Laptop to TV. Can I close laptop and keep picture?

[styley]

I've got the laptop connected to my TV via a HDMI cable. However, if the laptop sleeps or I close it, the picture disappears from the TV so basically I'm looking at two screens of the same thing. Is there any way that I can close the laptop but keep the image going through the HDMI cable to the TV, to save power if nothing else? The system I'm using is Windows Vista if that has any relevance.

[styley]

Trim I have changed it so that it doesn't sleep. I'll close it now and see what happens. But can it be set up so that there is no image on the laptop but it still outputs the signal to the TV?

[styley]

When I closed it it went off on the laptop and the TV.

[mjwman]

It is in the power settings somewhere. There is one item that says what the computer does when you close lid. You set - nothing-.

[styley]

Thanks, I'll have a click about.

[ChuckFickens]

Yes (on most laptops)

Set click on the advanced tab in power settings and set the action when you close lid to do nothing, swap the display to TV only and shut the lid and you should be fine.

I say most laptops, because I've come across one laptop that cut the display to the external screen when the screen was shut (dell C640), but every other one I've tried has been fine.

[styley]

Chuck, you are the man. Worked a treat. Just one little thing, when I close the lid, the mouse pointer always reverts to the middle of the screen, no matter where I place it before closing the lid. Its no biggie, but if yo have any pointers(sorry) on how to solve this, let me know, thank you.