connecting old monitor to ibook

My ibook screen is broken, so i've connected my older 17" monitor to it.
The only way i can get this to work however is if the monitor is also connected to my old g3 tower which has to be switched on.
Does anyone know if there is a way i can run the old monitor without having to plug it into the g3 tower - maybe an adaptor so it just plugs into the mains?
Any help would be fantastic.
Thanks,

Danny

What kind of monitor is it?
Bryan

Sorry, it's a 17-inch CRT studio display (i'm in the UK)

How do you connect everything? Is the monitor hooking through a VGA port, DVI, ADC?
Bryan

The monitor cable is VGA and is connected to my g3 ibook using an adaptor.

The monitor power cord is a fairly big 3-point socket and connects into the book of my g3 tower.

I'm looking for a way of using my old 17" monitoas an external display for my ibook without having to use the g3 tower.