Using a projector or external monitor

[Peter <cogwepeter@greenie.frogspace.net>]

I'm running Debian on a new laptop, Best Buy's vpr matrix 200A5, and would 
like to use an external monitor or projector. When I have a second LCD 
connected, the display works fine in text mode. However, when I start 
X-windows, it goes black.

I see from XFree86.0.log that the external monitor is correctly identified
and named, and its characteristics spelled out. I use the default
(non-accelerated) nv driver for the NVidia GeForce4 420 Go M32 rev 163,
and a tailored version of XF86Config-4 with a generic 1024x768 display at
75MHz that both monitors accept (the laptop's monitor default is
1280x854).

It may be that I just need to switch view from one monitor to the other -- 
but how do I do that? My keyboard uses Fn+F3 to switch between displays, 
but this has not effect in my Linux setup.

I included Option "externDisp" under "Device", but the log file shows this
was not used.

I use XFree86 Version 4.2.1.1 (Debian 4.2.1-4 20021123003806 
branden@debian.org) (protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)
Release Date: 18 October 2002.

I'd appreciate your help as this would expose a large number of people to
Linux. Is there an option I can use? A way to control which display to
use? Or does nVidia's closed driver handle this feature?

Please reply on the list.

Cheers,
David