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I have an HP laptop, and I smashed the display, but I work on an external monitor. I want to reinstall Windows, but the external monitor works only if Windows is installed. What can I do?
Florescu Adrian
Posted 2011-06-07T14:45:00.363
Reputation: 175
6
Why does the external monitor only work if Windows is installed? That's not normal.
The notebook's video card should detect the presence of the external monitor and display on it automatically. There are two primary modes of operation for this: mirroring and expansion. The former simply mirrors the contents of the internal display onto the external display, which is useful for giving presentations to a large audience, or using your notebook after you've smashed the screen. The second option allows you to connect a second, external monitor to your notebook and use it in addition to the internal display, something that us multi-monitor enthusiasts can't live without.
Generally, the choice between those features is controlled with a special key combination on your notebook. Look for a Fn key and another key (generally one of the F-keys) that's labeled with something monitor-ish. Press those two keys together in order to toggle between the two video display modes. If everything goes well, you can put the machine into "video mirroring" mode, and see everything on the external screen that you would normally see on the internal screen.
(Yes, this answer is quite vague. You didn't give us any details about your notebook--what brand, what model, etc. I suggest checking your manual or the manufacturer's website for more details.)
Cody Gray
Posted 2011-06-07T14:45:00.363
Reputation: 1 856
I tried this with a Lenovo 100s with a broken screen and a brand new (installed an working) M.2 SSD. It would always boot using broken primary screen and switch to external at the Windows 10 login screen (which was originally setup using Win-P key combo). I tried pressing the function key (F10 in this case) to toggle between mirroring and external. Seemed fine with Windows booted and showing the desktop. So I restarted the computer and now I can't get anything working. :( – ensignr – 2018-11-15T04:47:28.217
My display is dead. Blank. HP Compaq Presario CQ61 315SQ is the model. I know to swap screen when windows is started, but on the boot screen I can't see anything. I will try the key combination, but I think this only works if any software is already installed. – Florescu Adrian – 2011-06-07T15:05:34.427
Every laptop I've ever used mirrored the boot screen during booting so it seems unusual that yours does not. – BBlake – 2011-06-07T16:08:43.453
@Florescu Adrian No, you can get the laptop to use the external monitor right from the word go (e.g. while it's loading the BIOS). The only problem is that normally the setting to specify this is in the BIOS itself, which without using the laptop screen could be tricky (Read: almost impossible) to change. – Connor W – 2011-06-07T16:08:52.703
@BBlake Agreed, although I guess different manufacturers have different default settings so it is possible that by default, his doesn't do this. – Connor W – 2011-06-07T16:09:55.310
I, too, have a Compaq Presario and it works fine with an external screen. Fn+F4 is the toggle switch. You don't need the internal monitor at any point, either during the BIOS initialization or Windows setup. – Cody Gray – 2011-06-07T16:14:13.023
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You might try creating an unattended installation disk as suggested and using it on a blank hard drive. As long as the BIOS is set to load to the optical drive, you should be able to just put the disk in and let it go.
I would swap the hard drive with a blank one to protect the working OS from mishap. Most unattended installation disks will automatically partition and format the hard drive if it is empty.
The main problem is that without a display, you lose your ability to receive feedback from the computer. This forces you to use the machine as a normal computer tower.
Depending on what you are doing, you might be able to get a used/cheap workstation that is relatively small. It would allow you better flexibility and could be repaired much easier.
Doltknuckle
Posted 2011-06-07T14:45:00.363
Reputation: 5 813
0
I had the same problem. I took my laptop apart and disconnected the LCD screen from the video card. This forced the display signal to use only the external monitor port. I was then able to install Windows Vista via the external monitor.
Rich L
Posted 2011-06-07T14:45:00.363
Reputation: 1
2Not a direct solution, but you might be able to get away with setting up a totally unattended, slipstreamed install with something like nlite. – Journeyman Geek – 2011-06-07T14:54:48.943