Making external monitor as primary display in Bootcamp

I have MacBook Pro (late 2008) and I have WinXP installed in Bootcamp.

Recently I acquired a Dell SP2309W monitor that is capable of 2048 x 1152 resolution. When hooked to my MBP and start in WinXP, the external monitor works fine in EXTENDED mode. That is, I can move Windows to the external monitor. The MBP display is the primary display, where the Taskbar is displayed.

What I want to do is make the external monitor my PRIMARY display, with the taskbar shown there. However, the "Use this device as the primary monitor" is greyed out.

Anyone know how to do the above?

 

I'd suggest you try installing the actual nvidia drivers in WinXP rather than the BootCamp drivers. It may give you more options?

 

Try the advanced settings in properties. If you can't do it, it's because of the drivers. BTW it's easy to do with mac osx.

 

I do have NVIDIA driver. As a matter of fact, there is an NVIDIA icon in the taskbar.

Nothing in the Advanced settings that allows me to make the external monitor the primary display.

BTW, I did some Googling and apparently with the MacBook (Pro or regular) and apparently this is a known issue. I am not sure if this is MacBook or WinXP problem, but it happens quite often.

So for now the only I can make the External Monitor the primary display is to have a SINGLE VIEW mode (changed in NVIDIA settings, not WinXP settings). But then the MacBook LCD is off.

 

What drivers were you using to get the external monitor as primary in single view mode? I am going crazy trying to find some some sort of solution that makes my external monitor primary. Thanks!

 

I am using he default NVIDIA driver that came with Apple Bootcamp. The trick is to use the NVIDIA ICON on the Taskbar, not Windows Display Properties.

Right click on the NVIDIA icon on the Taskbar, and there should be something called "View" mode. Sorry... I don't remember, I don't have access to my computer right now.

 

Thanks for the response. I just uninstalled my drivers and installed the ones on the Apple disk. I still have the same problem. Whenever I go into the advance display settings or into the Nvidia control panel, it cuts off my external monitor. And when I am in the Nvidia control panel and I click on the set up multiple displays, and go to select the display I want to use, the external monitor doesn't show up on the list.

 

Any ideas? Would getting vista or 7 fix this?

 

Yes I believe that vista or 7 will be fine. I ran into the same problem with xp when I tried to do it about 6 months ago, I could not get my external screen to be the primary screen. However I have had success in both vista and 7 and know for a fact that they will either immediately recognize that there is an external and make that the primary screen or you can go to options about the screens and configure there. I think the best way to go would be to get windows 7 if you can.

 

Yeah, You can't in Windows XP, I tried all kinds of drivers and could never get it to work, Works fine in Windows 7.

 

Alright, thanks for the help. Looks like I'll have to get windows 7.