switch to single window display if laptop is closed?

I have a new laptop and a large flat screen monitor and I’ve been trying to decide how I want them configured. Obviously I'm using the flat screen as the main monitor, but sometimes I want to use the laptop's display as a second monitor, and sometimes I want to use one monitor and have the laptop closed and out of the way. I would prefer not to change my system settings every time I decide to switch between using 1 and 2 monitors.

I tried changing the configuration settings to using a dual display with the flat screen as my main monitor, and changing the power settings so the laptop doesn’t switch to sleep mode when I close the lid. This seemed to work fine at first, until I tried opening a folder and nothing seemed to come up. Even though my laptop is closed and shoved out of the way Windows still treats the laptop monitor as being active, thus causing some applications to open on laptops monitor rather than on the main screen. There also the lesser problem that I my mouse will 'disappear' if I move it too far to the left and it switches to the other screen.

What I would prefer is to have some way that Windows will recognize when the laptop screen is shut and automatically switch from dual to single screen mode, and switch back to dual screen when I re-open the laptop. Can anyone suggest how this can be done?


Actually there is one other thing I would like to do with my spiffy new monitor, but I'm not sure it is possible. I would prefer for clicks on one screen to not force applications on the other screen to minimize. I've been trying to stream video on one screen while working on the other (atm Hulu is the only TV I've got) but it keeps switching the video out of full screen mode every time it registers a click on the second screen. The same issue happens with playing games or running any other program that monopolizes a screen. I won't rest until I have managed to play WoW while watching streaming video of Babylon 5 all from the same computer! It’s a right of geekhood!

Been researching and asking questions along those lines myself. As far as I can tell all of that is beyond the capabilities of the current technology.

is there a way I can ensure that newly opened applications always open on my main screen?

What I would prefer is to have some way that Windows will recognize when the laptop screen is shut and automatically switch from dual to single screen mode, and switch back to dual screen when I re-open the laptop. Can anyone suggest how this can be done?

Any luck?
I dont know, how it happened, but it works on mine just like that.
I dont want it.

I want to turn off display on laptop when closed and not to change my display settings for single desktop.

any suggestions?