Here's another question (I've done a bit of Googling, but the answer seems to hinge on a) an iMac of a certain year/model
and b) said iMac has to be in working order).
Mom's 10+ year old iMac went south, it seems. All efforts on my end to revive it aren't successful. I think the hard drive or board has gone bad. Not about to pay to have it repaired, of course.
Thing is, the ports (USB, anyway...as I can use the keyboard and mouse when in Recovery Mode or booted off an USB thumb drive boot disc) and the display itself work just fine. The display looks/works great.
Target Disk Mode aside (which may not even be available on this particular 21.5" iMac (that isn't booting/working)...is there ANY WAY such a thing (with a functioning display) can simply be used as a "dumb monitor". It has power, the display works just fine. Is there anyway she could just use the (dead) iMac has an external 21.5" display to connect her Air to from time to time? That would be a lot cheaper/easier and it's already in place, just sitting there.
Is there some sort of cable, some sort of "hack", etc. that would allow this? A shame that a non-bootable Mac, with a perfectly-functioning screen, can't be put to further, additional use in its twilight years.
Everything I Google about doing so centers around "Target Disk Mode", which implies the iMac must be bootable/functioning. This ain't the case here. So is there some sort of "unofficial" workaround that allows this? That would be pretty cool/helpful if so.
Again, the iMac just ain't working (as far as booting up to a usable Finder, etc.).
But the screen lights up/displays just fine, no problem. Is there a way to bypass the "guts"/computer part of it and just tap into/use the still-functioning screen, driven by the MacBook Air?
NOTE: I'm in no position/skills (and no tools) to disassemble iMac and putz around with wires, ribbons, soldering, etc. so I'm not looking for solutions/answers entailing that sort of thing. I'm thinking some sort of cable/software (from the MacBook Air?) hack or workaround that allows the Air to simply see the iMac as a standalone display (vs. an iMac)? Seems a shame to have to toss/recycle this working 21.5" "monitor" and spend ~$150 on another.
But I realize I may be asking the impossible, so just give it to me straight. At this point, I'm already primed for disappointment and "well, that's plan D all shot to hell".
