hi, ive got a dell inspiron xps and i would like to know if its possible to use the monitor on the dell as my primary monitor for my desktop computer? im going to college and instead of carting a crt monitor over there i would like to bring my dell since i dont have the money for an lcd right now. is there a program that i could use and maybe line drive it from the s-video output on the other video card or is it impossible? any info is sweet, thanks.
Laptop display as primary for desktop
- Thread starter irt2
- Start date
Suggestion...
There are programs that will let you do that
BUT
They are slow.
They are unreliable.
They don't work with every machine.
See where I'm going with this?
You can score a cheap little 12 or 13 inch monitor and use it to set up the system. Then pop it under the desk with the brain box and network in on your laptop. Check around the repair shops. They usally have used small monitors for cheap.
I know you said you didn't want to lug a monitor to school but If you don't have a flat screen lcd this is a good alternative.
There are programs that will let you do that
BUT
They are slow.
They are unreliable.
They don't work with every machine.
See where I'm going with this?
You can score a cheap little 12 or 13 inch monitor and use it to set up the system. Then pop it under the desk with the brain box and network in on your laptop. Check around the repair shops. They usally have used small monitors for cheap.
I know you said you didn't want to lug a monitor to school but If you don't have a flat screen lcd this is a good alternative.
so pretty much i should set up the tower as a remote server with the "micro" monitor and then throw it into my closet until i need to do maintenance or something? sounds solid. i dont mean to sound like an idiot but how would i go about networking it? im pretty sure we only get two network lines in my dorm (for two people) and i dont know how to tie both my machines together. could i just plug the cable into a router and run my media over the network that way or is that a no go?
im just a history major who likes his music and movies :0) computer savy enough to survive and thats about it.
im just a history major who likes his music and movies :0) computer savy enough to survive and thats about it.
Well...
You just make sure you have a lan jack on the desk system and one on the lappy. Get a crossover cable and connect the two. If your desk machine has two connections the other would go to the schools network. Just follow the wizards in xp and if you need more help, we'll be right here...
Or a box of cigars and or a bottle of some good booze and go pay a social call on the system IT/admin. Tell em what you have and what you wanna do and see if they can fix you up. Always flatter an IT, be surprize how far it gets you.
You just make sure you have a lan jack on the desk system and one on the lappy. Get a crossover cable and connect the two. If your desk machine has two connections the other would go to the schools network. Just follow the wizards in xp and if you need more help, we'll be right here...
Or a box of cigars and or a bottle of some good booze and go pay a social call on the system IT/admin. Tell em what you have and what you wanna do and see if they can fix you up. Always flatter an IT, be surprize how far it gets you.
just run cat 5 from laptop lan jack to tower lan jack and plug the school network cable into the remaining modem jack - thats it? i dont need an ethernet switch or anything? sounds too simple. also, do you know anywhere online that i could find that small monitor online - like a electronics discount store or something, because i live in the middle of nowhere and the closest computer shop to me is about an hour south and they wont have anything that small.
irt2 said:
you need to have 2 lan cards in the desk system. One goes to the lappy and one to the school network. You make your own network between the two and then just bridge the connection to the school network in the network settings. It's a whole lot less compicated than it sounds. Xp has made it really simple to set up a network. But if you need help we're here.
Kage
Golden Master
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Thanks Setishock for clearing that up 
Now, you said you want a cheap monitor? What type? I guess you wouldn't want a CRT with a massive back, so about a 15inch LCD? Would that do you okay?
I'm trying to find a .com shop for you, you see, and here I'm finding alot of .co.uk shops which wouldn't do you.
Finding LCD monitors though, 15 inches for around $135. That about right for you? Finding it very hard to get smaller than that...
Now, you said you want a cheap monitor? What type? I guess you wouldn't want a CRT with a massive back, so about a 15inch LCD? Would that do you okay?
I'm trying to find a .com shop for you, you see, and here I'm finding alot of .co.uk shops which wouldn't do you.
Finding LCD monitors though, 15 inches for around $135. That about right for you?
Finding it very hard to get smaller than that...the thing is if i was going to get an lcd monitor, id spend the money and get like a 20+ inch one that i could use for a long time. my laptop screen is 15 inches and id definitely want to go bigger. im thinking i can just use the tv we have in the dorm to set it up as long as its got an s-vid input or standard video input. im going to check with my girls father - hes a computer engineer and he might know of something or somwhere....
