Is it possible to make a monitor attached to my laptop the ONLY monitor? Answered

if its an old Intel graphics card,there is an option to use second display only.

The hot-key for disabling your small lcd is "alt-F1" and to change it back is "alt-F3". You can change it manually by going into "Start". Then into "Control Panel". Then into "Display". Then continue to "Settings". Now click on "Advanced". Click on "Intel Graphics Media Accelerator..." at the top. Then click on "Graphics Properties". Now under "Display Devices" it will have the option of "Notebook" or External Display (not real sure) and click on External Display.

You already got good answers, but yes - this is very common. At work I have an "ultra-compact laptop" with a dinky 13inch 1024x768 screen, but it spends most of it's time driving an external 24inch monitor at 1600x1200. People who've opted for less dinky laptops frequently have theirs driving TWO external 19inch screens... It's a little bit random whether your laptop can operate with the lid shut while driving the external monitor. Sometimes they need the lid open for proper cooling, but can drive the external monitor at a different resolution (with both displays on), or they just shut off the LCD when it won't support the resolution selected.

Usually on laptops there is a CRT/LCD function button as a secondary function of one of the top row of keys, maybe F4 or something. It lets you cycle between laptop display, external display hooked up, and both at the same time. If you change the resolution or settings while on the external one, it may hiccup when you boot back to the laptop display but I don't think you will fry anything too bad. It may keep that setting so it will always boot to whatever was selected last.