Use USB monitor in place of laptop screen?

I have a Gateway laptop, model MT3707, running Vista Home Premium with 2 GB of ram on board.

MY QUESTION IS:

Can I use a standard-size, add-on monitor plugged into my laptop VGA port more or less as a permanent substitute to my laptop's built-in screen WHILE KEEPING THE LAPTOP LID CLOSED DOWN, IF under "Power Options\Choose what closing the lid does," I choose "Do Nothing?" (there is nothing wrong with my laptop lid or laptop screen, I just want to be able use a larger screen display while at my desk at home, where I do most of my work.)

That is to say, I already am using a USB keyboard and if I also use a 3rd-party monitor and the "Do Nothing" power options lid setting, can I keep the lid closed, yet still control all laptop functions via the add-on USB keyboard, as well as view everything that is happening through the add-on USB monitor, while keeping laptop lid closed? In essence, using the laptop as if it were like a closed-box desktop case with 2 USB peripherals.

I would like to be able to do this while on my desk at home, reserving the laptop functioning by itself soley while traveling.

If anyone else has tried this and found it workable or is hardware pro enough to say a laptop can be used in this fashion I'd much appreciate knowing before I go to the expense of buying a wide-screen monitor for this purpose.

May seem a silly work-around effort instead of using a full-size desktop system, but I am already committed these days to this laptop, more powerful and versatile than my old desktop, as my only computer but do miss the larger monitor and keyboard.

By the way, for anyone interested, I have gotten used to Vista Home to the point where I really like it even better than XP—something I never thought when I first started using this new laptop.

My thanks for your attention and any help anyone can offer. I have always appreciated Windows BBS help people, frequently recommending to anyone with similar help needs.

Best regards,

Timothy

 

That shouldn't be a problem but just to confirm you say USB monitor a couple of times, you do mean VGA don't you Buy yourself a USB mouse though.

For what it's worth I have an old toshiba which was not cost effective to repair when the display was broken. It currently runs fine inside a kitchen drawer with a wireless keyboard and mouse and external monitor (Useful for the footy results on a saturday afternoon)

 

" just to confirm you say USB monitor a couple of times, you do mean VGA don't you "

Yes, of course, stands to reason only a VGA monitor can plug into a VGA port, doesn't it. My bad, had USB peripherals on the brain I guess, not to mention writing too late at night. I already have several USB mice already.

But thanks much or your post. Just what I wanted to read was that someone actually had a laptop working OK with an external VGA monitor.

But to nail down the pertinent part of my query: Your Toshiba runs lid closed while using USB keyboard and VGA monitor—inasmuch as "runs fine inside a kitchen drawer" suggests such confining low-overhead space requiring the lid to be down-!? You needn't keep the busted lid open for everything to work properly?

Again, thanks very much for your gracious time and attention on this matter.

 

Not quite, I removed the display entirley see this thread, I did eventually buy a wireless USB Keyboard/mouse and the system has worked fine for several months.

Laptops will allow you to turn the inbuilt display off when the lid is closed so I don't see a problem, but if you're concerned use your desktop monitor or borrowed on to test it for a few hours.

No problem, please let us know how things go.