I was having a very similar issue with a thinkpad X201 (see https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/771344 - which is now duped here)
However, booting with the monitors plugged in made no difference - I would go to the black screen regardless when I logged in an existing account. However, a freshly created account was able to display two monitors and worked OK with monitor connects and disconnects. I removed all the compiz files from the existing account and then logged in with a classic no affects session. This gave me black screens, but I was able to hit fn-f7 and my screens cycled through various combinations. Some of these were all black, but some worked, including both screens full resolution (not mirrored) and just external monitor. I was then able to log out and back in with a classic with effects session, and this now works! However, if I fn-f7 too much, then eventually I end up in the black screens with only X cursor situation and have to restart X to get out of it. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu-X, which is subscribed to xserver-xorg-video-intel in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/745112 Title: [arrandale] desktop is messed up (goes black) when laptop is docked with two external 1920x1200 monitors (x86_64) _______________________________________________ Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-x-swat Post to : ubuntu-x-swat@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-x-swat More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
