Can I still use 2009 27" iMac as an external display if it could not boot successfully itself?

My friend has a 2009 27" iMac. For some unkonwn reasons, this iMac now could not boot succesfully recently.
As I know, this iMac could be used as an external display in "target display mode", right?
Could it be still used as an external display if it fails to boot (turned on) ?
Thanks !

mende1 wrote:
stanleyoowa wrote:
And, what do you mean by " 'display only' is repairable, possibly with little effort"? Thank you very much !!
LousyFool is saying that the iMac is a computer easy to repair, at least with hard disk problems. However, you can't replace the hard disk yourself or you will avoid the warranty, so if the iMac is in warranty, you should take it to an Apple Store. If it's not in warranty, you can try to do it yourself
Sorry, hit Add Reply too soon...
stanleyoowa, your friend should boot the Mac from the original OS X system disk that came with the Mac, then use Disk utility to check the internal HDD. Maybe it's not entirely gone but can be repaired. Eventually, it must be formatted newly and the OS re-installed. Only worst case a new HDD is due.
With the Mac being from 2009, there will be neither warranty no AppleCare anymore, so DIY might be in order in that worst case. There are instructions on the web. In any case, it being a 27" iMac, I find it sad to 'degrade' it to a 'display only' function...
Message was edited by: LousyFool

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I'm afraid using the iMac for a PC Monitor is out, unless it might be a newer PC that has a thunderbolt prt & can output Video through TB port. 2009/2010 iMacs can use MDP. But 21.5" iMacs work as well as the 27" ones for either method.
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David,
Sorry you can't use the 2011 iMac as an external display to your PC. The feature you are referring to is called Target Display Mode and works on 2009 & 2010 27" iMacs. The 2011 machines use Thunderbolt as you know however they do support external displays that are not Thunderbolt displays. So for example if you wanted 2 displays on the iMac you can easily do that with either Mini Display port to DVI or MDP to VGA or even HDMI. MDP is the same size as Thunderbolt and this will work fine to drive a display, TV or even a projector.
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Can I still use 2009 27" iMac as an external display if it could not boot successfully itself?

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