No Option to Extend Monitor

Thanks to all for the incredible support Im getting on this forum. I am very grateful:). Alphanumeric, your suggestion sounds like a great idea to me (didnt realize i didnt have to uninstall anything before your last post), and I will try it tonight when I get home (or tomorrow at the latest), and post the results. As for the manual, it says that the comp. supports extended monitors, so my problem is clearly caused by limitations of my OS, as opposed to my machine itself. One more quick question, though: You say I can upgrade to Home premium online with a product key. Can I downgrade to XP in the same way, and if yes, will it cost me?

No you can't downgrade to XP without doing a re-install. Completely different OS. SOME OEM's were offering free downgrades to XP. You'd have to contact the manufacturer to see if you qualify. The way I read it, even the Starter edition has all the files installed that Ultimate does, its just that some features are disabled/not installed depending on what version you install. Anytime upgrade lets you enter a new product code to unlock the features supported by that version without having to have any install media. You don't need the DVD to upgrade all you need to buy is the anytime upgrade product code. You could go out and buy a brand new OEM disk if you wanted too. Its just that anytime upgrade is supposed to be cheaper and easier. Especially in your case as your netbook likely doesn't have an internal optical drive. Just compare prices before you commit one way or the other. Personally if the price is close between the two I'd rather have an OEM copy with the DVD.

hey aplha, thanks again for your suggestion. i am writing to you from my ubuntu distro. I am able to extend my monitor in this OS. I will give it some time before I make a final decision, but I am inclined to make the switch, or at least keep this parallel thing going so I can choose ubuntu when i need the monitor. If i dont like ubuntu, Ill just downgrade to XP.

I hear you, its hard going back once you've used dual screens for a while. I have two 19 inch LCD's. The only time I ever go single screen is to play games.