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    Connecting an external monitor - broken laptop screen

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by duggg0, Dec 17, 2011.

  1. duggg0

    duggg0 Newbie

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    The screen on my dell inspiron 1545 is broken. I have an external monitor with a VGA connection. The problem is that I can't connect to the external screen as I can't see the screen on my computer to enable the function. Can someone PLEASE help??
     
  2. Geekz

    Geekz Notebook Deity

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    try pressing Fn + F7 or whichever key is used to by your laptop to switch screens
     
  3. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    I think it's Fn + F1 for the 1545.
     
  4. duggg0

    duggg0 Newbie

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    Please help people!! I bought a laptop from ebay with a broken screen thinking it would be a piece of cake to fix. However, I can not connect an external monitor using the function command and am now starting to think that there may be something wrong the the motherboard.

    Any advice would help out heaps. thanking you in advance,

    Leigh ;)
     
  5. Maniac_au

    Maniac_au Newbie

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    Should still be able to hear the laptop booting up & posting I would have thought? Is there any indication that it is booting at all?

    Bill

    Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
     
  6. duggg0

    duggg0 Newbie

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    yeah it definitely boots and goes to the desktop (I can vaguely make it out on the broken screen). I input FN+F1 with a connected screen and nothing happens though. Although when I started the computer up, I could see a black screen with writing (before the desktop appears). I plugged in the screen, pushed FN+F1 and the external screen connected. Turned out the black screen was from removing RAM. Unfortunately after i pushed F1 to further proceed, I was taken to the desktop and the external screen disconnected. I am still unable to use the external screen :(
     
  7. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    What if you disconnect the screen from the motherboard? It should default to your external monitor in that case.

    EDIT: Please do not make multiple threads about the same topic. Threads merged.