@ElizabethLovesYouh Without knowing exactly what the words say, I would guess this could be one of a few issues: 1.) It could be that your laptop is set to too high of a screen resolution for the projector. Try setting it lower to 800x600. 2.) Make sure you use the correct Function (Fn) key combination on your laptop. If your laptop is not pushing out a signal through the video port it may show a "No Signal" message on the projector. Let me know what it says and I'll see if I can help you out.
@ElizabethLovesYouh Yes, you can still hook up the video cable but it may be a little loose. As long as it's a temporary setup you should be fine as long as you don't pull the cable loose. Those screws just help to secure the cable in place.
im i the only one wanting this so i can watch trippy visuails on a bigger area and dance to loud music with glow sticks instead of using it for college power points lol.