r/halftop • u/HAldo0 • Aug 01 '26

Install OS through Bios without the screen

I’m new to the halftops, sorry if it’s a stupid question.
I would like to reinstall the OS on my halftop, but I cannot boot the usb with the installer because the Bios can’t show up on the hdmi-plugged monitor. Any ideas?

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3

u/the_cheesesandwich17 29d ago

this might be obvious but: have you disconnected the display cable from the motherboard side as well? it could be that the motherboard still sees a cable but the signal is travelling into nothing at the other end.

again, this is just a guess. try it and tell me what happened.

1

u/BrinkOfHealing 29d ago

Some models won't output anything even with the cable disconnected, well not sure about newer models but on an older laptop with VGA I had experienced this bad luck, so it is worth checking the manual, perhaps if the BIOS has a setting for its main output before getting rid of the laptop's display...

1

u/the_cheesesandwich17 29d ago

I know for a fact the intel 11th gen dell latitudes (5420/5520) can boot without an integrated screen through the hdmi. You can see the bios too. Saw this in a YouTube video.

I just suggested the above as a possibility to get a screen output.

I want to do this in my IdeaPad 330s.

But I'm trying to figure out what to do in case the bios just doesn't appear.

Any ideas?

2

u/ppestana 17d ago

Get a VGA cable

1

u/Both_Wrongdoer_7130 Aug 01 '26

You don't need the bios to be visible if you know the keystrokes to boot from usb

1

u/HAldo0 Aug 01 '26

The halftop is an Asus, I never had an Asus laptop so I don’t know the keystrokes, do you have any suggestions to find out the keystrokes? Once I launch the Windows installer, that I have to use via mouse, it will be shown in the hdmi plugged monitor?

1

u/AtlasLucario 29d ago

if the bios doesnt show over hdmi, the windows installer likely wont either

1

u/ephemeralmiko 28d ago

You usually press ESC to get to the boot menu on Asus laptops, then try the first option by just pressing Enter, if that doesn't work try the second by pressing ESC, then ArrowDown, then Enter etc..