Refit bootloader not showing up on my NEC external display

I didn't know exactly which forum to post this in, but this seemed like a good place to start.

I have a macbook 2,1, set up to triple-boot Snow Leopard, Windows 7, and Ubuntu using refit. I use my macbook in clamshell mode, with external display via the Mini-DVI-to-VGA adapter and external usb keyboard/mouse. The display is an NEC Multisync 90GX2. The problem is that refit doesn't show up on the external display, only on the internal display. In order to see refit, I have to open the macbook's lid, and only after I select an OS and it starts booting up does the external display kick in. With the lid closed, I could still press left and right and enter on the keyboard, so technically I could select an OS without opening the lid, but it would be far less tedius if I could get refit to show up on the external display. I don't have any other problems with the external display, so I'm somewhat stumped on where to start with this, but any help would be appreciated.

 

Does anyone else concur with this or have anything else to suggest?