Hardware Tips: New Use for an Old Laptop, and More [Video]

A couple of annoying hardware problems recently forced me to get creative. I bought a refurbished Media Center PC and discovered the Blu-ray drive’s Eject button isn’t functional. And when I tried to sync my Apple iPhone to iTunes, it didn’t work. This week I’ll tell you how I worked around these problems, plus I’ve got a great tip on how to turn an old laptop into a secondary display.

Turn a Spare Laptop Into a Second Monitor

Adding a second monitor to your workstation can greatly improve your productivity. Take it from me: There’s nothing like having your Web browser running on one screen and, say, your word processor on another.

Most desktops (and even laptops) support the addition of a second screen, and the monitors themselves are pretty affordable these days.

Of course, nothing’s more affordable than gear you already have–like, say, an old laptop that’s just collecting dust in a closet.

MaxiVista is a clever …