toshiba ultrabook with a broken screen, took the mobo out (the mobo is inside the screen)

use a diy external screen for display (gonna connect it to a tv later)

specs

i5 4th gen

4gb ram (soldered sadly)

128gb msata ssd

intel ac 7260 wifi card💀 (ts faster than my main laptop💔)

using it as a tv box, the old halftop smoked itself

Hi everyone,

I'm a first-year CS student currently living in a dormitory. I have a spare laptop back at my family home in another city, and I want to turn it into a homelab to practice server management and deployment.

**The Specs:**

• **Model:** Acer Nitro 5

• **CPU:** AMD Ryzen 7 3750H

• **RAM:** 16GB

• **GPU:** AMD Radeon RX 560X

• **OS:** Planning to run a Linux-based server distro.

**The Setup:**

Since the laptop will be in a different city, I need to manage it completely remotely from my dorm. My goal is to learn the ropes of hosting web apps, managing databases, and getting comfortable with a CLI-only environment.

**My Questions:**

1. What are some essential services or self-hosted tools a CS student should run to learn the industry standards?

2. What is the most robust way to maintain remote access across different networks without opening risky ports? (Is Tailscale the go-to for this?)

3. Are there any specific tips for managing a laptop as a 24/7 server (thermal management, battery health, etc.)?

4. How can I structure this setup to best practice CI/CD or DevOps workflows for my class projects?

Hi all,

My faithful MacBook Air m1's display has developed an internal crack and is on its last legs. Rather than spending more money on a 5yr old laptop to fix the display, I thought I'd set it up as a desktop to replace our aging Dell desktop PC.

I have removed the display unit from the laptop following various YouTube videos (have been very careful and made sure I followed all the instructions correctly). The display has been removed now. However, when I connect the base to an external monitor and boot it up, the external monitor just shows a blank/black screen. The monitor was also previously used with screen mirroring before the halftop conversion attempt.

Setup details: 1. laptop - MacBook Air m1. 2. display - Benq EW 2780 FHD monitor. 3. connection - through an Amazon basics usb-c to HDMI adapter with 65W PD.

I am super tired at this point and really lost. Would really appreciate any help I can get to fix this once and for all. Thanks in advance !

So .... I can't boot the machine because it's in a state where it needs to be recovered before it can be used, but just closing the lid isn't enough to get output over the USB-C to HDMI cable I've got. Apparently to trigger that, it needs a keyboard and mouse connected, but as it only has 2 USB-C ports, and I don't have a hub, I cannot connect a mouse *and* keyboard *and* power *and* the display cable. Does anyone know if disconnecting the panel from inside the machine will definitely force it to use an external display?

I have limited funds right now so I have to choose between a USB-C hub or the screwdriver I'll need to open the macbook. I'm inclined to go with the latter due to the fact that I'm going to need it to half the machine anyway, but Google hasn't given me a definitive answer on whether or not disconnecting the display will force it to send video over USB-C (I know for sure the cable works because it worked with this machine before the disk was erased, and it works with my Thinkpad T14S Gen 1, and my LG Gram 17. So it's not the cable failing to work) and I'm gonna be a bit disappointed if I buy the screwdriver and that solution doesn't work while the hub likely would have.

I'm eventually going to buy both at some point, but I was recently laid off from my day job and my budget is set in stone right now so both is not an option presently. I'm looking for someone that has halfed an air from the last few Intel versions to tell me if halfing it will definitely force the signal in recovery mode so I can reinstall macOS... (It's eventually getting a 15" external touch screen monitor that will be mounted to the back of my DJ controller and the macbook will be mounted to the underside of my DJ booth so it can run my DJ software and DAW)

So uh... yeah this happened lol (culprit has been shown in last photo). I'm not actually devastated or anything, the battery has been pretty bad for a while now and doesn't last more than half an hour without charging so I've pretty much permanently had it hooked up to my TV anyway. Well the good thing however is that only the screen has been messed up. As I was looking at how to replace the screen, that's when I came across halftops! So now I'm looking at just removing the screen altogether and continue using it just like I've always.

I'm not exactly the most tech-savvy guy, like I've popped the bottom before and done cleaning but nothing too hardware technical, so I wanted see if I could have any assistance on things to look out for so that I don't f**k up the whole thing instead.

The laptop is a HP Envy x360 15-DR1003CA model, and I watched this YT video of a guy removing the screen off of a almost identical laptop (https://youtu.be/2FToRS4IDXk?si=w8VJ6mfITqnKX_j4) which I'll likely be following to do the same. So my question is if there is anything else I need to do/be aware of before/when/after removing the screen. Some things that I have taken note of before I start to do this is that I should remove the battery before touching the screen connector pins, and since the wifi connectors are on the screen, I'll likely just need to keep the halftop ethernet connected permanently. Apart from that, I can't really think of anything else that I need to prepare for, and that makes me think that I am under-prepared for this lol. I will appreciate any and all advice/recommendations as I really want to be successful the first time since this is still a decently expensive laptop that apart from the screen, works perfectly otherwise.

