HELP! Can A Pc Tower Be Connected To An Old Tv, or Laptop Screen?

ebsay2000

Ive got virtually no funds.......and the hard drive of my laptop is Kapput......the screen still functions though.

A friend can let me have an old PcTower Hardrive.....can i use it somehow... ie: plug it into my tv via a scart type lead?

I'm stuck with a broadband contract, but no working pc :mad: ........i'm typing this at my friends.

Any information, greatly appreciated! :beer:

chris667

People generally don't know how to get rid of CRT monitors.
Join your local Freecycle group, and ask for one. People will offer you hundreds.
What's up with your laptop?

geewhiz

Laptop hard drives start around £30 for a decent one so it makes no sense to bin a laptop if it's only the drive that needs replacing.

ebsay2000

Its an old lap top.......IBM Thinkpad 600......Pentium II ........running on Windows ME.......it was second hand when i got it 2 years ago!

I paid 15 quid approx for the Reg Cure download to remove 549 errors!!

But it still wont start up or if it does it gets stuck, or doesnt fully load my desk top, or doesnt recognise my user account, or i get the blue screen, or it just shows my screen picture and icons.......it takes about 30 mintes b4 i can get online......if at all......then the mouse sticks and i cant do anything.

Also it no longer restarts or switches off.......i have to pull the plug!!

Its well n trully K-nackered!!

I'm in Halifax.......we dont seem to have a freecycle, i'm afraid.

geewhiz

How about this for £4.99 if you pick it up ?

Ebay

Cheaper than the cables to connect a desktop to a tv !

chris667

I'm so sorry, but I suspect Regcure is a scam. See this thread http://www.wilderssecurity.com/archive/index.php/t-157155.html.
Windows ME is no longer supported by Microsoft. There's no updates, so you can't properly secure it for use on the internet.
Download Puppy Linux. It's very secure, and open source so won't cost a penny apart from the price of a blank CD. It will run better than Windows ME ever did on your old laptop.

PM me if you get stuck.

ebsay2000

Errr Guess wot.........?

The cd rom drive on my laptop died a death long ago

Yes, Chris...... Regcure seemed too good to be true and it was!

I downloaded a couple of these things, only to find they wanted payment before removing the 'errors'.

I thought if 15 quid was going to save my laptop then ok...........Unfortunately n predictably it didnt :mad: .

Cud hav used that money to buy n old monitor from ebay....ah, the wisdom of hindsight!!!

ebsay2000

Thanks for all your replies.

Does anyone kno if i can buy connecting cables?

weegie.geek

Depending on the graphics card in your main PC, you might be able to hook it up to your TV via svideo or composite (or via one of these and a scart adapter if your tv doesn't have svideo or composite).

HOWEVER, it probably won't have tv output turned on as standard, so you'll have to go into the options and turn it on... A bit of a problem with no monitor.

If you've got an lcd tv or a plasma, you'll probably be able to connect your pc to it with a normal vga cable.

Really clutching at straws now, but can your laptop boot from USB? You say the Cd drive is knackered, but if you can boot a linux install off a usb drive you'll be able to use the laptop in the meantime. Depending on how your main PC is setup you might even be able to remote desktop into it and use it from the laptop.

ebsay2000

weegie.geek wrote: »

Really clutching at straws now, but can your laptop boot from USB? You say the Cd drive is knackered, but if you can boot a linux install off a usb drive you'll be able to use the laptop in the meantime. Depending on how your main PC is setup you might even be able to remote desktop into it and use it from the laptop.

Sory for being dim........But how would i do this?

The usb port works and i have a memory stick.......?

Thanks for your time :beer:

chris667

Your BIOS is very unlikely to allow you to boot from a USB stick due to its age. But if your laptop has a working floppy drive, you can create a floppy disk that will allow you to boot through USB indirectly.
It's not hard, but possibly a bit much for the forum - PM me, if you like, and I'll talk you through it.