The Gang of Five
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Coverting a Laptop into a Desktop Monitor?

pokeplayer984

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Okay, I've only heard of this idea and I've been looking to do it, but never had the courage to attempt it until now.

I want to take my Compaq Laptop and covert it into a monitor for my Desktop Computer.  The only thing is, I don't know how to do that! :P:

So, tips and guides on this, please?

Thanks in advance.


landbeforetimelover

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There's no such thing as a bilateral video connection.  In English, this means that the laptop has a video OUT, not a video IN.  To my knowledge, there's no way to reverse this.  If you want to connect a PC to your laptop to use as a monitor, the only thing you could do would be to solder on a new connection to the motherboard.  I've done motherboard repair, but even I don't have the skills necessary to add an entirely new connection to a mainboard.  Unfortunately, that skill has practically been lost.  Back in the olden olden days of computers it was actually quite common to add a connection to the motherboard in order to get it to accept a CD drive and such, but such things aren't really done anymore.  Computers are much more....disposable nowadays.


pokeplayer984

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Actually LBTlover, I took a closer look at my Laptop and Desktop and I noticed something on it.

My Laptop and my Desktop both have an S-Video connection and a multi-pin connection.  I think with the right wires, I could pull it off. :)


landbeforetimelover

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It's not the type of wires that make the connection.  It's the type of input on the motherboard.  A wire is just a piece of metal surrounded by an insulator.  It does absolutely nothing unless it has some sort of hub or control center in the middle of it.  Even with the right type of hub, it can't make the signal flow in the opposite direction that it was designed for.  Oh, and "hub" isn't the right word for it.  My knowledge of the proper terms for the electrical components involving computers is severely lacking. :p