switching display between tv and laptop

My Dell studio 15 (using vista) is connected to my tv via a HDMl lead. The graphics card will apparently only support one screen, but if I unplug the HDMl lead from the laptop, the display only reverts to the laptop if I reboot. Does anybody know a more elegant way of switching between screens?

 

Have you tried Fn + F7 (I think that's the function key combo)?

 

Just did. No joy, I'm afraid, but thanks for the suggestion. All contributions gratefully received. At the moment it remains that to switch from TV to laptop display, I have to unplug the HDMl lead and restart the laptop.

 

There is software available for multiple monitor support that may help with this problem.

 

Sounds well worth a try, thanks. Any particular names? (free, ideally, or at least cheap

 

With Intel graphics you can right-click the desktop and then under Graphics Options you can change the monitor it outputs to. I don't know about nVidia or ATI but it's probably similar... also look in your system tray, there may be a tool there to switch the display.

 

If you have windows 7, press the windows key and p
so
Windows key+P

 

if you know how to change your screen resolution go there, you will see a display section, if your TV has been detected by the laptop you will be able to select it as your main screen.

also you need to take a look at your F keys ( F1, F2, F3 etc...) look at the pictures and you should be able to find a picture of a screen. I have a hp dv6t so its on F4 for me, but it should be different for a dell, i dont know.

when you find that key locate the FN key of your keyboard, you need to press FN + the appropriate key in order to switch between displays.

hope this helps

 

Thanks to everyone for your help. For the record, I've managed to enable both screens by right-clicking on desktop, clicking "personalise" and then (I think )dragging the two screen icons on top of each other.I'm happy with both screens on so I can use my laptop controls and see immediately if it works on the TV next door I've also managed somehow or other to enable sound from my laptop to the TV. It worked automatically when I played a ripped film on the TV from my hard drive, but I couldn't get sound , for example when playing my music on winamp. Whatever I did it's now playing fine on the TV and the laptop speakers are working, but I do seem to have lost the output to my amp next to the laptop (connected from the laptop audio out socket to the amp auxiliary inputs via an i-pod lead. Thanks again, I wouldn't have got this far without the help, and if anyone has any bright ideas on the audio front...

Sorry, just to make clear, the sound won't play on my amp as long as the HDMl lead is plugged into the laptop. I only have the use of one arm and it's not so easy to keep plugging and unplugging the lead.I've been to "sound" on the control panel and it shows HDMl, independent earphones and a third output as "working"

 

In the Sound control panel, right-click the HDMI audio device and click "Disable".

 

Man thanks again. All seems to be in order now. Good idea, these forums.