Sunday, I'm going to see a friend whose win10 laptop no longer has a
working screen. He says it has no VGA port. I am bringing a VGA
monitor with a VGA connector and I had planned to buy an adapter, https://www.microcenter.com/product/660084/j5create-usb-20-(type-a)-male-to-vga-female-display-adapter-33-ft-gray
but it use drivers, and if I have to install drivers, how can I do that
when there is no image on the screen?
Does it likely mean that for the special functions you need the drivers
and for basic funtioning you don't?
Or are there other such adapters that don't require software? (although
I think it's too late to get one before Sunday. Microcenter is in
town.) Hmmm. I'm still very intersted in answers to previous quesitons
but this one, also at Microcenter, doesn't mention including a driver
CD: https://www.microcenter.com/product/659313/ezquest-inc-usb-31-(gen-2)-male-to-vga-female-adapter-cable-825-in-black
Some of its ratings are quite poor so if I can use the first one, it has better ratings. This one is USB-C but I can get a C to A adapter.
Back to the first one that uses drivers:
It says it comes with a CD (and I have to check if his old laptop has
a CD drive, but even if it does, won't it ask questions like Do you
accept the terms, Finish?, etc. How can I ansswer these if I can't see
what would be on the screen?
I can download the driver before I get there and put it on a flashdrive,
and I did download and it's an .exe file, but that doesn't change my
problem, does it?
The install instructions say "Insert the Driver CD into the drive ; the
setup program should launch automatically." Is that really true? I
thought you had to go to the D or whatever drive and start software personally. But it certainly isn't true if the driver is on a
flashdirve. It won't execute just by inserting the flash drive.
The one question answered on the page above is answered by the
manufacturer and says
"A: Yes, you can use the USB VGA Display Adapter to bypass a faulty internal VGA (or GPU) output?as long as the rest of your system is still functioning, especially the CPU and USB controller.
Supports display resolution up to 1680 x 1050.
Note: Driver installation is required, visit our driver page and install
the latest driver for this model.
https://en.j5create.com/pages/drivers/#jua190-show.
8 months ago"
More notes for me: https://en.j5create.com/pages/drivers/jua190-show.#jua190-show https://www.microcenter.com/product/659313/ezquest-inc-usb-31-(gen-2)-male-to-vga-female-adapter-cable-825-in-black
Sunday, I'm going to see a friend whose win10 laptop no longer has a
working screen. He says it has no VGA port. I am bringing a VGA
monitor with a VGA connector and I had planned to buy an adapter, https://www.microcenter.com/product/660084/j5create-usb-20-(type-a)-male-to-vga-female-display-adapter-33-ft-gray
but it use drivers, and if I have to install drivers, how can I do that
when there is no image on the screen?
Does it likely mean that for the special functions you need the drivers
and for basic funtioning you don't?
Or are there other such adapters that don't require software? (although
I think it's too late to get one before Sunday. Microcenter is in
town.) Hmmm. I'm still very intersted in answers to previous quesitons
but this one, also at Microcenter, doesn't mention including a driver
CD: https://www.microcenter.com/product/659313/ezquest-inc-usb-31-(gen-2)-male-to-vga-female-adapter-cable-825-in-black
Some of its ratings are quite poor so if I can use the first one, it has better ratings. This one is USB-C but I can get a C to A adapter.
Back to the first one that uses drivers:
It says it comes with a CD (and I have to check if his old laptop has
a CD drive, but even if it does, won't it ask questions like Do you
accept the terms, Finish?, etc. How can I ansswer these if I can't see
what would be on the screen?
I can download the driver before I get there and put it on a flashdrive,
and I did download and it's an .exe file, but that doesn't change my
problem, does it?
The install instructions say "Insert the Driver CD into the drive ; the
setup program should launch automatically." Is that really true? I
thought you had to go to the D or whatever drive and start software personally. But it certainly isn't true if the driver is on a
flashdirve. It won't execute just by inserting the flash drive.
