Mini mac to use the laptop screen?

[jasmith1545]

Hi first time here...
Hope someone can help..
I am a teacher and I usually tech on pc software.. now my sofware is going to be available on Mac... so:

1 I got a mini mac because the tech on the phone said I can plug it in my pc laptop with the hdmi and I could use the screen and the kewboard from my laptop... duh

2 my question is.. I plug in the hdmi from my mac min to my laptop pc.. BUT my pc boots in windows so... I do I get my mac mini to use the laptop screen?

Was I mistaken by the Apple techie....



Thanks for your help

 

[theSeb]

Somewhere in the conversation one of you misunderstood the other. He may have been talking about connecting the mini to a projector or screen.

You cannot do what you're trying to do.

 

[jasmith1545]

Thank you so much! Thats what I was thinking... you can go out with the laptop not bring in...

 

[bigeasy_uk]

You could set up remote desktop on the mini and access it using VNC from your windows laptop in fullscreen mode, that's about as close as you are likely to get to what you have described.

 

[jasmith1545]

You could set up remote desktop on the mini and access it using VNC from your windows laptop in fullscreen mode, that's about as close as you are likely to get to what you have described.

Ooops whats a VNC?

 

[shortcut3d]

You could use the Mac mini in Target Disk Mode, not sure how it would work with PC hardware, but Apple includes the drivers for MacBooks. Obviously, Target Disk Mode would only allow one system to be used at a time.

Alternatively, you could connect with a cross over Ethernet cable (assuming you are looking for portability and minimal hardware) and get good speed in VNC/remote desktop.

Edit: crossover cable not required. Macs are auto MDIX.

 

[bigeasy_uk]

Ooops whats a VNC?

VNC lets you control one computer from another over a network, it's built into macs so you can control one from the other, for example I use my macbook air to control my mac mini which is connected to a 42" plasma on my bedroom wall. That way it doesn't need it's own mouse and keyboard.

You will need to set up screen sharing on your mini first (System Preferences - Sharing - Screen Sharing). You might also want to set a static IP if you can too, that way you will know it's IP for when you need to connect from Windows. Then download a VNC viewer application on your Windows laptop, there are free ones available, type in your IP, it will ask for your mac username and password, click OK and your mac desktop should appear!