Broken macbook screen, i want to see if the laptop is actually still working, how?

[buzzzb]

Hi k majour noob help lol.

K problem, a mate found a laptop on the road, no kidding, its been driven over, screen is less than happy. I wanted to plug it in to my bubble emac, but what cable am i looking for? and is it cheap? I have sound comming from it when you turn it on, and when u use the volume keys but thats it. Oh and when you use the mouse pad it leaves light trails on the screen.
Please help thanks.

 

[eleven7]

Depending on what model it is, go and get a VGA/DVI adapter for it and plug it into an external monitor/TV, turn it on and see what happens. If it's just the screen that's broken, you should be able to see the display on the external monitor.

They aren't expensive and can be bought from all stores that stock Apple.

 

[Zyniker]

If you see "light trails" and hear sound when booting/when increasing/decreasing the volume...it's a pretty good bet that the machine is still relatively functional. Of course, how long it will stay that way is another matter entirely...

 

[DewGuy1999]

monoprice.com is a good source of inexpensive cables, but you'll need to find out what video out port it has...

Here's a Mini DisplayPort
Here's a Mini DVI Port

...then find a cable that goes from that type of Mini port to the type of connector on your display.