The one question answered on the page above is answered by the
manufacturer and says
"A: Yes, you can use the USB VGA Display Adapter to bypass a faulty internal VGA (or GPU) output?as long as the rest of your system is still functioning, especially the CPU and USB controller.
Supports display resolution up to 1680 x 1050.
Note: Driver installation is required, visit our driver page and install
the latest driver for this model.
https://en.j5create.com/pages/drivers/#jua190-show.
8 months ago"
More notes for me: https://en.j5create.com/pages/drivers/jua190-show.#jua190-show https://www.microcenter.com/product/659313/ezquest-inc-usb-31-(gen-2)-male-to-vga-female-adapter-cable-825-in-black
On Thu, 3/5/2026 11:00 PM, micky wrote:[]
Sunday, I'm going to see a friend whose win10 laptop no longer has a
working screen. He says it has no VGA port. I am bringing a VGA
monitor with a VGA connector and I had planned to buy an adapter,
The situation with carrying a HDMI to VGA or DP to VGA adapter[]
is less perilous, as if those connectors are present on the laptop,
the F-key for changing outputs will work.
I keep multiple HDMI to VGA and DP to VGA or DP++ to VGA adapters
here. Whereas for USB to X adapters, I have none of those.
That's why the HDMI to VGA and DV to VGA adapters are
a better first thing to test. I keep those on my "third machine"
table, and when I swing the Optiplex 780 up on the table, I have
to use one of those adapters (to ensure monitor compatibility).
The Test Machine has a permanent HDMI to VGA cable running to
my table. Because that video card has no VGA output.
I did warn people a few years back, that it was the Year of the
Adapter, and they should buy HDMI to VGA and DP to VGA adapters
for future flexibility. As after the year of the adapter, you
expect slightly fewer models of those to be available. And finding
monitors with all possible input types, isn't a given. In this era
of shortage and turmoil, chances are poor that everything is sitting
on a shelf, waiting for you to show up.
Paul
Thought just occurred to me: does friend have a TV? These days (in UK anyway), even a relatively old TV is likely to have an HDMI input. (Take
a cable though!). If he has a cable, he could even try ....
Sunday, I'm going to see a friend whose win10 laptop no longer has amale-to-vga-female-display-adapter-33-ft-gray
working screen. He says it has no VGA port. I am bringing a VGA
monitor with a VGA connector and I had planned to buy an adapter, https://www.microcenter.com/product/660084/j5create-usb-20-(type-a)-
but it use drivers, and if I have to install drivers, how can I do that
when there is no image on the screen?
On 3/7/2026 1:09 AM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
Thought just occurred to me: does friend have a TV? These days (in UK
anyway), even a relatively old TV is likely to have an HDMI input. (Take
a cable though!). If he has a cable, he could even try ....
Anyone got a friend or cousin that still watchs CRT TV? Some said CRT's picture quality was better than any LCD/LED TV. :)
On Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:00:11 -0500, micky wrote:
Sunday, I'm going to see a friend whose win10 laptop no longer has amale-to-vga-female-display-adapter-33-ft-gray
working screen. He says it has no VGA port. I am bringing a VGA
monitor with a VGA connector and I had planned to buy an adapter,
https://www.microcenter.com/product/660084/j5create-usb-20-(type-a)-
but it use drivers, and if I have to install drivers, how can I do that
when there is no image on the screen?
This appears to be an additional video device, which may be more than you need. Does the laptop have any video output? HDMI? You may be able to connect that to an external monitor, and no drivers are needed since it's just a cable.
[snip]
On Fri, 3/6/2026 12:39 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:00:11 -0500, micky wrote:
Sunday, I'm going to see a friend whose win10 laptop no longer has amale-to-vga-female-display-adapter-33-ft-gray
working screen. He says it has no VGA port. I am bringing a VGA
monitor with a VGA connector and I had planned to buy an adapter,
https://www.microcenter.com/product/660084/j5create-usb-20-(type-a)-
but it use drivers, and if I have to install drivers, how can I do that
when there is no image on the screen?
This appears to be an additional video device, which may be more than you >> need. Does the laptop have any video output? HDMI? You may be able to
connect that to an external monitor, and no drivers are needed since it's >> just a cable.
