In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2)
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Friday, September 11, 2026 15:29
VIEWED: 338648
PAGE 685 of 834
Having looked this up, it could be what you got is a "passive adapter" when what you might need is an "active adapter"
A passive adapter literally just converts the shape of the connector from VGA to HDMI without doing anything to the signal.
The problem is, your VGA computer is putting out what's called an analog signal, similar to the signal from a vinyl record. But the monitor is expecting a digitized signal, like a DVD or CD. Active adapters convert the VGA (analog) signal to a digital one that the monitor is capable of displaying.
https://smallusefultips.com/what-is-an-active-vga-to-hdmi-adapter/
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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger
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Well... like I eventually got around to saying above, I think it's most likely just the monitor needing to point to the correct input. I would hope that the people who sold her the adapter would have known about any of those compatibility issues. I can just speak from experience that I've never had any problems with my VGA/HDMI adapters over the years, and I never even knew that there was possible conflicts with them. In fact, I don't even remember when I would have gotten them since I don't remember ever buying these adapters. Probably something that I just took from somebody else who was just throwing away old computer junk they didn't need anymore, and I know I didn't get them after I got sober, so they're already at least 10 years old if not many years older.
I think all Brenda needs to do is look at the instructions and figure out how to get into the monitor's setup menu and point the monitor to look for the signal from the HDMI input she's got it plugged into.
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Monitor's setup menu.
Ok, got it.
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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger
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Yeah... I'm like 90%+ sure that's the issue here, anyhow.
Really hard to diagnose something I can't see first hand or have somebody on the phone that I'm walking through the steps in real-time. Gets even more difficult when new pieces are brought into the puzzle and I don't know exactly what those pieces look like.
But it makes the most sense to me right now. It's for sure the first thing that I would be trying to do.
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The temp topped out today at 97°F. Tomorrow expecting a 10° drop, so the temp will be ONLY (!) 87°F.
Hazardous waste roundup event tomorrow. With daughter's help collected up all the old cleaners, paint, pesticides etc for disposal. Glad to be rid of that stuff!
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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger
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I hope it cools off for you soon Sigs. That sucks.
I finished that part of my computer project just a few hours ago. That's a major milestone for me. Though I don't currently intend to add much more new stuff to it, there is some smaller things that still need to be added. This last bit was by far the largest of the work I was looking to do right now. So there's still a few smaller additions I plan on making and most of the rest of it is just going back and making some edits here and there and making sure everything is up to my standards. Not really close to finishing it because of my perfectionism, but it's really nice to finally get it to the point where the main "skeleton" is fleshed out anyhow.
In the meantime I did some of the spring cleaning I wanted to get done, and I got three coats of poly on that kitchen/living room threshold so it should be ready to install tomorrow afternoon. I also got that last piece of cabinet trim up. That was a little trickier than I'd hoped it would be because the bottom of the cabinet was a little blown out, but I made it work. Just one more thing to touch-up when I get to that point. I'm not going to spend any time doing wood filler, caulk, touch-up paint finishing touches now and I'm instead going to be getting a lot of other things done around the house and then I'll do all of that at once.
I think the next thing I'll do is get the windowsill and trim in the bathroom cleaned up and scuff sanded so I can prime it, and take out the existing floor trim. I haven't decided if that's going to be painted and put back up, or if I'm going to get matching baseboard to what most of the rest of the house looks like yet because the baseboard matches the size of the trim on that window, and I can't use the larger base/trim I put up everywhere else on that window because it's too close to the shower. It might look better if I use the smaller baseboard in the bathroom so it doesn't look out of place while in the room itself, compared to the rest of the house.
I've also got a beautiful medicine cabinet and over the toilet cabinet that I need to sand down and paint, but I'm going to wait until the weather is a bit nicer and I can sand all of that down outside so I'm not breathing it in and getting that dust all over the inside of my house.
My old man is pushing really hard for me to get a new vanity that is 4"-6" wider than the one I've currently got because there would be room for that much if I put the trash bin on the other side of the toilet between the toilet and the wall, and since both of my bathrooms are small he thinks it would be a real selling point to maximize that space. I was just going to sand it down and paint it like I did all the kitchen cabinets (and I still have enough matching oil rubbed bronze hardware since I'd planned on doing that years ago). I dunno yet...
It will be nice when I finally get around to buying a REAL toilet though. I've been sitting on that bottom-shelf piece of shit toilet for 14 years now. I'm not a tall man, but even when I sit my ass down on it, it feels like a long way down before I hit it. My brother can't stand it, and it was really a pain for my grandma to use and for my aunt to get her back up off of it when she was done.
