[newbie] 7.1 Hangs on Boot - Dell Laptop

[Rick Morris]

I got the CD in the current issue of Maximum Linux. The install seemed to go
fine (although it did not stop at the make boot disk step). I configured X
to use my monitor (NEC Multisync XV14). When the system reboots, the monitor
is not activated and the LCD panel goes blank and Linux never comes up.
Will 7.1 use a laptop with a monitor attached?
Should I just get the official distribution from Mandrake?
Thanks