text: with windows xp and a thinkpad t30, how do i extend my desktop to multiple monitors? the second monitor doesn't show up under control panel display settings.  right now i have an lcd monitor set up, but it shows exactly the same screen that my laptop shows.  not particularly useful. just because the laptop has an external video connection does not mean it supports a seperate display. let me clarify:  most laptops are fully capable of what is called "mirroring."  this is what you're seeing.  certain laptop video cards in recent years do allow you to split your desktop so that you can see different views on each available screen. from looking at the general specs on ibm's website (see sources) it mentions a 16mb ati radeon 7500 video card.  the second link in sources is the direct link to the *standard graphics card's specifications. if it was capable of allowing you to split the video signal to both the laptop's built in screen and the external monitor, it would state something like "dual channel supported."