I'm having the following problem with 12.10 Unity running on a Toshiba A505 16" display laptop using an external 24" Samsung LED monitor (resolution 1920 x 1080 (16:9). Also using the default 2 x 2 workspaces:

After powering up the laptop, I Click the Workspace Switcher and the 4 images which represent Workspace 1, Workspace 2, Workspace 3, and Workspace 4 are visible but are in a very elongated, stretched out aspect ratio. Also, any desktop icons placed on the left side of the screen don't show up when I go to full view on any of the 4 workspaces.

To resolve this issue, I open up the laptop lid until the video display switches from the external Samsung LED monitor to the internal laptop display, which renders the four workspaces perfectly. I then close the laptop lid and now the workspaces display the correct aspect view; both in the workspace switcher thumbnail view an in full view. I can now see the full desktop, including any desktop icons.

Is there a way to configure my system so that Workspaces work properly when the laptop is connected to an external monitor without having to open and close my laptop?

Thank you.