673      iPhone_iPad_Mac_apple

Connecting a broken Mac to a working one as a s...

Hi everyone

This is a long one!

I have a Macbook Pro 2011. I upgraded to the new OS software and then the laptop broke. I got a flashing folder with a question mark and when in recovery mode it seems that the hard drive is gone. I've been advised to go to a Genius Bar, which is fine. With this laptop I can go into recovery mode, and even use the internet if I click on "get help through safari", so it still technically works.

In the mean time, as the laptop was old anyway, I got a MacBook Pro 2017. I was wondering if I can connect the two and use the screen from the 2011 Mac as a second screen.

The equipment I have - as the new Mac's have no USB ports (sigh) I got an adaptor, plugged into that adaptor is a USB/HDMI cable. The USB end is plugged into the adaptor, the HDMI end is plugged into a HDMI adaptor which is then plugged into the 2011 Mac (wow).

Any advice would be welcomed!

Not without a working OS on the 2011 Mac. The recovery system isn’t enough.

(155846)

Target Display Mode only works with iMacs. It does not work on MBPs. There are software solutions that use USB and a hardware solution that uses USB, but these are slow methods and not usable for a second screen except in short-term situations.