I have an old laptop with a broken screen, but I'm able to use a TV as an external monitor. The problem is, I can only see the external screen once Windows 10 has started, which makes it tough to access the BIOS or any other startup screens. I'm trying to install Linux using a USB drive, but I can't access the BIOS to set it as the boot option. In addition, even when I try to go into advanced startup options in Windows, the external monitor doesn't display anything either. I'm considering swapping the hard drive from this broken laptop into my working laptop to install Linux there, then switching it back. Will that work, or is there a better solution?
3 Answers
This sounds more like a hardware issue than a Linux problem. If you’re using HDMI, it's possible that your laptop doesn’t send a signal through it until after the OS boots. If you have another connection option like VGA or DVI, that might show a signal right away. Swapping the hard drives is likely the quickest way to solve your issue.
Have you considered disconnecting the internal screen? That might force your system to display everything, including the BIOS, through HDMI. As for swapping drives, just make sure the bootloader is correctly set up on the new drive. Linux doesn’t always autodetect like Windows does, so you might need to check your setup.
Just so you know, Linux might need to reconfigure when switching between significantly different hardware. In my years of experience, I’ve swapped hard drives between machines without a hitch, besides some minor issues like Wi-Fi. I recommend using an Ethernet connection if possible when you first switch the drives, as that usually works right off the bat.
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