accessing a tower using a laptop for a monitor

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billybobdurkins

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Mar 25, 2013
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Hi
I have several computer towers but no monitor for them. I have a plug and play keyboard and mouse for the towers.
Is there a way that I can hook the towers up to a laptop and use only the monitor?

Ive heard of this KVM switch, but what if I just want to access whats on the hard drive on the tower? I dont want to link the tower and the laptop together, I just want the most basic of using the laptop as a monitor all on its own.

Sorry if its a redundant question, but Ive found no help on google, lots of explanations, but none that pertain to my particular conundrum.

Thank you :)
 
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pauls3743

pauls3743

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Dec 24, 2011
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To the very best of my knowledge, a laptop monitor cannot be connected directly to a pc and used as a monitor.

A KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switch doesn't help either, this is used purely for connecting a single keyboard, monitor and mouse to multiple computers and switching between them. A KVM switch could only be connected to a laptop in the form that the laptop was another pc.

I discounted what cannot be done, now onto options of what can be done.

Have you considered using a television, most modern LCD/LED tvs support VGA, hdmi and dvi inputs.

A vastly more expensive option is a usb console crash cart, this will allow you to use your laptop as a combined mouse, keyboard and screen for your desktops. I've looked into this myself recently, prices started ~£300 on ebay, I'm having to seriously consider if it's really worth it.

If it's purely the data on the drive you need why not get yourself a usb hard drive dock. This means you would need to remove the hard drives from your towers. These little things would set you back £20-£30.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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Assuming they are all connected through a switch ($15), share out the entire C drive (or just specific folders) on each tower. Crank up the laptop, and map a drive letter for each shared tower. Done.

You will need at least a basic monitor to set it up, though. You can find a used one for next to nothing, or borrow one from a friend for the afternoon.

Or....get some USB drive enclosures, take the drives out, and connect them directly to the laptop via a USB hub.
 
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