Question : Problem: docking station alternative

hi
my boss has a dell inspiron 1300, there is no docking port under the laptop. he wants to be able to use an external mouse, keyboard, and screen. i knowi can just connece the mouse and keyboard to it, how can i add a screen to it without having to open the laptop to power it on and off etc

Answer : Problem: docking station alternative

You clearly already know how to connect an external screen ... on the VGA port on the left side of the laptop.   That, of course, doesn't answer your question, "... how can i add a screen to it without having to open the laptop to power it on and off ..." ==>  To do that, you have to change the advanced power settings for what to do when the lid is opened or closed (you want it to "Do Nothing").   You may also have to set the BIOS to use the external display as the default boot-up display [some older BIOS's will give you a choice of "LCD", "CRT", or "Both" --> clearly "CRT" really means the external display].

In XP, just to go Power Options, the Advanced tab, and change the setting for "When I close the lid of my portable computer".

If you're using Vista, see the details here:  http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/0bd37789-cb50-4ca6-9976-0774e44ffcea1033.mspx#EI