I’ve gotten contradictory info on this question from a few different people, so perhaps someone here has actually attempted this. Here is what I asked Sony and what they said. Is this correct? Can this be done using different ATI drivers? Note that what I am looking to do is use both my laptop screen and external LCD at the same time in a dual-screen setup. Thanks.

Q:
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I have a dell 2001FP LCD monitor that is 1600x1200.

Sony VGN-S270 with 9200 video option, win xp pro, and using docking station

Can that laptop support dual display using both the laptop screen at 1280x800 and the monitor at 1600x1200?
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A:
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Thank you for contacting SonyStyle.com with your inquiry regarding Sony VAIO Notebooks.

The Sony VAIO Notebook VGN-S270 has a LCD 13.3” WXGA display that supports 1280x800 resolution.

You can connect a second display to the Sony VAIO Notebook VGN-S270 if you opt for the Sony VAIO Port Replicator for S Series VGP-PRS1.

The second display can be connected to the VGA out of the Sony VAIO Port Replicator for S Series VGP-PRS1. However you will not get a resolution of 1600x1200. The resolution you will get will be 1280x800.
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Err…that’s not entirely correct.

You can connect to a display without the port replicator/docking station. The only limitation is that it’s VGA only. The port replicator also has VGA but it also has DVI which you want to use if driving a high resolution LCD screen.

You can run the secondary monitor independent of the desktop resolution of your S’ 1280x800 screen. I’ve run my CRT (in extended desktop mode) at 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 via the VGA connection. I’ve also driven my 1600x1024 LCD monitor via the DVI connection.

If you set the dual monitor options to “clone” then yes, the secondary monitor will mimic the primary screen’s resolution. I’m thinking you don’t want to clone but want to extend so you have extra workspace.

I have mine hooked upto a Mac 23” Cinema HD display (using the DVi on the docking station).... 1920 X 1200 on the monitor and 1280 x 800 on the S….  :shock: