How do I 'fake' a secondary display?

[acribb]

I have my 2010 Mac mini hooked up via HDMI to a plasma. I would like to 'fake' a secondary display so I could screen share to it while XBMC or Boxee runs on the plasma. This way I will be able to administer the mini without interrupting my wife while she watches the ever important Glee recordings.

I tried connecting a mini-display port to HDMI adapter (with no HDMI cable attached to it), and that didn't work.

Is it possible to trick the Mac mini into thinking there is another display connected? How?

 

[yrh0413]

i don't get you. how could you administer your mini when your wife is hogging the one and only display? are you refering to remote administration?

 

[acribb]

i don't get you. how could you administer your mini when your wife is hogging the one and only display? are you refering to remote administration?

Make it think there are 2 displays connected- one on the HDMI, the other on the mini displayport. You can then have XBMC run on the HDMI display and everything else, the dock, menu bar, all other programs on the mini displayport.

I thought hooking up the mini displayport adapter into the mini displayport would accomplish this but it didn't which is why I am asking this question.

 

[spacepower7]

What do you mean by "administer" ? Do you want to access files from a remote computer or are you wanting to use the screen sharing?

You can do alot through file sharing but it sounds like you want screensharing?

What exactly are you trying to do? Run apps? Access files?

 

[Dalton63841]

Not possible. I wanted to do this myself a couple months ago. Had a thread on 123macmini.com about it.

It's something to do with how screen-sharing does with dual monitors, and the HTPC app needing the primary display.

What happens is that while the HTPC app is running, all other screens appear black when you screen share.

 

[acribb]

Not possible. I wanted to do this myself a couple months ago. Had a thread on 123macmini.com about it.

It's something to do with how screen-sharing does with dual monitors, and the HTPC app needing the primary display.

What happens is that while the HTPC app is running, all other screens appear black when you screen share.

I knew I saw your thread on either avsforum.com, macrumors.com and 123macmini.com, but couldn't find it after searching around for quite a while which is why I posted here .....

Anyways, thanks for the response.

I don't really need to do this, it just would have been a nicety.