ReedMe

OK. So. Here's the Comedy of Errors -

I have an HP Tablet PC TX1000 (VISTA, before SP1 update) with an unusably corrupted system, (about 6 weeks ago I got a "Black" screen of death. Where the computer will start, and I can get past the login screen, only to be greeted by a blank, black screen...Yet windows is fully running in the background, and I can pull up task manager to see what's running, but nothing else). I tried everything in my power to fix it, and finally decided to re-load VISTA from scratch, and get on with it.

When I picked up my computer to do so, I found the screen cracked straight through the middle, and totally unreadable! (Come to find out my drunk boyfriend stepped on it...and he was reprimanded accordingly... )

So, I bought an external monitor, (serial port monitor, Samsung, SyncMaster 172x), just to hold me until I can get a new PC (or MAC! haha). However, since I can't see the screen at all, (and even if I could guess my way blindly in through the login, I am then faced with a totally destroyed OS), I can't actually figure out how to get the computer to communicate with the monitor and make them work together! It's laughable at this point! Almost.

Can ANYONE help? If someone can give me a solution, either by way of a series of keystrokes that will allow the HP to talk to the monitor and get it working, or...I don't even know what else to suggest?!?! But if you can fix it, I will be eeeeternally grateful! )

Thanks SO much for any help!

-Liz

P.S.
Someone elsewhere mentioned Linux Live CD's ?? or D.O.S.?? I Don't know enough about either, but I will HIRE someone to talk me through a solution!

P.P.S.
Problem Summary:
-Bad OS
-Broken monitor
-need to install external monitor, (drivers, etc), in order to restore factory settings (VISTA, no disks).

Available resources (in case it helps?):
-1 External HD (has viruses)
-1 256mg thumb drive
-2 DVD-RW's
-AND an alternate (and also crippled) HP Laptop that works, but will only boot into safe mode...

...Oh ya, and I'm stuck in Mexico...

Thanks again for reading my looooong post and trying to help a girl out