Running external monitor, mouse & keyboard

I'm guessing this is the right place for this question, as it strikes me as a dumb one, but it's something I've never considered.

When connecting an external monitor, mouse and keyboard to a laptop, I assume that I can set it not to suspend when I close the lid. I also assume that by doing so, not only will I be able to continue working using the external peripherals, but will also be able to operate the internal devices such as the optical drive, card readers, etc, and that basically the machine will still function normally. Is all that correct?

 

well, on my laptop, i can change a setting in the power management so that if i close the lid, nothing will happen/change/turn off.

 

Thanks. That's what I figured.

 

Be wary though, my old laptop heats right up doing this as a fair bit of heat is dissipated up through the keyboard and palm rest area - with the screen down it has nowhere to go and heats up at an alarming rate.

Why not keep it open and dual screen?

 

just my .02 here, but why not buy a docking station or port replicator? It saves on plugging stuff in all the time. However, if you do go into the power settings and change the "when i close the lid" option, you'll be able to do what you'd like just like Whizzo mentioned. i personally haven't heard of any heating issues while doing this, and if your video card will support the dual monitor option, that's always a cool option to have.

 

Why not close the lid almost all the way so that there's still a bit of space? Like maybe 10 degrees from the keyboard?

And yes, with Vista you just change the power settings so closing the lid does nothing.

 

For me, I choose to close the Lappy's lid when connected to the monitor. Just feels natural.

 

Its fine to close the lid. Ever see a docking station with a laptop in it at any business. They are all closed...

 

working with monitor and laptops looks natural

this is reason why I'm looking to get bigger laptop than standard one.