Can reinstall windows using external monitor?

[VIBM]

My 770E needs a lcd inverter, since the display goes dark after around ten minutes.
It has win98SE and I would like to do a clean install of either
Win2k or WinXP Pro.
If I hook up an external monitor to the 770E, would it work
throughout the win2k installation, or does only the
lcd display work during installation?
Thanks for any guidance.

[fasterbybike]

You can set the boot display device in the BIOS. Or you could try replacing the inverter. Ebay shows several for sale.

[VIBM]

Thank you. I wanted to see how it handles a newer operating
system, before I bought a new inverter.

[VIBM]

I went into the BIOS and the only thing I could find pertaining
to display was CONFIGURATION --> DISPLAY
where there was a choice between SINGLE DISPLAY or
MULTIPLE DISPLAYS. I selected Multiple Displays.
Is this correct?

[fasterbybike]

Yes, now plug in the external monitor and you'll get the VGA display output. You should be able to install W2K from this point using the external monitor.

BTW, I'd forgotten about the dinky "bird" cursor in the 770 bios

[VIBM]

OK, I'll try it.
Yes, that "bird" scares me, because that's all I used to see until
I figured out I needed a new CMOS battery.
Thanks again.

[pkiff]

I went into the BIOS and the only thing I could find pertaining to display was CONFIGURATION --> DISPLAY
where there was a choice between SINGLE DISPLAY or
MULTIPLE DISPLAYS. I selected Multiple Displays.
Is this correct?

You don't need this set to multiple displays to accomplish what you want. This bios setting controls whether or not the display adapter will allow you to have two monitors working at the same time with a desktop that spans both monitors, instead of having the external monitor duplicate whatever is on your LCD.

All you want is to push your regular VGA signal out to an external monitor. You can do this with the display set to either single or to multiple. But my recommendation would be leave the display set to single unless you are actually trying to achieve a multiple desktop setup. To select which display to use, click FN+F7 [I think! I'm not in front of a Thinkpad].

You should be able to run through the install of any OS using either your LCD or your external monitor or BOTH.

Incidentally, if you actually want a multiple desktop /multiple display setup, then I think you probably should stick with Win2000 as I don't think the WinXP drivers for the 770/E/ED/X/Z allow multiple displays.

You can set the boot display device in the BIOS.

I don't think you can set this via the BIOS of the 770 series. The laptop attempts to determine whether a display is connected each time you boot and it always starts with the last successfully booted hardware config I think...or else it always starts by trying the internal LCD first.