Using laptop as a base unit

[PhiltheGill]

I have a roughly 6 year old laptop which is fine for my everyday purposes except that the keyboard is rather hit and miss. (Keys sticking/not working at first press).

As I only use said laptop sat at my desk I've got around this by using a bluetooth keyboard and mouse but now I've decided that I'd prefer to use a different screen which, in effect would make the laptop a base unit for a PC. I've hit a problem...

The laptop in question (An ACER Aspire M) does not have a VGA port. It does have HDMI and USB C.

I've tried hooking the Laptop up to a TV via the HDMI port and I cannot get it recognise that anything is there so I've concluded that somewhere along the line the HDMI port has failed or it is for Input only so that leaves me with USB.

Does anyone have any experience of using USB to run a PC monitor? Is it worth it or should I go straight to buying a new desktop PC?

Thanks in advance for any advice/guidance.

Phil

[swill453]

I've tried hooking the Laptop up to a TV via the HDMI port and I cannot get it recognise that anything is there so I've concluded that somewhere along the line the HDMI port has failed or it is for Input only so that leaves me with USB.

It's vanishingly unlikely that the HDMI port is for input.

It'd be worth persisting to see if you can get it working with a monitor. There's often a function key (or key combination) to switch on the external display.

Scott.

[Redmires]

You could use a docking station. A quick google on Ebay suggests that some Acer laptops have the capability but not sure about yours. Does it have connectors underneath ? You could also try a universal docking station but whether it's worth the cost is up to you. I have a Dell laptop which I use as a desktop with such a docking station.

[swill453]

It'd be worth persisting to see if you can get it working with a monitor. There's often a function key (or key combination) to switch on the external display.

Looks like it should be Fn-F5 (the blue markings on the keys).

Scott.

[Itsallaguess]

I've tried hooking the Laptop up to a TV via the HDMI port and I cannot get it recognise that anything is there so I've concluded that somewhere along the line the HDMI port has failed or it is for Input only so that leaves me with USB.

I agree with those that suggest the HDMI port is unlikely to have 'failed', and I think it's worth pursuing that solution further before potentially heading down alternative rabbit-holes.

If the good suggestion of trying the Fn key-combination doesn't get you anywhere, then the next place I'd look is in the graphics card settings to see if there are any obvious display options that would activate an external display, or some other 'clone' option for showing the desktop on additional screens.

There's also this post which might be worth exploring, which doesn't specifically talk about the 'm' range of Acer laptops, but might offer some additional avenues for investigation, given that it seems he was able to get a HDMI signal in the end, following some initial difficulty on an Acer laptop -

https://www.premitel.uk/consultancy/exp ... -to-my-tv/

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[servodude]

In addition to the FN keys and graphics card settings you probably also want to check the "Display Settings"
- that's where windows keeps its options for how to handle multiple displays
- I've had success with going this way when the FN keys have not worked (specifically on a dell that was brought up to date from win 7 to 10 ending up with some generic drivers en route)

These days "Display Settings" is normally most easily accessed via a right click of the desktop in windows

Good luck
- sd

[Alaric]

These days "Display Settings" is normally most easily accessed via a right click of the desktop in windows

There should be a facility to switch from the local display to an external one, or even have both running simultaneously.

[PhiltheGill]

Thanks all!
The [Fn][F5] combination doesn't throw up any options with TV attached via HDMI but there are several other suggestions here for me to work through. I will update in due course!

Phil

[Urbandreamer]

The problem might be getting the laptop to work with the TV.

The resolutions that TV's will accept are often limited. I know that if I run Raspberian (the standard distribution for the Pi) it won't display on my TV. I do however get a more limited display using the DietPi distribution. Before anyone comments, yes I know that means I could change Raspberian so that displays.

My point is that it might be the laptop and TV refusing to comunicate. IF you are happy using a computer monitor then HDMI to VGA addaptors are cheap from either ebay or Amazon. If you don't have a computer monitor, well used ones are also cheap.

