hi.
Yesterday i dropped my son's laptop on the floor whilst i was cleaning his room. I haven't told him because now the screen isn't working properly and i think i may have broken it. But it did work for a few hours initially after it was dropped, so it might not be related.
when he switches it on, the start up stuff comes up but when its time to log on, the screen is just black and stays black. it doesn't change no matter what you press or anything.
Does anybody know what could be wrong, or where is a good place to take it to be fixed, how much it would cost? I have no idea 🙁
Might well have been like that for a while and he hasn't told you.
What's the last thing you see onscreen before it goes black?
when you switch it on sone white writing comes across the bottom of the screen, i dont know what it says. it would then normally go to the blue screen with his name on it and he types his password to log on, but it wont get that far now.
i know it wasnt broken before because he uses it everyday after school.
If you shine a light on the screen or hold it up to a window can you see a faint image of what should be there?
Is the start up stuff a little dim? Are you sure the screen is black and not just very very dim afterwards (take in a dark cupboard and shine a torch as the screen).
Could be the LCD backlighting inverter has gone. Just done this on my sons, £10 part, DIY fix.
no there is nothing on the screen at all.
the rest of it is still working though because you can hear it, just cant see anything.
What's the last thing you see onscreen before it goes black? Don't guess, check. Information has to flow this way before it can flow back to you.
graphics card problem
the graphics are handled by the computers own processor until the operating system loads and enables the graphics card. you should be able to start the computer in safe mode (hold the f8 key whilst the computer starts up) which will not enable the graphics card i think. this may allow you to get files off it. dropping it could have broken a connection on the card or something similar
this is mostly speculation after a similar thing happened to me, i'm no expert
i just switched it on again and the writing only flashes up for a second or so, it says windows error recovery, then a list of stuff underneath, then it disappears.
i think i broke it 🙁
Can you plug it into an external monitor?
dont have one, i only have a netbook
does your TV have a PC input?
it says windows error recovery, then a list of stuff underneath,
You should be able to select "startup repair" at this point. Try that?
my tv has a usb socket, is that the same thing?
Hold on.
After the screen goes black, does it reboot, or are you switching it off and on again?
Its likely to be the cable connecting the screen to the motherboard has come lose, can you confirm the brand of laptop as I maybe able to help.
my tv has a usb socket, is that the same thing?
With respect,
How old's your son? Is he of "daddy, my computer is broken" age, or "for god's sake dad, leave it alone" years old?
i have been switching it off, lots of times trying to get it to work, sometimes you dont get to see any writing, sometimes it is there.
it is a Compaq.
How old's your son? Is he of "daddy, my computer is broken" age, or "for god's sake dad, leave it alone" years old?
I was thinking the very same.....!
No, it's OK, Dad, I'll look after this.... 😳 😳 😕 "
my son is 14, he knows more about computers than me. 😳
but i'm not his daddy, i'm his mummy, so humour me. 🙂
In that case he won't be at all embarrassed about what you find in his internet history! 😉
That's your answer right there. At age 14, if my dad had tried to fix my computer I'd have had a Kevin The Teenager grade meltdown.
Where are you geographically?
but i'm not his daddy, i'm his mummy, so humour me
Whoops, mia culpa. 😳
thats his tough luck, if he wants it fixing then i may well have a good old snoop whilst i'm at it.
if you want to send it to me (I am in Stafford Nr Cannock Chase) I will take a look.
if he wants it fixing then i may well have a good old snoop whilst i'm at it.
Nothing Good Will Come Of This.
i'm in South Notts
Somewhere, in South Nottinghamshire, a 14 year old boy is quietly sobbing in to his hands muttering to himself. It sounds like, "Oh, no, she's going to find it....oh no, she's going to find it...."
😉
Life was so much simpler when all we had was hard copy gentertainment!
i know a PC repair chappy near Ratcliffe. He's a sarcastic git with a lack of social skills, these are the kind of people that you need to fix PCs.
