Here is a bad way to do this, for most, that may just be good for you.
On desktop, open this file as root
gksu gedit /etc/default/grub
and find this line
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=...
and add a this to the end
video=LVDS-1:d
my whole line is
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
so I would add it here
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash video=LVDS-1:d"
Change lvds-1
for you monitors name, if it is different, find it with
xrandr -q
Save and exit, and run the command
sudo update-grub
This will disable the Laptop display for both grub
and the desktop and force it to the external display, even if you remove the HDMI
cable, the laptop screen will not work. You can remove the change to change it back to using the laptop screen.
I can't test this as I don't have a laptop, but I took it from an question at arch
, where the issue was no laptop display after forcing grub
to an external monitor.
I don't recommend this for most users who want there laptop to still be portable.
Best Answer
I've created a script that slowly dims two monitors after 5 minutes of keyboard or mouse inactivity while you watch a movie on a third monitor. When you move your mouse or use your keyboard the two dimmed monitors quickly brighten (but not suddenly to shock you).
Sample status screen
Before you think I watch too much TV note this is a laptop and the program has been running for many days and the laptop is suspended / resumed twice a day at least.
Setup Instructions
Save the script below to a filename in your path such as
/usr/local/bin/movie.sh
or/home/your_user_name/bin/movie.sh
and then use:Xorg's package
xprintidle
is required to track how long your computer has been idle since a mouse movement or keyboard activity:Then to launch the script use:
Note: When testing, change
TIME_TO_FADE
from200000
to10000
so you only have to wait 10 seconds instead of 200 seconds for fading to start.The script