Hi Carl! Thanks for your compliment :) But I'm not a writer, altough.... I'm writing software programs ;) A docking station is an extension of several io-port of a laptop, so you don't need drivers to use it. But the BIOS of the laptop detects the docking station, so I think the BIOS of this new laptop does something when it detects it. But what :) Here is some info of the (original Toshiba) docking station: Type: Toshiba Advanced Port Replicator III Model: PA3314E-1PRP Serial No.: 65136318 Greetings, Marco. 2006/1/9, Carl Hartung :

On Monday 09 January 2006 04:26, Marco Mans wrote: <snip>

Hi Marcos,

I don't have a solution for you, but issues in this area are of great personal interest to me. One reason is that I intend to migrate to a comparable environment this year and want to familiarize myself with the terrain.

In addition, I wanted to compliment you on an extremely well written post. You've made it very easy to understand your platform at the very beginning of the thread and you've provided an accurate but succinct description of the problem. Great job! Are you by any chance a writer? :-)

Anyway, I'm wondering if you are aware of any M$/Toshiba drivers associated with that docking station? If you don't know, can you check to see if anything shows up in the device manager when it's docked and you've booted into the 'dark side'?. Also, can you supply the model and serial numbers (or date of manufacture with 'Rev' number) of the docking station?

Thanks & regards,

- Carl

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On Tuesday 10 January 2006 01:41, Marco Mans wrote:

Hi Carl!

Thanks for your compliment :)

Hi Marco (and sorry for the extra 's' last time!) I like to give credit where credit is due. It is also good for newcomers to recognize well prepared posts, so pointing them out when I see them is a win-win!

But I'm not a writer, altough.... I'm writing software programs ;)

So, you /are/ a writer... it shows.

A docking station is an extension of several io-port of a laptop, so you don't need drivers to use it.

That's my understanding, too.

But the BIOS of the laptop detects the docking station, so I think the BIOS of this new laptop does something when it detects it. But what :)

And how can M$ handle it differently if there is no driver? Did you look to see if anything showed up in Device Manager?

Here is some info of the (original Toshiba) docking station: Type: Toshiba Advanced Port Replicator III Model: PA3314E-1PRP Serial No.: 65136318

Thanks for identifying the docking station. I'll try a little research at this end. When you have a chance to peek into Device Manager, you might still want to check for anything there related to the docking station... can't hurt, right? regards, - Carl PS: The preferred method on SUSE lists is to reply /below/ the text you are quoting, i.e. "bottom-posting." This keeps the content sequential, which is easier to follow. Also, please don't "CC" other subscribers. The extra copy is redundant and increases the administrative burden at the recipient end.

On Tuesday 10 January 2006 09:15, Marco Mans wrote:

I looked in the Device Manager of Windows. But no device is listed...

It's also funny that when the computer boots up, both screens are on (cloned) So GRUB and the SuSe bootscreen can be seen on BOTH screens. When X starts, the second screen gets black....

Hi Marco, A couple of 'crumbs' to pass on... Have you tried cycling through Fn key combinations to switch the active display? My understanding is many systems like this have a function key for this purpose, to be held down and combined with other function keys to cycle through various options (LCD only, VGA only, LCD+VGA etc.) Could it simply be needing a "nudge" like this when docked? Your system uses NVIDIA GeForce Go 6600 Express graphics. I can't tell if this thread (link below) is relevant to your system but it discusses twinview mode on SUSE: http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=suse-linux-e&m=111469017309892&w=2 regards, - Carl