External Monitor Resolution

[ecksmen]

Hi,

I've got a macbook core duo 1.83Ghz with 2Gb of Ram, this is my first time with a mac, I'm a hardcore PC fella and I can't work out how I can force an external display to be the primary one.

I've got a 20" widescreen LCD monitor, that I used to use for my pc. Since getting the macbook I want to sell my tower but keep the macbook, and hook (on occasion) to the 20" monitor when I need the bigger screen.

I've managed to get dual monitor working, and cloned mode but I cant get the clone mode to work at the 20" monitors native resolution of 1680x1050, instead it gets stuck to 1280x800 the native res of my macbook. Is there some sort of hack that will allow me to plug my macbook into the monitor and show the full menus etc... all in 1680x1050 or am I SOL ?

 

[j26]

System Preferences|Displays and set up the monitor and give it a name.
Worked for me on a 17"crt with my PowerBook.

You can drag the menu bar in the graphic to the screen you want to use in the display prefernces. That will change main screen for you.

If you only want to use the external display and not the MacBook one, close the macbook so it goes to sleep, plug in the power and monitor and plug in a usb device. That will wake up the MB and the external monitor will be the main screen.

 

[ecksmen]

System Preferences|Displays and set up the monitor and give it a name.
Worked for me on a 17"crt with my PowerBook.

You can drag the menu bar in the graphic to the screen you want to use in the display prefernces. That will change main screen for you.

If you only want to use the external display and not the MacBook one, close the macbook so it goes to sleep, plug in the power and monitor and plug in a usb device. That will wake up the MB and the external monitor will be the main screen.

Cheers, not got it working quite right, but as long as the main screen has all the menus I can use the mac book display for tool bars etc... Cheers! I thought I'd be stuck with a small screen!