Laptop screen burnt out; any way to open XP on external monitor?

I have an old XP laptop with some software I can't run on 7, but the monitor's long burnt out. Does anyone know of a way to boot up the computer on my desktop monitor without access to the computer?

Thanks.

If the laptop has a VGA port then just plug it in and turn it on. Most laptops will default to an external monitor at startup if you have one plugged in.famicommander