I-Mac as PC Laptop monitor Help

[Pduckx]

I have read several of the past posts on this and still this isn't working. My wife has a new PC laptop computer that she uses for her business accounting software. The software needed will only work in a windows environment. She tried using the parallels software and that was problematic from the get go, so we are trying the PC laptop route.

The iMac is a late 2011 model with Thunderbolt ports. The new laptop also has a thunderbolt port. It is an ASUS gaming computer. In theory I should be able to hit command F2 and it works, but no such luck. Am I missing a setting?

 

[DeltaMac]

...
The iMac is a late 2011 model with Thunderbolt ports. The new laptop also has a thunderbolt port. It is an ASUS gaming computer. In theory I should be able to hit command F2 and it works, but no such luck. Am I missing a setting?

Maybe.
A Late 2011 iMac (21.5-inch?) does not have a Thunderbolt port. It is a Mini Displayport. (The icon next to the port is a rectangle with vertical lines on both sides, where Thunderbolt is a lightning bolt icon.)
The consequence is, that model iMac does not support Target Display Mode.

 

[Pduckx]

I must have the year wrong, because it is clearly a thunderbolt port as it has the lightning icon as you stated and it matches the icon on the thunderbolt cable.

 

[DeltaMac]

Apple menu/About this Mac/More Info button will tell you about your Mac's hardware. Click on System Report to show a lot more.

What does happen on your iMac's display when you are connected with the Thunderbolt cable to the laptop, then press Command-f2 on your iMac's keyboard?

 

[RCAFBrat]

The 2011 iMac has a Thunderbolt port and target display mode will only work Mac-to-Mac per apple support articles and the following article, which is well worth the read:

http://www.tekrevue.com/tip/ins-outs-imacs-target-display-mode/

In this thread there is a single reported case of target display mode working with a Windows laptop but the results could not be duplicated (makes one wonder if the iMac wasn't an earlier version with mini display port instead of Thunderbolt):

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1474335/

I think you're best bets are a new monitor (if the laptop screen is too small) or installing Windows on a Bootcamp partition.

Cheers