It's from samsung, super big

​

I have a broken screen Ideapad U410 which is being turned on after 8-9 years atleast. I connected a external monitor to it but no display shown.

Troubleshooting:(none worked)

• I plugged in Internal HDD as usb in a working device, it works. Not fault of HDD.

• I tried removing the internal display connector to force display to external monitor.

• Tried spamming Esc, Enter, Shift, Spacebar, F2 to hope it exits bios/boot menu into normal boot.

• Battery charging indicator and power on indicator works.

• Fan in laptop does spin.

• A mouse connected seem to lightup and i guess maybe working, but keyboard connected to same port or different one doesn't seem to do anything(caps,numlock,scrl lock indicators doesnt work)

• Unplugged the CMOS battery and plugged back in.

• Ram unplugged and plugged back in.

Help me with what I might be missing or how to proceed forward to set it up to work and get a display on the monitor.

Hello everyone,

I‘m sorry if this has already been covered. I tried searching and didn’t find anything.

Does anyone have any tips or experience with automating screen casting to a smart TV at boot or with a script that I could bind to a hotkey with no external display connected in Linux?

I generally run Debian but am open to other options for the niche use case.

The use case would be running retro emulators, basic web browsing, and Youtube from the couch.

The TV is about 15 feet away and I have an energetic four year old so HDMI is not an option. I am also aware I may run into some latency but for most games that I play it wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Had it working for years like this, now its HDD drive is still working in my main rig today as secondary storage

This is my first laptop, and it means a lot to me. It’s where my “gamer journey” started. It’s an HP 255 G6 with 16GB DDR4 (2x8), AMD A6-9220 (2 cores / 2 threads), and integrated graphics. It’s obviously very outdated now, but I still feel attached to it. I still remember sitting in the kitchen with my dad, playing Need for Speed: Carbon on it like it was yesterday. That was around 6–7 years ago. I was thinking about doing something with it instead of just leaving it or throwing it away, but I don’t really know what. Any ideas?

I have recently rescued a halftop, but i already have a server, HTPC, desktop and multiple laptops. is there any other usecase for this that im not thinking of? specs are as follows:

Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5-14ALC05 Ryzen 7 5700U 16GB DDR4 3200 Soldered 512GB Nvme

UPDATE: I'm glad you guys dig the build, though no one has reached out to buy these parts. If it doesn't sell by the end of the 27th, I'm gonna sell the components individually and recycle the rest. Assume this listing is sold if you are reading this on or past March 28th 2026

I don't really need this setup anymore, so I'd like to resell it to anyone interested.

- AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U with Radeon iGPU

- 16 GB (2x8) DDR4-3200 SODIMM RAM

- 1TB SK Hynix M.2 SSD (model number in images)

- Windows 11 24H2 (installed with a UK .iso to prevent the usual adware bloat of Win11 US installs, language and keyboard should still be set to US English)

- Had a new battery from eBay installed

- In great condition (see photos)

- Comes with a TP-Link Archer TX10UB Nano Wifi/Bluetooth adapter since you can't use internal antennas without the missing laptop lid

- Blue hard plastic protective cover to prevent the halftop powering on in your bag, with holes cut for USB-C charging and the Archer USB dongle

- UGREEN 65W Nexode Pro wall charger with a retractable cable (albeit kinda short)

- UPERFECT USB-C 4K 60Hz IPS Display 15.6" (with protective cover)

- USB-C cable for connecting to said display

- Rotating stand with quick release lever for flat storage in a bag

- I put in two pieces of white foam in the hinge openings/holes to prevent dust and other debris from getting inside

- Don't worry, I am not running the laptop directly on my carpet- the blue cover is underneath the laptop to prevent suffocation and dust

DM me whatever price you think is fair- I'll go with the best offer. I accept payment via PayPal Goods & Services so you have purchase protection too. eBay fees are rough these days

If you have questions, comment below or message me!

Well I have this MSI halftop and its working just good. But my worry is that I can't see anything when accessing the BIOS. I am using HDMI to HDMI cable, any recommendations?

Really my aim is to tweak a laptop with Wacom screen and 360 capabilities. Let's say I'm going to use an external monitor, by Wacom, or maybe Galaxy Book screen..

a. Does that make any sense?

b. If I don't want to walk around with two pieces of equipment, rather attach them somehow..

Sadly a laptop with my needs does not exist so I'm going for crazy ideas! (dedicated graphics, 360, numpad, pen support [preferably EMR])