Computer Repair n Tips

Thanks for that clarification!

You needn't school me on the pros and cons of PCs versus Macs. I had to use Macs for many a year at the small publication office where I worked. And recently I had to own/use MacBook Pros so I could use ONE single piece of publishing software. Hated every minute of it. I don't get the fangirl appeal of Macs, but to each his own, I suppose.

A different company came out with publishing software that does similar things to the Mac-only program I'd been using, so I immediately packed up the two MacBooks and am gonna sell them on eBay. Back to exclusively PC desks here at my house, and I couldn't be happier.

Windows key + p + Enter. Got it!

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I have many problems, so it could be something else, but, my HDMI only works when it wants to. I have three laptops, and it usually doesn't work. I'll restart, mess with the settings (on one laptop) with projector and have wrote down everything on a sticky note when it finally worked, but that wasn't it. I bought another HDMI cord, so I'm thinking it could be my TV. I thought it might the chord, but its odd because it will finally work, and eventually I turn it off, and not touch a thing. But when I turn the laptop back on, it doesn't recognize it, and my HDMI2 won't show up.


All three laptops are junk, so I'm left using a Windows laptop with a dead hard drive, so I installed Linux on a thumb drive, and have to re-install it every single time, change handfuls of settings, installing other stuff from thumb drives (music to listen to, video, my Top 250 doc, etc), and sometimes it freezes up after 20 minutes, and might not be able to use it for a day.



I canceled my internet four years ago, when I went 3-4 months with no internet, but would drive to the library once a week, and do everything I had typed out in my e-mail, which is something I won't do now.
I doubt anyone has had this problem, but if you have and know something simple (that won't cost money) to fix this, I'd appreciate it..... I did the reset from the routers, switched the ends of the plugs (it's so hard to connect anything behind the TV with one inch of room), bought another HDMI cable.

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On the Windows laptops, can you open up Windows Update and see if you have optional updates available?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.how...r-updates/amp/

Driver updates are getting pushed through the Windows Update service now, so since you’re experiencing problems it couldn’t hurt to install whatever you find in there. Some of the behavior you’ve described has been happening at work, and those optional updates usually fixes the issue. Be sure to restart even if it doesn’t ask.

Got the VGA cable for $1.99 free shipping from ebay. Hooked the laptop with the black screen up to my desktop monitor. I booted the laptop and immediately shut the lid and that worked, it output to my monitor...BUT when I opened the desktop lid it stopped outputting to the monitor. I couldn't use the keyboard with the lid closed so I couldn't proceed further.

Strangely, when I opened and shut the laptops lid it's screen would momentarily work for a split second, making me think the screen is OK it's the ribbon connector that is bad.

I'm unsure what you mean by closing the *desktop lid* since I'm not picturing a desktop computer having a lid.

Do you have an extra wired keyboard laying around? You could plug that in and use it with the lid closed, but it definitely sounds like it’s the cable between the laptop motherboard and the display.

And we’re you hitting enter after Win+P to cycle the display modes?

There’s also usually a fn key combo that will cycle the display as well.

fn keys features

I might have a keyboard for it, that's a good idea.

I couldn't get any of the laptop keys to respond when I opened the lid as far as it would go without shutting off connection to the monitor.

Question: If I remove the screen and ribbon connector, would that then allow me to output to my monitor?

Just a crazy morning, I'm involved in fixing our dryer and just got through disassembling it. I meant 'laptop lid.'

Oh gosh, I should have mentioned that we hooked up external keyboard, monitor, and mouse to hubby's laptop before we did that close-the-lid thing. So we didn't open it again and just worked from that point on with the external stuff.

That actually helps, as it's what McClane just said. When I get some spare time, I'll give it a go and report back. Right now clean & dry clothes are more important

Just bought a screen ribbon cable for the laptop. $12 free shipping, still love ebay for cheap stuff. Now I hope it fixes the problem.

I just dissembled the old laptop. OMG that was hard, my hands are way to big to remove those tiny little wire leads. I must have spent 2 hours getting it tore down to the guts. The keyboard came off, the screen came off, numerous screws and wire lead and bezels too. Then I thought about how hard it was going to be to put it all back together again and how it might not be fixed anyway...Then I threw it away! Well, I need to recycle it, but it's trash now.

This question/dilemma is computer-adjacent, so I figured I'd ask it here.

My computer chair wasn't an expensive one but it's comfy and I like it. I have three desks in my home office, and three very different chairs. Lately the hydraulics in this main chair have been a bit wonky. (The other two, which are both much older, are fine.) So, when I sit in it, nine times outta ten it slowwwwwwwly jussssssst goes down, till I'm practically sitting with my chin on the desk.

It's subtle but it happens every time... eventually.

Is there any hope of reviving this chair? Actually, since I always want it at the very highest setting, is there even a way I could simply lock it in at that highest setting so it won't/can't move any lower? I don't want to replace it if I can help it, since it's only about 3.5 years old.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

I just looked at my old computer chair and if yours is like mine you might be able to buy a plastic or metal pipe at a hardware store with a slightly larger inside diameter than the chair's hydraulic outside diameter. Take the bottom swivel part with the wheels off and you might be able to slide the pipe (which you would precut to your desired chair height) over the hydraulic cylinder....OR maybe you can buy a replacement hydraulic cylinder. ***The part might not be called hydraulic cylinder, I'm not sure what it's proper identification is? But I've bought repair parts from Amazon to fix a dishwasher and more recently the dryer. Good luck.

That is not a bad idea at all. Hubby could probably cut some PVC pipe for me once I have the right length figured out (and inside diameter). That might keep it from slowly sinking down, down, down (which it's doing right now... again).

Or you could perhaps lower the desk?


Seriously though, adding a piece of plastic pipe, cut to measure, around the hydraulic mechanism is exactly what herself did to fix the same problem.