Can anyone help? Doesn't look like the device is even being detected.
When laptop boots, second monitor shows progress so I know the device works ..

Code: Select all

rob@laptop:~/applications/disper/src$ xrandr -q
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192
LVDS2 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 344mm x 193mm
   1920x1080      60.0*+   59.9     50.0 
   1680x1050      60.0     59.9 
   1600x1024      60.2 
   1400x1050      60.0 
   1280x1024      60.0 
   1440x900       59.9 
   1280x960       60.0 
   1360x768       59.8     60.0 
   1152x864       60.0 
   1024x768       60.0 
   800x600        60.3     56.2 
   640x480        59.9 
VGA2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
rob@laptop:~/applications/disper/src$ python disper.py -l
display LVDS2: LVDS2
 resolutions: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1360x768, 1280x960, 1440x900, 1280x1024, 1400x1050, 1600x1024, 1680x1050, 1920x1080

lspci -l

Code: Select all

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation Device 0ffc (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device 21f5
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
        Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
        Memory at c0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=32M]
        I/O ports at 5000 [size=128]
        Expansion ROM at f1000000 [disabled] [size=512K]
        Capabilities: <access denied>
        Kernel driver in use: nouveau
        Kernel modules: nouveau, nvidiafb

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Ivy Bridge Graphics Controller (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device 21f5
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 44
        Memory at f1400000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
        Memory at e0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        I/O ports at 6000 [size=64]
        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
        Capabilities: <access denied>
        Kernel driver in use: i915
        Kernel modules: i915

I can confirm that the output indicates that the output does indeed believe no device is present there. This is quite unusual considering you are using Intel graphics.

Are you using a VGA extension cable, adapter or anything along those lines? Also, try unplugging it and plugging it back in to attempt to trigger the driver into re-detecting your monitor.

I am connecting a Dell monitor, VGA cable into laptop

After taking the VGA cable out of the laptop and reconnecting still there is no output on the second monitor

What kind of laptop is it? On my Lenovo Thinkpad, you apparently can't connect an external monitor to VGA if you use the onboard Intel graphics. I solved it by disabling Optimus in BIOS and set the NVIDIA graphic card to run at all times.