[EDIT] or ride mtbs for that matter
if you want to send it to me (I am in Stafford Nr Cannock Chase) I will take a look.
you're not far from me then. 🙂
If I had a 14-year old son and I found a huge stash of filth on his laptop, he'd be in big trouble and I'd be bitterly disappointed. "Son, have I taught you [i]nothing[/i] about encryption?"
ha ha , but my son is a quiet boy. i'm sure there won't be rude things on there.
ha ha , but my son is a quiet boy. i'm sure there won't be rude things on there.
Woooo Hooooo!
Again, with all due respect, he's fourteen. The only way there won't be anything you'd disapprove of on there is if he's found somewhere else to hide it.
no, he'd have to be a fool to save it to his hard drive
maybe, thats probably why he spends all his time in his room then. 😕
ha ha , but my son is a quiet boy. i'm sure there won't be rude things on there.
Sweet. Naive, but sweet ( unless there is something seriously wrong with him ).
maybe, thats probably why he spends all his time in his room [s]furiously masturbating[/s] then
well , i dont know what age boys start with all that 😳
But anyway. I was going to offer to take a look at it for you, but it sounds like you've got a more local offer.
I'd suggest that your first action is to tell your lad. For all you know, he's rigged it so that it appears to be broken should his mother feel a sudden need to go checking on him. 's what I would have done.
He should be a veteran by now.
I was going to offer to take a look at it for you
THE LAPTOP!
I was going to offer to take a look at it for youTHE LAPTOP!
The benefits of IT support - you don't have to go and search the internet for filthiness, just make a "backup" copy of other people's.
🙂
he was nearly in tears last night when he told me it's broken. i thought he was just upset about his laptop.
i feel enlightened now 😯
Ah, ok, so he is aware at least.
Make sure you tell him that you've specifically asked the repairman to search the hard disk for any important data he might have saved on there, and watch his face closely.
(Poor sod, broken laptop *and* busted by his mother, I almost feel sorry for him. Still, it's never to early to learn about offsite backups.)
Oh.. aside from the silliness, have you checked the obvious external projector setting?
have you checked the obvious external projector setting?
how ?
Make sure you tell him that you've specifically asked the repairman to search the hard disk for any important data he might have saved on there, and watch his face closely.
[img] 
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external projector setting?
Fn-F4 usually. It's not likely if you can see the power on screens but not the Windows splash (loading) screen. Ditto most of the other suggestions, which is why I was trying to clarify exactly what happens.
Cranberry > Naturally. (-:
sometimes Fn+F8.
sometimes Fn+F8.
I should've known that, given that that's what it is on this laptop. 😳
On mine it's Fn+F7
i've never come across a laptop that doesn't default back to LCD only on reboot so i doubt Fn+F? will do owt
ok. i took it out into the garden so i could look at the screen better. i pressed buttons and also gave it a wipe as it was pretty grimy.
and yes i can see the windows screen with his name on it, just, it is very very dark, but it is there.
i couldn't see it before, when you guys first suggested it because i was indoors. and i didnt do the torch thing either.
but it i can defintaley see it now 😀
it's still not right though.
It's the inverter then, as someone else suggested earlier. Given the history it might just be a loose cable, though they can be a right bugger to get at.
(also,
it was pretty grimy.
... that's not grime.)
eeewww, i just wiped that off with my tissue 😐
eeewww, i just wiped that off with my tissue
*tries very hard to ignore an open goal*
t's the inverter then, as someone else suggested earlier. Given the history it might just be a loose cable, though they can be a right bugger to get at.
thanks, you've saved me a lot of hassle. i would probably have just gone and bought a new laptop.
if you were me, what would you do now, how would you get it mended?
i've never come across a laptop
i pressed buttons and also gave it a wipe as it was pretty grimy.
tum-ti-tum
Woohoo, I was right! Yeeha!
Changing an inverter is a fairly simple job as far as laptop fixings go, but if you're not confident taking it apart then don't even try because they are fairly intricate inside.
Should be a fairly low cost fix for a shop though.
Don't forget to tell your son that this latest version of Windows is designed to shut you out if it detects excessive masturbation
Don't forget to tell your son that this latest version of Windows is designed to shut you out if it detects excessive masturbation
I can sell you an earlier copy if that helps you out?