technology FAIL

[tamaranth]

I think my laptop display is dead. First there was a little square of Glitch on the screen, then I rebooted, then it told me there was a problem (unspecified) and invited me to restart with last good settings, then I got a pinstripe effect and now the screen is blank though the little lights show signs of life.

NOT NOWWWWWW!!!

Suggestions, diagnostics, quick fixes? Thank heavens (well, Asus) for EEE but my typing is not of the finest on the less-stable keyboard, and the smallness of screen -- just fine for writing -- is irritating for Gmail and LJ.

Comments

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Eeeek! I'm guessing that explains why you just sent me a blank email. The computer shop at my end of Mill Rd is supposed to be good for fixing the unfixable. (I don't think it's closed down yet.)

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

going to find receipt / documents and see if laptop's still under warranty (tho' I'm guessing not). Otherwise will ask 'em for quote: it'd be nice to get another year or so out of it.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Does EEE have socket to attach bigger external screen and can you plug in a keyboard (possibly a USB one) so you can have a big screen and a decent keyboard while you're waiting for your laptop to be repaired?

I can lend you a big-ish LCD monitor if you need one (and if the EEE has a standard "VGA" connector), it's on Newmarket Road ...

... I can certainly dig you out a keyboard if the EEE has the old style PS2 keyboard socket, but I don't think I have a spare USB keyboard at the moment :-(

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

hmm, plugging in B's monitor says 'no signal' even when laptop is clearly doing something -- so maybe problem with drivers or other arcane PC-ness, not physical display ...

Had better get used to EEE keyboard this week as it'll be my sole connection / writing machine for the NZ trip! Not actually sure it has PS2 socket anyway ... though I do have a wireless keyboard somewhere ...

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Did you use Fn+F8 to switch the display to the external monitor? Otherwise there's no signal coming out of the EEE for the monitor to see ... but you may well know this already :-)

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

I did, and no joy, though on one occasion it showed me a blank screen instead of a 'no signal'. Progress of a sort?

[devilgate.livejournal.com]

They take USB keyboards OK if you have one, and they do have standard VGA connectors for VDUs, though I've never tried that.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

it doesn't - just USB; we might have USB keyboard... but next in cambridge on 30th

[dougs.livejournal.com]

Your dead laptop has a cooked GPU (graphics processing unit) -- they always try to put an overpowered undercooled one in chunkier laptops, it tends then to run hotter than the CPU, and occasionally they end up frying themselves.

Since it's the graphics processor, rather than the screen itself, you'd get the same display corruption or lack of display on an external screen.

Two laptops died consecutively before my current one, each with the same symptoms. Each lasted almost exactly two years, each on a one-year warranty.

If it's out of warranty then some tame geek with more dexterity than me and good access to spares could probably sort it out -- it might be worth seeing if Liam's awake yet.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

I think you're probably right re burnt-out GPU -- it was increasingly prone to overheating and the symptoms sound about right.

Shall lug it to Mill Rd fix-it shop for its holidays ...