I'm curious to know if anyone has input on this.
I went to the Apple Store and asked a CSR if I could use my iMac as a 2nd monitor for my work laptop, which is an HP with Windows 7. I told them I had a VGA cable so I just needed to see if they had an adapter for VGA to thunderbolt, which they did. So I purchased that and when I got home, I plugged the VGA cable into the adapter and then in to the back of the iMac via one of the thunderbolt ports. The iMac doesn't react to or do anything when I plug the opposite end to my HP, but the screen on the HP laptop widens then narrows, widens, then narrows back and forth. When trying to detect another monitor, it doesn't pick up the iMac.
Enjoy crisp, colorful picture quality with this Full HD HP monitor. The ultrathin bezel on the 27-inch screen provides an expansive viewing area so you can stay productive, and its AMD FreeSync technology reduces input lag and screen tearing. This HP monitor has two HDMI ports for connecting gaming consoles and other devices. Running an outdated graphic driver could also cause your Windows 10 computer not to detect monitors over HDMI. To fix that, update your PC's graphics driver and reboot your computer.
Does anyone have any input on how to possibly make this work? I searched the forums and the posts I found are all related to HDMI (and dated) whereas this is VGA. I can connect the iMac with the HP no problem but I'm not finding a way for the HP to pick up and identify the iMac. Any input would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
Posted on
You can resolve many display issues by updating the software on your Apple devices, cables, and adapters. If you can see an image on your screen, check for software updates using the Mac App Store:
If you're using a display, hub, extender, or adapter not made by Apple, check with the manufacturer for any updates that might be available.
If you're trying to connect a 4K display or Ultra HD TV with your Mac, make sure your computer meets the requirements for using these external displays.
If your software and firmware are up to date, or if you can't see the image on your screen, try the steps below for your specific issue.
Try these steps if you don't see an image on your display. These steps can also help if the image on your screen repeatedly turns on and off (flickers), if horizontal lines appear (snow), or if the image is distorted (torn or scrambled).
These steps likely won't help if the issue is only happening in one app. If you see similar issues in only one window or app, check with the app's developer for updates or more help.
Check the connections to your Mac and external displays:
If you're using an external display, sleep and wake your Mac to make it check for connected displays:
If you're using more than one display, and you can see the image on one of the displays, you can also use Displays preferences to check for connected displays.
If there's no image on your display, try adjusting your display's brightness or contrast. If there's still no image, or the image appears torn or scrambled, try selecting a different video resolution in System Preferences.
Adjust brightness
Change your display resolution
If you can't change the resolution of your display because you can't see an image, restart your Mac in safe mode to reset the display resolution to defaults.
If starting in safe mode doesn't resolve the issue, reset your Mac's NVRAM and SMC to reset the video ports on your Mac to their defaults.
If your display works only when your Mac is started in safe mode, and you have display-related software installed, check with the software's developer for updates, or try temporarily uninstalling it.
If images or text on your display appear pixelated or blurry, check these things.
Make sure your display resolution in System Preferences is set to its default. If you're using a resolution that's scaled, the image might be magnified to fit the display. This can cause the image to look blurry in some apps.
If you use a monitor or an HDTV connected with an HDMI cable, you might see a difference in video quality if your display is set to television mode. Check your display for a 'monitor mode' setting to get the best video quality.
If an app you're using appears low resolution on your Retina display, check to see if an update to the app is available. Most apps have been updated to use the higher pixel densities of Retina displays.
Lower-resolution images on some web pages might also appear 'softer' when viewed on a Retina display. This is because Retina displays have a higher pixel density and not all websites use Retina-ready images.
For example, the images below look different when viewed on a Retina display, but the same on a non-Retina display. This happens because the Retina-ready image has a higher pixel density:
If your entire display image seems too dark or too bright, you can adjust the brightness and contrast from the Displays pane of System Preferences, or by using your display's built-in controls.
To adjust the brightness of your Apple display, press the brightness key or F2 key on your keyboard. You can also use the brightness adjustment for each connected display in System Preferences > Displays.
Displays not made by Apple sometimes have brightness and color adjustments built into the display. Check the documentation for your display to see if it includes built-in controls.
When you connect a display, projector, or HDTV using an HDMI cable, you might see a difference in video quality if your display is set to television mode. Check your device for a 'monitor mode' setting to achieve the best video quality.
You can also calibrate each display from the Color tab of Displays preferences to get the best color and brightness from your display.
If individual pixels on your display seem too bright or too dark, see these articles for more help:
The Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter connects Mac models with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports to older devices that use Thunderbolt (10Gbps) or Thunderbolt 2 (20Gbps). For example, this is the adapter that you should use to connect your MacBook Pro to an Apple Thunderbolt Display or a third-party Thunderbolt 2 storage device.
This adapter doesn't support connections to Mini DisplayPort displays, including the following Apple adapters and displays:
If you're using the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter to connect to a compatible display and the display doesn't show an image, try unplugging the adapter and plugging it back in.
If you've tried these steps and your display still isn't working, contact Apple Support to get more help.
Diagnostic fees may apply for issues not covered under warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan (APP).