ibook + dual screen

[cirrus]

I've recently bought a 14' ibook. I was a bit disapointed to read that the display only supported mirroring mode (without using the special 'hack' to enable screen spanning).
Yesterday, I decided to plug in my Sony TFT monitor to check it out. The moment I plugged it in, the monitor started working, but not in mirror mode as I was expecting. When I went in the Display options in the system preferences, I saw that I had an extra arrangement tab, in which I can change my displays arrangement, and also enable or disable mirror mode. I called a friend who bought a 12' ibook around a month earlier than i got mine. He came around, plugged in his ibook, but the arrangment options and the screen spanning, where nowhere to be found.
Is there something I am missing here? I have not run the screen-spanning hack or anything even remotely similar, but my ibook worked in that mode the instant I plugged the external monitor in. Does anybody know anything about this?
Thanks,
Cirrus

Output from system profiler:
ATY,RV280M9+:

Type: display
Bus: AGP
VRAM (Total): 32 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x5c63
Revision ID: 0x0001
ROM Revision: 113-xxxxx-125

Display:

Type: display
Display Type: LCD
VRAM (In Use): 16 MB
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Depth: 32-bit Color
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes

Display:

Type: display
Display Type: NONE
VRAM (In Use): 16 MB
Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Depth: 32-bit Color
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes

 

[LeeTom]

Did you buy it new?

Lee Tom

 

[cirrus]

Good question I didn't actually specify, so here it goes: I bought it brand new around 3-4 months ago. Nobody else has used it since I bought it, and I haven't done the screen-spanning hack thingy.

cirrus

 

[7on]

hmmmm, bumfuzzle-ment

 

[PlaceofDis]

just idle speculation:

but could an apple employee who set up the machine forget to do something with the firmware?? isnt that all the hack does, is change the firmware so that it is not allowed to span sceens?

 

[point665]

Even if you launch the screen-spander app, you hit "ok" "ok" and then your like "ahhh... i dont want to screw things up" next time you restart (may be months from now) you would have thought cancelling out of the app (cause you cant read german (yeah it was a while back)) would not change the firmware... Im pretty sure it had to be the screen-spanning hack, thats what I did with my iBook, cancelled out of the app and then later in life when I rebooted I was playing around with Display settings and goto my friend "WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! MY IBOOK IS SUPPORTING SCREEN SPANNING NATURALLY SOMEHOW!" then we figured out the restart had did it

 

[wwooden]

just curious

I wonder if someone at apple had installed the operating system for a PowerBook instead of an iBook on there. I'm not really sure if this is even possible. What software did you get with the computer when you got it new? Did you have appleworks? Or did you get stuff like graphic converter and other professional programs??

Just me 2 cents....

 

[cirrus]

Even if you launch the screen-spander app, you hit "ok" "ok" and then your like "ahhh... i dont want to screw things up" next time you restart (may be months from now) you would have thought cancelling out of the app (cause you cant read german (yeah it was a while back)) would not change the firmware...

That's the thing. I did *NOT* run a screen-spander app, or go into open-firmware and change anything. I did read the how-to-do it thingy, but nothing more than that.

I wonder if someone at apple had installed the operating system for a PowerBook instead of an iBook on there. I'm not really sure if this is even possible. What software did you get with the computer when you got it new? Did you have appleworks? Or did you get stuff like graphic converter and other professional programs??

Is there a different version of MacOSX bundled with the PowerBook? I don't think so. Anyway I did an installation myself from the 2 dvd's that where in the box, which look's exactly the same as the one my friend with the 12' ibook has.

The only possible explaination so far, for me is that either, somebody else was using this mac before I bought it, or that the motherboard was somehow reused/recycled (if you get what I mean).
Anyway, I like screen-spanning and I've been using it for the last day, but the big question know is: is it safe to continue using it as it is?