's screen-which is a dupe. I always thought that windows 2000 and above have multi monitor capability. I explained to the guy that my desktop has win 2K and can plug 3 single cards and have 3 screens act a a huge desktop.He says that is only possible in desktops.

Anyone here think differently? Thanks in advance.
More...
 
I did that Circuit City and it showed the way you described it with Box 1 and 2. Unfortunately, they would'nt let me rip one of their displays in the desktop section to prove my theory. Thanks again .
 
Quote from nitro:

If you really want to do this and your laptop does not support it, you can try to see if you can add a video card in one of your PCMCIA slots/Docking station. I have never done this, but I know it is possible.
nitro
More...

Nitro is right here! As for trying this through card/docking station solutions, this too should work for you. Hunt one of these beast through eBay for some great pricing. :)
 
Quote from nitro:

The "newer" laptops have this capability.

Right click on the desktop. On the menu that pops up, select properties. This brings up the Display Properties dialog. Click on the settings tab.

If there is only one box in this screen with a number 1 and no box with a number 2, then your laptop's video card does not support an external monitor for desktop expansion, although it may still support an external monitor to replace/mirror the laptop's monitor - not the same thing. The second link below shows what this dialog looks like if you scroll down a bit.

If it does show two boxes, you're in luck. Just connect the second monitor, the drivers and away you go (WinXP is real easy, see second link below.)

If you really want to do this and your laptop does not support it, you can try to see if you can add a video card in one of your PCMCIA slots/Docking station. I have never done this, but I know it is possible.

Check out

http://www.appian.com/support/?page=faq&topic=faq021

and here for some ideas

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/customize/multimonitor.asp

nitro
More...

thanks nitro....

sometimes the easiest solutions are the hardest to find out...
 
I love my new HP zd7000 so far. Awesome 17" screen, although too wide for my old laptop bag.

The 3 Ghz processor does seem to generate heat tho, and the 2 fans make a bit more noise than I'm used to in a laptop. Battery life is poor, probably about 90 mins.

For the $1529 I paid delivered from HP I'm quite happy with this thing so far.
 
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