Linux install on a laptop with an external monitor

[Arkitekt]

I have been using Ubuntu for a while now on my netbook, however I have an older HP dv5 laptop that hasn't been used in a couple of years that I would like to format and install a linux distro on. Problem is that it has a very broken LCD screen and I had been previously using an external monitor with it. I had tried to install Ubuntu 9.04 on it at one point but could not progress very far into the installation due to the external monitor. I had also tried using the non-graphical installer but had little sucess with it as well.

I had thought of removing the HDD from the laptop and putting it into another of my laptops and installing it that way, but the specs are different between the two laptops and I figured that it would not work properly once the HDD was switched back to the older laptop.

Is there any way to use an external monitor to install a newer version of Ubuntu? or perhaps is there another distro that is easily installed using an external monitor?

My plan is to eventually remove the broken screen all together and only have the external monitor connected, the broken screen is a bit unsightly.

[mr_luksom]

I did the same thing with a mostly damaged screen (you could still see some stuff), and I found that the installer/livecd picked up the external monitor without any config at all. That was 10.04 though, but I'd say give it a go.

[Arkitekt]

I did the same thing with a mostly damaged screen (you could still see some stuff), and I found that the installer/livecd picked up the external monitor without any config at all. That was 10.04 though, but I'd say give it a go.

Really? that is good to know, when I tried it with 9.04 the drivers for the external monitor output were not included on the liveCD. I will have to try again with 10.04 or 10.10. Thanks!