[snip]
Any time you go on a repair mission, you really need to collect
model information before you go. That helps reduce the
amount of electronic crap you have to pack for the trip.
Paul
On 3/7/2026 1:09 AM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
Thought just occurred to me: does friend have a TV? These days (in UK
anyway), even a relatively old TV is likely to have an HDMI input. (Take
a cable though!). If he has a cable, he could even try ....
Anyone got a friend or cousin that still watchs CRT TV? Some said CRT's >picture quality was better than any LCD/LED TV. :)
others, in particular ability to work well in a well-lit environment,
such as sunlight.) Resolution is probably going to be the main kicker nowadays: CRT sets with more than SD were quite rare birds, whereas most
LCD screens are at least 720.
I do. I have a 21 or 23" set in the kitchen and a 14" set in the
bathroom that I wwatch when I'm taking a bath. They both get their
.....
There is also a CRT tv in the living room, the basement, and the
basement laundry room, all of them connected by cable to the DVDR
....
A pico laser projector maybe better. Cinemas ....
On 07/03/2026 11:17, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
A pico laser projector maybe better. Cinemas ....
They might have improved but someone used something like that at a talk
I attended, it was terrible!
On 3/7/2026 1:44 AM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
others, in particular ability to work well in a well-lit environment,
such as sunlight.) Resolution is probably going to be the main kicker
nowadays: CRT sets with more than SD were quite rare birds, whereas most
LCD screens are at least 720.
You can build a CRT TV wall, but you will need extra special hardware.
crt tv wall - YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=crt+tv+wall>
A pico laser projector maybe better. Cinemas ....
Amazon.com : pico laser projector <https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pico+laser+projector>
On 3/7/2026 2:41 PM, micky wrote:
I do. I have a 21 or 23" set in the kitchen and a 14" set in the
bathroom that I wwatch when I'm taking a bath. They both get their
.....
There is also a CRT tv in the living room, the basement, and the
basement laundry room, all of them connected by cable to the DVDR
....
Their plastic casing should have degrated badly and becomes very
brittle. Not a problem if their casing was wood.
What Happened to the World's Largest Tube TV? - YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfZxOuc9Qwk>
A fascinating story, thanks for the link! Well told. I've not watched something that long (about 35') on YouTube for ages!
On 3/7/2026 2:41 PM, micky wrote:
I do. I have a 21 or 23" set in the kitchen and a 14" set in the
bathroom that I wwatch when I'm taking a bath. They both get their
.....
There is also a CRT tv in the living room, the basement, and the
basement laundry room, all of them connected by cable to the DVDR
....
Their plastic casing should have degrated badly and becomes very
brittle. Not a problem if their casing was wood.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 7 Mar 2026 19:19:53 +0800, "Mr.
Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
On 3/7/2026 2:41 PM, micky wrote:
I do. I have a 21 or 23" set in the kitchen and a 14" set in the
bathroom that I wwatch when I'm taking a bath. They both get their
.....
There is also a CRT tv in the living room, the basement, and the
basement laundry room, all of them connected by cable to the DVDR
....
Their plastic casing should have degrated badly and becomes very
brittle. Not a problem if their casing was wood.
I don't think we've had a wood tv since the one my father bought around
1951.
The ones in the kitchen and bathroom are still fine, but I don't keep
track of the other 3. 2 are practically inaccessible because my house
is filled with junk.
PP. I think JP is right. I have a Enerson radio from 1948 that I think
is fine. I'll play it to find out if I ever move out of here and have
access to that corner of the room again.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 6 Mar 2026 22:10:25 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:[...]
Any time you go on a repair mission, you really need to collect
model information before you go. That helps reduce the
amount of electronic crap you have to pack for the trip.
He coudln't find the model on the outside. It's on the inside of course,
but getting inside is the problem.
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 6 Mar 2026 22:10:25 -0500, Paul[...]
<nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
Any time you go on a repair mission, you really need to collect
model information before you go. That helps reduce the
amount of electronic crap you have to pack for the trip.
He coudln't find the model on the outside. It's on the inside of course,
but getting inside is the problem.
As I mentioned umpteen times (yes, also to you):
'System Information' (msinfo32) -> System Summary -> righthand pane -> System Manufacturer, System Model *and* System SKU.
With that information you go to the System Manufacturer's website and collect all the information about the System Model and hopefully the
System SKU and go fully prepared on your trip.
And *please*, save this method for future use!
[...]
On Sun, 3/8/2026 12:53 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 6 Mar 2026 22:10:25 -0500, Paul[...]
<nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
Any time you go on a repair mission, you really need to collect
model information before you go. That helps reduce the
amount of electronic crap you have to pack for the trip.
He coudln't find the model on the outside. It's on the inside of course, >> but getting inside is the problem.
As I mentioned umpteen times (yes, also to you):
'System Information' (msinfo32) -> System Summary -> righthand pane -> System Manufacturer, System Model *and* System SKU.
With that information you go to the System Manufacturer's website and collect all the information about the System Model and hopefully the
System SKU and go fully prepared on your trip.
And *please*, save this method for future use!
[...]
But the customer machine has no working screen.
But the customer machine has no working screen.
Oops! Sorry, I forgot about that! My apologies to Micky!
I guess that's kind of a hypocritical one: Complaining to somebody
else about him forgetting things, while forgetting something yourself.
So contrary to popular belief, that kind of proves I'm human.
Well, assuming the owner has a smartphone/tablet/etc., perhaps instead Micky could let the owner make photos of the sides of the laptop and
send those to Micky.
[...]
On Sun, 3/8/2026 3:30 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
But the customer machine has no working screen.
Oops! Sorry, I forgot about that! My apologies to Micky!
I guess that's kind of a hypocritical one: Complaining to somebody
else about him forgetting things, while forgetting something yourself.
So contrary to popular belief, that kind of proves I'm human.
Well, assuming the owner has a smartphone/tablet/etc., perhaps instead Micky could let the owner make photos of the sides of the laptop and
send those to Micky.
[...]
There must be *something* printed on it. Marketing, after all.
My laptop has a "plate" on the surface, with the details
of what it is (Aspire 1234-5678 or similar). And that is the
kind of plate they use in computer stores, on the computer table,
to make product more recognizable. On the bottom, is a sticker with the serial number and the model number. Those stickers can
get scraped off, if the laptop is used on rough surfaces.
And my laptop has the usual VGA connector of the era,
for optional output. I have one monitor now, which is
HDMI only, that would make connecting the laptop to it
a particular nuisance. Going VGA to HDMI can't be cheap.
The problem at the computer store, is that was one of
the few LCD monitors where there was actual stock and
you would not have to buy the "demonstrator" unit.
There must be *something* printed on it. Marketing, after all.
My laptop has a "plate" on the surface, with the details
of what it is (Aspire 1234-5678 or similar). And that is the
kind of plate they use in computer stores, on the computer table,
to make product more recognizable. On the bottom, is a sticker with the serial number and the model number. Those stickers can
get scraped off, if the laptop is used on rough surfaces.
And my laptop has the usual VGA connector of the era,
for optional output. I have one monitor now, which is
HDMI only, that would make connecting the laptop to it
a particular nuisance. Going VGA to HDMI can't be cheap.
The problem at the computer store, is that was one of
the few LCD monitors where there was actual stock and
you would not have to buy the "demonstrator" unit.
Paul
A fascinating story, thanks for the link! Well told. I've not watched something that long (about 35') on YouTube for ages!
On Sat, 7 Mar 2026 15:56:58 +0000, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
A fascinating story, thanks for the link! Well told. I've not watched
something that long (about 35') on YouTube for ages!
I lasted until 1 minute. o-:
Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
On Sun, 3/8/2026 12:53 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 6 Mar 2026 22:10:25 -0500, Paul[...]
<nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
Any time you go on a repair mission, you really need to collect
model information before you go. That helps reduce the
amount of electronic crap you have to pack for the trip.
