[plug] Xubuntu + Dell XPS + "thunderbolt" HDMI?

[Chris McCormick]

Hey all,

In 2017 I bought a new laptop because my laptop stopped working after I 
zapped it. After I got home from the shop I turned my laptop off and on 
again and discovered it was still working *facepalm*. I put the new 
laptop away for later.

Fast forward to 2020 and I'm upgrading to my "new" laptop. I 
successfully installed Xubuntu on it and then I went to plug my 
DisplayLink to HDMI converter into it and found a weird looking port 
instead of the DisplayLink port. The port on the new laptop looks like a 
USB-C port with a little lightning symbol next to it. Apparently it's 
called "thunderbolt".

So I went to Officeworks and bought a "USB-C to DisplayLink" converter 
cable, came back to my office and plugged it in so that I have the 
following cables/converters:

HDMI (monitor) -> HDMI-to-DisplayLink -> DisplayLink-to-USB-C

No dice.

With my existing Dell XPS when I plug in the DisplayLink cable I get the 
"Display: Configure screen settings and layout" app popup and I can 
configure the second HDMI to be above the laptop screen.

On the new laptop with these cables plugged in the display configuration 
app can't see the monitor at all. I've tried all kinds of 
turning-off-and-on-again, plugging things in in a different order etc. 
but nothing i do causes the monitor to appear.

Ideas?

Cheers,

Chris.

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