Connecting inspiron laptop to vga monitor

[rnscrn]

I have a dell inspiron n4100. The side panel has a VGA out and an HDMI out. It looks like this:

I have a monitor I would like to use as the laptop screen instead of the 14" screen on the laptop. It has a larger VGA plug. It looks like this:

My three questions are:

1. What do I need to get the VGA out and VGA plug to work together
2. If I get an HDMI-VGA converter, would that allow me to use the monitor as the main laptop screen.
3. Assuming both #1 and #2 are possible, which would provide the best results?


Thank you so much in advance for the help. I am not good with these things.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

1) Plug in a VGA cable.
2) HDMI-VGA is very touchy, and only supported by some devices. Which devices that is seems to be poorly documented.
3) #1.

The only difference between the two VGA connections is that the second has the screws that stop you pulling it out accidentally. They just stay loose if the socket doesn't have the nuts.

 

[bfitzpatrick]

Do you mean the cable will not plug into the laptop. It sould be able to. Try doing so with the security screws fully unextended.

 

[rnscrn]

I uh,

I feel incredibly stupid. The plug is significantly bigger than the port and there were no screws or anything so I assumed. It took exactly 20 seconds to plug it in. You are all the best. I am the worst. Thank you.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Hah, no problem.

By no means the easiest to solve problem I've seen here.