Using My Old Laptop As A Second Mointor

[Stabbo-Lad]

Hi everyone,

I've recently bought a new desktop pc and I wish to connect my old laptop to it as a second monitor and use maybe MaxiVista or Synergy to control it.. Unfortunately the graphics card in my pc only has one DVI port, no VGA. There is a VGA port on the back of the unit but it has been blanked off - does that mean it will no longer work? I also only have one ethernet port on my pc.

I don't want to install a secondary PCI card unless absolutely necessary so what are my alternatives, if any?

All help much appreciated.

SL.

[Tywais]

Hi everyone,

I've recently bought a new desktop pc and I wish to connect my old laptop to it as a second monitor and use maybe MaxiVista or Synergy to control it.. Unfortunately the graphics card in my pc only has one DVI port, no VGA. There is a VGA port on the back of the unit but it has been blanked off - does that mean it will no longer work? I also only have one ethernet port on my pc.

I don't want to install a secondary PCI card unless absolutely necessary so what are my alternatives, if any?

All help much appreciated.

SL.

You only need one video port and that is the one on your desktop using the monitor already connected. You need to connect an ethernet cable between the desktop and the notebook. If you are using the port for other purposes (ADSL for example) then you need to buy a small ethernet switch and will need two cables running to this switch (one from desktop and one from notebook - standard UTP cable). The switch is only a few hundred baht.

The reason only one VGA/DVI port - the notebook gets its display information directly through the network line (assuming using MaxiVista).

[Stabbo-Lad]

Hi everyone,

I've recently bought a new desktop pc and I wish to connect my old laptop to it as a second monitor and use maybe MaxiVista or Synergy to control it.. Unfortunately the graphics card in my pc only has one DVI port, no VGA. There is a VGA port on the back of the unit but it has been blanked off - does that mean it will no longer work? I also only have one ethernet port on my pc.

I don't want to install a secondary PCI card unless absolutely necessary so what are my alternatives, if any?

All help much appreciated.

SL.

You only need one video port and that is the one on your desktop using the monitor already connected. You need to connect an ethernet cable between the desktop and the notebook. If you are using the port for other purposes (ADSL for example) then you need to buy a small ethernet switch and will need two cables running to this switch (one from desktop and one from notebook - standard UTP cable). The switch is only a few hundred baht.

The reason only one VGA/DVI port - the notebook gets its display information directly through the network line (assuming using MaxiVista).

Thanks for the reply Tywais.

Actually that was my original plan but I seem to have confused myself somewhere along the line into thinking that would only give me internet access on the laptop and not '2nd screen' capabilites. Just to get the setup straight in my head, the connections would be:

phone line into modem,

modem into hub/switch,

hub/switch out to both computers.

Correct? If so presumably I'll also be able to use the laptop independantly for internet access? Will that halve my connection speed and will True be able to see two computers on the one line?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get it right first time?

SL.

[Stabbo-Lad]

Anyone?

SL.

[tjo o tjim]

From your second post, you want to get a router; that allows two computers to share the same connection. The alternative is a little more complicated-- enable internet connection sharing from the PC and hook the laptop up to the network port of the PC. That either requires two ethernet ports (if the modem you describe is a DSL modem), or the modem gets hooked up to the PC via USB or serial for a typical dial-up modem.

For the original post, the laptop's VGA port is VGA out, not in; there is no way to use a laptop screen as just a monitor, at least not without a lot of work. The maxivista approach virtualizes the connection, but it is a "network" connection between machines-- either USB or ethernet. The intent is to increase your screen real-estate, similar to adding a second monitor. This doesn't give you a second keyboard as you appear to want.