External monitor does not work unless connected at boot

[Agustin Lobo]

Hi!

I'm running ubuntu hardy on a Toshiba Portege M400
laptop.

If I boot the laptop without the external
monitor, then connect the external monitor
and set up with urandr (or just xrandr), the external monitor
does not display anything. Even if I restart
X using the keyboard (Ctrl Alt <-). The display in the laptop
behaves as if the external monitor
were working.
I have to reboot the laptop with the external monitor
connected to it in order to get the external monitor working.
And in this case, the external monitor works fine, but the
laptop has very low brightness

Any way to solve these problems?

Thanks

-- 
Dr. Agustin Lobo
Institut de Ciencies de la Terra "Jaume Almera" (CSIC)
LLuis Sole Sabaris s/n
08028 Barcelona
Spain
Tel. 34 934095410
Fax. 34 934110012
email: Agustin.Lobo at ija.csic.es
http://www.ija.csic.es/gt/obster