I have a mini pc I use for gaming, and an old but mostly functional laptop I use for everything else. Both machines have Ethernet and usb3. At home, I have a 19" monitor, external keyboard, trackball, USB switch.

I'm traveling in the near future, and taking the laptop is a given. I'm thinking of taking the mini pc with me, but taking the whole setup is definitively too much work. It occurred to me that the laptop conceivably could be made an adequate terminal of sorts for the mini pc.

@00pi

providing they both have compatible operating systems or the laptop's is partitioned so when you plug in the external hardrive you can automatically just use the screen.

@Bliss I'm confused. External hard drive? You mean the mini-pc? Are you suggesting a USB to USB connection for all of the throughput? If so, that is a feature I am very pleased to learn of.

They are Windows 10 and 11. I was thinking in terms of a HDMI to usb3 adapter for video and a USB to USB connection for audio and inputs. I have never dealt with any of that before, not sure all of that gear exists, much less at a reasonable price, and am hoping someone can point me to a resource.

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@00pi

yes that does exist and might work.
try using male to male usb cable compatible with each device.

before you buy see if a friend has those cables to test out if that will work. Windows can be a pain some times in terms of restricting what you can do.

The only workaround is if you
a) have access to the c:/drive menu prompt
b) know how to use the commands, so you might override windows os so you can get it to work.

@00pi

you can buy cables at different price points from amazon but i always ask friends who are constatly upgrading tech because they usually have extra cables.

@Bliss My father may have such a cable., good thinking, thank you. If he doesn't, I can get one delivered to his place.

My friends are pretty spread out, I doubt the few who are both geographically close and would have time for me because I needed something from them fit the bill.

Waiting until I'm there has the added benefit that it gives me some time to find anything which might make the implementation simpler, common pitfalls to avoid, etc.

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