He coudln't find the model on the outside. It's on the inside of course, >> >> but getting inside is the problem.
As I mentioned umpteen times (yes, also to you):
'System Information' (msinfo32) -> System Summary -> righthand pane -> >> > System Manufacturer, System Model *and* System SKU.
With that information you go to the System Manufacturer's website and
collect all the information about the System Model and hopefully the
System SKU and go fully prepared on your trip.
And *please*, save this method for future use!
[...]
But the customer machine has no working screen.
Oops! Sorry, I forgot about that! My apologies to Micky!
I guess that's kind of a hypocritical one: Complaining to somebody
else about him forgetting things, while forgetting something yourself.
So contrary to popular belief, that kind of proves I'm human.
Well, assuming the owner has a smartphone/tablet/etc., perhaps instead
Micky could let the owner make photos of the sides of the laptop and
send those to Micky.
[...]
On Sun, 3/8/2026 3:30 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
But the customer machine has no working screen.
Oops! Sorry, I forgot about that! My apologies to Micky!
I guess that's kind of a hypocritical one: Complaining to somebody
else about him forgetting things, while forgetting something yourself.
So contrary to popular belief, that kind of proves I'm human.
Well, assuming the owner has a smartphone/tablet/etc., perhaps instead
Micky could let the owner make photos of the sides of the laptop and
send those to Micky.
[...]
There must be *something* printed on it. Marketing, after all.
My laptop has a "plate" on the surface, with the details
of what it is (Aspire 1234-5678 or similar). And that is the
kind of plate they use in computer stores, on the computer table,
to make product more recognizable. On the bottom, is a sticker with the >serial number and the model number. Those stickers can
get scraped off, if the laptop is used on rough surfaces.
And my laptop has the usual VGA connector of the era,
for optional output. I have one monitor now, which is
HDMI only, that would make connecting the laptop to it
a particular nuisance. Going VGA to HDMI can't be cheap.
The problem at the computer store, is that was one of
the few LCD monitors where there was actual stock and
you would not have to buy the "demonstrator" unit.
Paul
Paul wrote:
There must be *something* printed on it. Marketing, after all.
Yes, 'something', but not neccessarily something useful.
Our past HP laptops had some scriblings/stickers, on the bottom or/and
in the compartiment of the (then still) user-removable battery.
But my current HP laptop has nothing useful on the outside (and no
battery compartiment), only 'hp' (Duh!) twice and 'PAVILION' (the
Series) at the bottom of the lid (only visible when closed, I didn't
even know it was there). That narrows it down to a few thousand possible >models! :-(
My laptop has a "plate" on the surface, with the details
of what it is (Aspire 1234-5678 or similar). And that is the
kind of plate they use in computer stores, on the computer table,
to make product more recognizable. On the bottom, is a sticker with the
serial number and the model number. Those stickers can
get scraped off, if the laptop is used on rough surfaces.
Yes, some manufacturers do a better job of labeling their products.
I just bought a small emergency radio and that has a nice sticker on
the back in a slightly recessed area, so less likely to be scraped or
peeled off. Even came with a real printed manual with readable size
fonts! :-)
And my laptop has the usual VGA connector of the era,
for optional output. I have one monitor now, which is
HDMI only, that would make connecting the laptop to it
a particular nuisance. Going VGA to HDMI can't be cheap
The problem at the computer store, is that was one of
the few LCD monitors where there was actual stock and
you would not have to buy the "demonstrator" unit.
Indeed, by making (good quality) photos of the sides (and rear if
applicable) of the laptop in question, one should be able to recognize
which ports it does (not) have. If the ports also have symbols/text next
to them, it's even easier.
I often quite like getting the "demonstration" unit - (a) I know it
works, (b) I can sometimes haggle a bit off the price. Sure, they may
not be able to find the manual, but if it's _fairly_ new I can usually
find that online (and - unless it's a scanned copy, unlikely for newish
- I then have something searchable).
(If they can't find the manual/box
that tells them, I may even be able to wangle extra cables that weren't >actually included!)
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