Posted: 8/31/2025 12:44:49 AM EDT
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I have a Mac mini for my personal computer and a Dell Laptop from my employer for work. Within a few months I've had to replace the KVM switch and the docking station for the Dell computer. Well guess what? It seems they are both out again. Well...sort of. Had to update the laptop with Windows 11 today. After I did that the laptop would no longer display on the external monitors. Contacted IT and they said probably drivers. Got a ticket number and they'll get back to me. (I should live so long.) Plugged the monitors directly into the laptop and it worked so I could work this evening. After work I tried plugging the monitors back into the KVM then connecting the KVM directly to the laptop. That worked. Then I tried it with the KVM plugged into the docking station like I've been using for over a year and....no go. No big deal. I sent a Teams message to a tech I know to get me a replacement dock. Go to use my Mac. Nothing going to the monitors. Tried unplugging on the cables and plugging them back in. No good. Tried rebooting the Mac. Nope. Finally plugged the monitor cables directly into the Mac. It works. So it seems the KVM switch and the Dell docking station are both having issues. Don't know why they're both having issues. But this is just so irritating since it's only been a few months since I replace both those items. So I'm looking for a different solution. I could just use 1 monitor per computer but with the work computer I definitely need a second monitor. Thought about buying new monitors that have 2 HDMI connections per monitor. Looking at almost $200/monitor. The monitors I have are ViewSonics and cost me about $150 each back when Covid forced us to work from home. They still work fine. They have 1 HDMI and 1 VGA connection. I tried getting an adapter so I could do HDMI to VGA connection but the resulting picture was very fuzzy. I have enough trouble seeing small print as it is. So long story short (too late), any suggestions on what to do? Just bite the bullet and get new monitors? If so, any suggestions on good ones that aren't that expensive? Just use 1 monitor per computer and suck it up? Become a Luddite and not have to worry about such things? |
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Originally Posted By ScubaDachshund: It’s a company provided laptop. It’s so locked down I can’t change anything without getting IT involved. You need to get them on that ASAP. We had constant problems with the Dell docks/port replicators at my last place and dock FW updates fixed it probably 80% of the time. |
God's children are not for sale.
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Originally Posted By BooJangles: If your monitor is so old it has VGA still it’s time for an upgrade. Monitors are inexpensive and better than what to got for $200 5 years ago. Lot of good options for 27” monitors and a few 34” under $200. Is 5 years considered old? They still work great. |
| Not sure what happened but the KVM switch is working again. I took everything apart and put it back together again but really didn't change anything. Had already checked all the connections. Even works with my work laptop if I connect directly to the laptop and not the docking station. Finally got a message back from my friend in IT. They have a LOT of people with that same problem since they pushed the Windows 11 update. She told me to bring in the work laptop and she'll take care of updating everything. So I get to drive into downtown Houston in a few days. 40 minutes each way. Unless there's traffic. Which there's usually traffic. The joys of remote work. |
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Originally Posted By giantpune: Free solution is to run nomachine. Remote desktop into one computer from the other one. Then you dont need any convoluted or janky hardware. Can't. Work laptop is locked down to the point I can't change anything without getting IT involved. It's sad since I used to have admin rights to all the computers in my department. Loaded updates and fixed minor issues. Now I don't even have it for the computer I'm using. I understand I retired and came back as a contractor but dang. It's not like I don't know where all the bodies are buried already. (Figuratively speaking of course. ) |