I've got a TON of really nice tiles out in my garage that I got from my friend when he was clearing out his parent's garage after his dad died. When I rip up the crappy vinyl tile in the bath and remove the toilet, I'm going to have to remove some of the sub-floor and replace it since it's obviously damaged underneath. But I should be able to get that floor really looking nice with those tiles. I just have to decide which pattern I want to go with, since I've got about 8 different choices with enough tiles to do the job.
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:Quote:
Originally posted by BRENDA:
Still at the library and got the adapter yesterday afternoon. Boss's husband called me to see if I had found it. Said I did and the place was holding it for me. He was talking for a minute when I said a ride would be great. He was calling from the local mall and so he came over and got me. I got the adapter and hooked it up. Tried it and nothing happened. Went back to ask about a menu that comes up. He said use the arrow keys.
But yeah it looks like again I will have to bit the bullet. Place I got the adapter said $700 CAD for monitor and drive. Sorry old lady here. But I don't want the whole set up as I already laid out $200 CAD on the monitor. Also don't need anything for gaming. Arrgghh! Always a production.
Man... This is why I wish you had a backup laptop so we could communicate better, Brenda. Maybe even figure out a time where we could actively talk back and forth while you were actively trying to get the desktop running. It's still not ideal back in forth here in the garden or the tags, but only once per day volleys makes me feel pretty useless trying to help you sort out this issue.
You said a menu came up? And he said to use the arrow keys? I don't know what you mean and you didn't elaborate beyond that. I still think your computer is fine, even though it's ancient, so I'm not sure why the adapter didn't solve your problem. Is the computer starting (do you see any lights, hear the drive and fans start up)?
If you need a new computer, there's a site called "WOOT.COM" which has been around forever and got bought out by Amazon maybe 5 or 6 years ago.
They have a new batch of refurbished computer inventory every week. Last week they had a refurbished computer under $100 USD that would have been fine for your needs. The cheapest they've got right now is $149.99 USD, but that's still way cheaper than $700 Canadian, and it would be quite an upgrade from your current desktop.
https://computers.woot.com/offers/lenovo-m710-sff-desktop-pc-8?ref=w_c
nt_lnd_cat_pc_4_1
That computer has all the outputs. It's got 1 HDMI, 2 Display ports and 1 VGA.
They've even got a laptop for the same price. The 4GB of memory is pretty small, but the laptop is new enough to have Windows 11 installed on it.
https://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-14-intel-n150-uhd-graphics-laptop
-2?ref=w_cnt_lnd_cat_pc_6_1
I can see from the picture that it also has an HDMI output, so you'd be able to plug it into your monitor without an adapter as well.
Can you have your boss or her husband order something for you and you can pay them back?
You really don't need to buy a new full-priced computer for your needs. If your local shop doesn't have used computers and you can't find one that sells used goods, Woot/Amazon really is a great way to go. Personally, I've used Craigslist to buy mine, but I wouldn't recommend that to you because you have to go and meet up with a random stranger and that could be dangerous.
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He was refeering to refurbished for both the monitor and computer at $700 Canadian.
When I set up the VGA and turned on the monitor a menu came up showing HMDI and VGA. The VGA was highlighted blue but my hand decided to shake and I hit the left side of the mouse enlarging it. So, I am now trying to get it back to the right size and see if it does work with my computer.
I can get a refurbished laptop at a local place. Would have to check prices.
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Dry today but cold. Library still. Will take another stab at all this when I get in. Could use a full time techy for this. See everone Monday.
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Quote:
Originally posted by BRENDA:
When I set up the VGA and turned on the monitor a menu came up showing HMDI and VGA. The VGA was highlighted blue but my hand decided to shake and I hit the left side of the mouse enlarging it. So, I am now trying to get it back to the right size and see if it does work with my computer.
You're going to want to set it to HDMI on the monitor, Brenda. That may seem counterintuitive to you because you just bought a VGA adapter, but the monitor is only concerned which input you've put in the monitor itself.
You've put the VGA adapter into the computer video output, but then you plugged the HDMI cable into that adapter and the HDMI cable is going into an HDMI input on your monitor. (There may be more than one HDMI input on that monitor, so you will have to make sure it's pointing to the right one if there is).
And actually, you've just given me some good news here. If for some reason there's something wrong with that adapter and we can't get it working that way, it sounds like you have a VGA input on your monitor. So if you still have a straight up VGA to VGA cable from your old setup, you can just use that instead of the HDMI with the VGA adapter. Just plug in the VGA to the back of your computer, and put the other end of the cable into the VGA input on your new monitor and you should be good.
