# Monitor for broken Laptop...involved....

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monitor-for-broken-laptop-involved/570665>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 8, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monitor-for-broken-laptop-involved/570665 "2011-02-08T17:03:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monitor-for-broken-laptop-involved/570665/1 "2011-02-08T17:03:30Z")

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I dropped a laptop: HP mini, with Windows 7. Smashed monitor, but can still see some of screen; I want to hook up a new monitor, but, I can’t quite see enough of what is active to enter my password, and transfer screen from laptop to new monitor. So, I would need to intercept the signal from the mini, and put it onto a separate monitor, if that is any clearer.  
Can you help?

Thanks,  
hh

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**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monitor-for-broken-laptop-involved/570665/2 "2011-02-09T10:31:52Z")

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There should be a key combination to mirror your display to the external display (think of connecting to a projector). Look at your F1-F12 keys for a picture of a monitor and press Fn+that key.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monitor-for-broken-laptop-involved/570665/3 "2011-02-09T13:56:12Z")

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The keyboard may have a symbol on it on the key needed to do that.

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monitor-for-broken-laptop-involved/570665/4 "2011-02-09T15:02:36Z")

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Whee!  
Thanks, guys! I got that rascal hooked up! Now, I won’t have to throw it away, which is triply good, because I had a LOT of stuff on it that I hadn’t had backed up! (I know…)

Thanks again,  
hh