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Resolved Question

USB Video Driver Install Question

Aug 31, 2011 1:52PM PDT
The set up: I have a 4.5 year old laptop that I loved (T61 Thinkpad). The video controller has died on me 3 times in the last 9 months and just did for the final time (I'm not paying another $90 to get it fixed).

The problem:
Currently I can't see anything on my old laptop screen and porting thru the VGA to an external monitor drops to 8-bit and I can't see anything past Vista's log-in screen.

The question: Will I need to follow on-screen prompts to set up a USB Video Driver or is it just plug-and-play?

If anyone has any experience with one please let me know, otherwise I'll probably just cannibalize the hard drive and use it as an external and junk the rest of my dearly departed Thinkpad.

Discussion is locked

CynicalTexan has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Remember this is Windows.
Sep 1, 2011 1:49AM PDT

So far, every maker seems to have us "follow the instructions" and too often that fails. In short, nothing has been certain when we go to install a new device. You'll have to try it.

Laptops are indeed short lived things that cost a bit more to fix. Some folk go back to desktops for that reason.
Bob

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Thanks Proffitt...
Sep 6, 2011 2:51PM PDT

Well it looks like I'll be pulling the drive and setting it up as an external then. No sense in dropping another $90 on an internal video card just so I can see the screen so I can spend another $40 on a USB Video Driver that I'm not 100% will work. No worries, just ordered a VAIO with all the bells and whistles, should be fun for (I hope) at least another 4+ years.

Thanks,
CT

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Sorry but I didn't tell you about USB video speed.
Sep 7, 2011 11:30AM PDT

It's barely usable. And it is unusable for gamers.

Good choice to move on. And even a dead laptop gets 100 bucks on ebay for parts.
Bob