Member Avatar for jlynge

I have a dell latitude laptop and I would like to connect my Compaq moniter to it so that I have a bigger screen. How do I do that?
Thanks in advance for your help!

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A concise, practical guide that fills gaps in the thread for . and were right that the laptop needs a matching video connector and a way to switch outputs; the following explains how to identify the parts, how to configure the desktop vs. extended display, and what to try when the external screen does not appear.

Start by identifying the physical ports. Older Compaq monitors almost always take a 15-pin VGA (D-sub) cable; other possibilities are DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, mini‑DisplayPort or USB‑C/Thunderbolt on newer laptops. If the laptop and monitor ports do not match, a proper adapter or docking station is required — note that some digital-to-analog conversions require an active adapter, not just a passive plug.

Basic connection and configuration workflow: connect the monitor cable and power the monitor, set the monitor input to the correct connector, then use the laptop’s display controls to enable the external screen. Modern Windows: Settings > System > Display > Multiple displays (Extend or Duplicate) and Identify/arrange the screens; older Windows (XP) uses Display Properties > Settings. Use the graphics driver control panel (Intel/NVIDIA/AMD) to set native resolution and refresh rate and to choose the primary display if the external monitor should replace the laptop screen.

Quick troubleshooting checklist:

  • Confirm monitor power and correct input selection.
  • Try a known-good cable or monitor and inspect pins for damage.
  • If the external remains blank, press the laptop’s Fn modifier plus the F-key that shows a monitor icon (the exact key varies by model).
  • Boot with the monitor attached; some BIOS options can force external display at startup.
  • Update video drivers and use an active adapter when converting digital-to-analog.
  • If the lid will be closed while using the external monitor, change power settings so closing the lid does not put the machine to sleep.

These steps cover the common cases and bridge the practical points not fully detailed earlier in the thread.

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Member Avatar for nizzy1115

Just plug in the compaq monitor into your tell's blue vga out port in the back or side of the laptop. Then you will need to tell your laptop to use the screen. Normally you can do something similar to holding the "fn" key and hiting f8. Pressing it multiple times should togle between only your laptop screen, to both your laptop screen and your monitor, and finally just your monitor.

Hope this helped

Member Avatar for jbennet

Only ever done this on 98 (old tp) but you can make it so u can drag something off one monitor onto the other

Member Avatar for nizzy1115

Its called extended dual monitors. Cloned is where both are the same. It is up to the graphics card, not the os.

Member Avatar for jbennet

You use display settings for the desktop extension and the fn key combo to have it on LCD, CRT or both.

You can also change the startup monitor under the BIOS so you can have it start up with say, CRT only, meaning you can hide your laptop away and just have a monitor, usb keyboard and mouse on the desk

Member Avatar for jlynge

I have a dell latitude laptop and I would like to connect my Compaq moniter to it so that I have a bigger screen. How do I do that?
Thanks in advance for your help!

thanks to the forum for the replies! Nizzy 1115 and another user suggested I use the "fn" key. What is that? I am familiar with the f1-f12 keys. but not the fn key. Anybody have an answer for me?

Thanks!

Member Avatar for jbennet

On most laptops there is an FN key around where the ctrl+alt keys are. Its blue and when held down and used in combination with another button it does things. For example, on my thinkpad fn+pg up turns the keyboard light on

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