# How would I use a laptop screen on a desktop pc?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 22, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469 "2001-07-22T21:46:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@JYoung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JYoung)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/1 "2001-07-22T21:46:33Z")
Hi, how would a use a laptop lcd screen with a desktop pc.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2001, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/2 "2001-07-22T22:08:00Z")
You can’t unless the laptop is designed to take external video from a PC. I am not aware of any current laptops that are designed to do this as it really wouldn’t be a truly useful feature for most notebook users.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2001, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/3 "2001-07-22T23:06:11Z")
Also, Laptop screens aren’t designed to take the output of your desktop PC’s video card. You’d have to find a card that could drive a laptop screen, wire an adapter up, then come up with some video drivers. Some laptops come with a VGA adapter built in.
I’ve seen one done in conjunction with a truck based computer MP3 player. Seems to have taken a lot of work.
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### Author:  [@JYoung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JYoung)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/4 "2001-07-22T23:57:51Z")
I also saw this done with a car mp3 player and was wondering how this was done that is why I asked.
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### Author:  [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2001, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/5 "2001-07-23T02:03:06Z")
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- POS machines (cash registers) use LCD displays, in different sizes and some in color. Some POS machines are just 486/586 PC’s with special peripherals and added-on hardware, but the screen driver might be contained within the cash register software. ~ Also note that LCD’s and _plasma displays_ are not the same thing; LCD displays run very slow and are poor at showing fast action such as games or video. - MC
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### Author:  [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/6 "2001-07-23T02:25:57Z")
There are lots of remote access apps like VNC, PC Anywhere, and Microsoft Terminal Server which allow you to open a remote session. Using one of these, you could use a laptop as a remote terminal on a PC by connecting to it over the network (LAN or Internet).
This isn’t directly using the laptop screen as a monitor for the PC, but using these apps you, you open a window that is essentially the desktop of the remote machine, and you have complete functionality (albeit with some network latency).
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### Author:  [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/7 "2001-07-23T04:03:36Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JYoung \*
> \*\*I also saw this done with a car mp3 player and was wondering how this was done that is why I asked. \*\*
Hey, this sounds cool, could you explain this a little more?
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2001, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-use-a-laptop-screen-on-a-desktop-pc/73469/8 "2001-07-23T04:40:00Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SouprChckn \*
> \*\*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > \*Originally posted by JYoung \*
> > \*\*I also saw this done with a car mp3 player and was wondering how this was done that is why I asked. \*\*
>
> Hey, this sounds cool, could you explain this a little more? \*\*
What the OP may have seen was a standard LCD flat screen monitor that is designed to run off a PC’s video output being used as a display in a car. These are sold everywhere and you could simply plug it into the same 12VDC to 120AC inverter you are using to power the PC module running the MP3 player.
I think the Diamond RIO MP3 player with a 6 gig drive and integrated display plugged into the line level input of car’s stereo’s amp section for 260 - 300 would be a lot less trouble for most applications.
[http://www.nomadworld.com/products/jukebox/](http://www.nomadworld.com/products/jukebox/)