[didds]

some rather prosaic suggestions to traiuble shoot..

L=Laptop/PC
M=monitor/tv
H=HDMI cable

Do you have

* a friend with another M with HDMI that you could test L+M with? Or of course another M yourself
* a friend with another L you can test M+H with (or you have another L)
* a friend with another H you can test L+M with (or you have another H).

Better still when your freiend (or alternative supply) all works as is with their H+L+M

basically its simpl;y a case of trying to isolate if there are any issues with one part of your three way setup, with a view to replcaing/further investigating the isolated item.

didds

[chas49]

There's also the Windows standard combination keystroke of Win+P which should bring up the sidebar which allows you to select the external monitor options. Try Duplicate first! (It's possible that choosing Second Screen only could leave you with a blank screen on both if things aren't working )

[gryffron]

Try setting the laptop into a very low resolution display. Then see if the hdmi works. The laptop display settings (right click any blank area of screen) will allow you to do this. The same options Might also have an enable option for the hdmi.

Yes, there are USB input monitors which work just fine. It is the best way these days to hang multiple monitors off most PCs. But it is not a standard feature, and usually only top end, (i.e. More expensive) monitors offer USB input.

Gryff

[swill453]

(It's possible that choosing Second Screen only could leave you with a blank screen on both if things aren't working )

Sure. The way to work it is to connect the external screen, then press Fn-5 multiple times and it will rotate through the options. Some of those will blank the laptop screen, but pressing it again should bring it back.

If none of them show anything on the external monitor, that's when you start to suspect a faulty port/cable/monitor.

Scott.

[JonE]

If none of them show anything on the external monitor, that's when you start to suspect a faulty port/cable/monitor.

I recollect encountering external displays which didn't necessarily auto-switch to an active input and had unhelpful internal naming of inputs so when checking each output option on some device I might have to remember to test more than one input option on the external display. Not being able to delete an internal analogue tuner from the list of available inputs used to irk me slightly - but I got over it.

Cheers!

[didds]

I just looked on my laptop (albeit its a tosh) running win10 pro, with HDMI connection to a TV via a HDMI cable.

I have display on both laptop screen and TV, but the audio is coming form the TV

FWIW the display settings show

"multiple displays" - duplicate these displays

and advanced settings shows me with two displays, the bootom one of which is 19W_LCD_TV (model number or summat probably).

If I disconnect the HDMI cable the second display disappears.

Hope that maybe helps in some way?

didds

[PhiltheGill]

Hi All

Just got back from a few days away. Whilst whiling away some spare time and, inspired by didds' comments about a friends monitor, I ordered an HDMI male/female extension lead as I remembered that our (even older) All-in-one PC had an hdmi lead plugged into its socket which I once unplugged only to find that the screen went off.

Lead & I arrived home today so...having powered up said All-in-one I disconnected the screen from the HDMI socket and connected it to the laptop via the new extension lead and BINGO up came the laptop screen as a duplicate.

A couple of minutes of fiddling with the settings - thanks for the pointers alaric & servodude - and laptop is working just as envisaged with the added bonus of only spending about a fiver for a lead!

Thank you all!

Phil

[servodude]

Hi All

Just got back from a few days away. Whilst whiling away some spare time and, inspired by didds' comments about a friends monitor, I ordered an HDMI male/female extension lead as I remembered that our (even older) All-in-one PC had an hdmi lead plugged into its socket which I once unplugged only to find that the screen went off.

Lead & I arrived home today so...having powered up said All-in-one I disconnected the screen from the HDMI socket and connected it to the laptop via the new extension lead and BINGO up came the laptop screen as a duplicate.

A couple of minutes of fiddling with the settings - thanks for the pointers alaric & servodude - and laptop is working just as envisaged with the added bonus of only spending about a fiver for a lead!

Thank you all!

Phil

Always glad to hear of something being saved from the bone pile

Have fun
-sd