Windows 7: External Display not reliable

In Vista, when i attached my external display (Philips HDTV) to my Thinkpad and closed and opened the lid, it automatically extended per previous settings and woke the display from standby.

However in Windows 7, if I booted the computer without the external display plugged in, nothing I do can make it recognize that it's been connected. In order for Windows to recognize the display I have to log out and log back in with the display plugged in. Once it does recognize it, it remembers all my previous settings though (resolution and relative positioning).

Things I've tried: Windows+P and Fn+F7, extending the display from Screen Resolution, closing and opening lid (which worked in vista, turns laptop monitor off then on).

Does anyone know how I can attach my external display without logging on and off first?



Thanks!