Quote:
He was refeering to refurbished for both the monitor and computer at $700 Canadian.
I can get a refurbished laptop at a local place. Would have to check prices.
That's really expensive, Brenda. Maybe computer prices in Canada are different, but I think they're taking you for a ride there and that's kind of pissing me off. New monitors are really cheap now, and a refurbished computer that would more than suit your needs are going for anywhere from $100 to $200 USD and shouldn't cost you more than about $275 CAD max. Honestly, if you were able to buy it online, you wouldn't have paid much more than $350 CAD max for a refurbished desktop and a brand new monitor combined.
This is bringing back memories of my grandma telling me she paid a plumber $260 to fix her water heater and all they did was install a new $8 universal thermocouple, or when my other grandma told me that a plumber charged her over $400 to install a new kitchen sink faucet.
I don't want you being taken advantage of anymore, so let's not buy any more parts or computers for now and see if we can get you fixed with what you already have on hand.
******IMPORTANT******
I have a few questions I need you to answer for me. One of them I've asked a few times now, so I want to emphasize it here...
1. When you start your computer, do you still hear the drive and fans fire up, and do you get any LED lights on the front showing you that it is powering on. I'm asking this because I think your computer is still fine, but I want to make sure that it is actually powering on.
2. You said you were using the mouse when you said this:
Quote:
When I set up the VGA and turned on the monitor a menu came up showing HMDI and VGA. The VGA was highlighted blue but my hand decided to shake and I hit the left side of the mouse enlarging it. So, I am now trying to get it back to the right size and see if it does work with my computer.
I'm a little confused here. If the computer isn't working, I don't understand how you're using the mouse or what you're looking at on your screen. The mouse shouldn't be able to control the monitor's setup menu. So it sounds to me like you're not looking at the monitor's setup menu and you've possibly got Windows coming up on your monitor now but there is an issue with the size of everything?
If this is the case, that means that your computer is working, it's sending the signal to the monitor and the HDMI cable/VGA adapter is working and your monitor is looking at the right input. We just need to go in
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Did more than I thought I'd do today, but it was mostly cleaning...
I got that threshold installed between the kitchen and living room floors finally. Looks awesome.
I was only intending to take my throw rugs and welcome mats outside for a good beat-down so I could clean the kitchen floor, but it turned into a lot more than that.
My garage has looked like a bomb hit it for a while now between not putting things where they belong when I'm done with them, leaving sawdust all over the place after I cut stuff and bringing in my friend's hoard into my home. Not exactly to the point where I could barely fit my car in there this time, but that might only be because this car is smaller than my old one. 
I filled two large bins of trash while I was out there today. Nowhere near done, but I put a huge dent in the work that needed to be done. A lot of the stuff my friend gave me I just threw right into the trash. I'm sure some of it could have gone to goodwill, but I don't even want to bother with it. There's some good things that I still want to go through, but most of that stuff I took just so he wouldn't change his mind and keep it.
Swept out my shed before I put all the tools that belong in it back. Those were scattered all over the garage after I did the landscaping last year. Picked up most of the large limbs that had fallen from the trees with all the wind we've been having and cut them down to fit them in the bins.
Then I finally got around to vacuuming and cleaning the back porch for the first time since I remodeled it. It had a pretty thick coating of dust/dirt everywhere. I'm hoping now that I have the river rock down and there really isn't any exposed dirt anywhere anymore that I don't get that type of coverage back there anymore.
I also wiped down all of my bottom kitchen cabinets for the first time since I remodeled those too. That high-gloss paint really holds up well. They look as good as they did when I finished them years ago.
My old man is probably going to think I repainted a bunch of stuff the next time he stops by since everything is nice and shiny again.
Put the basement trim that I put finish paint on, but am not close to ready to use back up in the garage rafters until the basement is finished. They may be there for quite a while now. I knew I was nowhere near ready to use them yet, but I brought all 7 pieces in to do them all at once even though I was only going to use 3 of them in the finished room.
I also brought in some more trim and a few bi-fold doors that need to be refinished. I'll probably wait until the weather is nice on those doors and sand them outside though. I just needed them down from where they were to make room for things going back there and I didn't want to bury them before I needed to get to them.
I also found the two really nice pieces of new trim that a neighbor gave me years ago. I forgot I had those. I'll probably use those for the baseboard in the bathroom and just throw the old stuff out when I remove it now. I don't like the way that they did the piece of trim beneath the windowsill in the bathroom, so I can just use one of the larger pieces they used as baseboard trim to redo that, and then throw the rest of it out.
I think that's probably more physical work than I've done in one day since I finished working on the landscaping last fall.
It was a good day.
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