How do I connect two monitors to a laptop without a docking station?
Is it possible to hook up two separate monitors (from different manufacturers) of the same size to a laptop?
I have an HP DV7 series laptop running Windows 7 64-bit that I purchased last August. Both monitors have HDMI ports, but my laptop only has one. The laptop has one HDMI port and a VGA port (I think that's what it is, looks like a typical monitor port).
I want to be able to close my laptop and set it to the side, and use the monitors to extend the desktop. What do I need to be able to achieve this?
2 Answers
It is very likely that your laptop can activate both external monitors, but one of them will have to mirror the on-board LCD panel. Connect them both with the appropriate cables and visit Control Panel > Display > Adjust Resolution to set them up. If you want to be able to use the computer with the lid closed, however, you'll probably need to make some adjustments to your power settings. This varies quite a bit between manufacturers, but check out Control Panel > Power Options, or possibly the BIOS Setup Utility (Press F10 when you start the computer).
It is also possible that you have to close the lid of the notebook to make the second monitor work at all. (On some machines in the Control Panel all 3 monitors will be visible, but the 2nd external monitor will not work, as long as the lid of the notebook is open.
That should be possible with a dualhead2go
Laptop -> HDMI to displayport or to DVI convertor -> dualhead to go -> 2x DVI to HDMI.
It seems unnecessary complex though.
Edit: It does seem to have both DB15 (VGA) connector and HDMI plug for output. That would allow you to solve things with no additional hardware, though not all monitors will happily accept high resolutions on the 'VGA port'.
