Computer Failure? ~ Need assistance from Comp Savy Peeps… (This means you!)

[Kjoxxer]

So I have no idea what to do here, or how to fix this, somehow I feel as thought this is less of a software problem and more hardware based. Yesterday my warcraft session crashed and locked up. As it turns out my entire computer had locked up because I couldn’t CAD and task manager to shut down warcraft and restart it. So I hard reset the computer and then after the initial opening screen the display went black with nothing happening; then occasionally the computer would reset itself and do the same thing again, but it gives you the option of running a system check / restore which also does nothing but run through its thing then reset the laptop with no solution.

So last night I used the default system wipe and reset (sans recovery disk ~ HP Pavilion) which as it says returns the laptop to its “off the shelf condition” which meant I had to go through the efforts of reinstalling the windows updates and warcraft again. Except for some reason when I start up the laptop it now goes to that black screen still instead of my login screen, but occasionally it works just fine, had to wait about 4 or 5 restarts to get it to work properly this last time and now I’m afraid to see what will happen if I turn the computer off and have to restart it again.

Anyone have any idea whats wrong here? Do I need to nuke the entire OS and use the recovery disks rather than letting the system do its own full wipe and restore? Am I experiencing some sort of hard ware failure like a video card? Please help!

Thank you in advance for your unpaid help ;)
KJ

[Karolina]

when my laptop had issues(wow freezing the entire computer, etc), i tried to just do a system restore, it didnt work either, i took mine to geeksquad(zak will probably tell you its a waste of money, and it was but i wouldnt have known what to do with it anyway, so yea) they said the hd was bad, and they replaced it, since i didnt have the restore disks from when i bought it (clearly cause im blonde and didnt pull em outta the box before throwing it away) i had to order a new copy of vista, once i installed that it worked fine.

[Kjoxxer]

Well I had to burn my restore disks from inside windows, which seems fucked because if shit really failed epically I'd be fucked like you with having to buy another copy of Vista, but I may have to step it up to that level of reset.

[Celesi]

Nothing constructive here minus, "Sorry bud."

I've only really encountered one sour issue, and that's when I had my hard drive crash. It was a rather obvious "Fuck, now I need to go buy a new one."

Dunno what to tell you about yours.

[Nekochan]

without being able to hammer on it, there could be a number of issues. HDD, video card, possibly a dead fan. Ram and HDD are the easiest and cheapest to fix and can normally be done yourself. video and dead fan, are possibly supermegaultrafucked.

[Kjoxxer]

Need vent info please

[Nekochan]

Vent has a guest password now, tubesrules

[Kjoxxer]

I dont have the host name or port given that I wiped my system... I also dont have a computer still (technically). Tried the disk system restore and same problem, so I really thing it's hardware. I have my roommates old laptop so I can get on vent is why I ask, but that doesn't even have enough ram (<256) to run wow, not to mention not even hard drive space to download all the patches (tried that too).

So basically till I can find someone to fix my computer count me out for raiding... Fuck.

[Karolina]

check your pm's kj

[Kjoxxer]

I did, got the info, will come talk tonight, thank you Oshon and Karo.

[Asavar]

When the "black screen" occurs, does your monitor "turn off"? (not completely, light is still on, but it usually turns yellow indicating no display input.)

If this is occurring, it may indicate video card failure. I do see you said sometimes it works fine, but it can still be your video card.

IF it is this, video cards aren't that expensive. They are kinda, but a decent one I've been eyeing is about $200 from tigerdirect.com.

If it's not your video card, I'd say it can be your HD failing as well. But no way to really tell from my end, unfortunately.

I'm sure Zak may be more tech savvy than I am, but meh, that's my 2 cents.

[Kjoxxer]

When the "black screen" occurs, does your monitor "turn off"? (not completely, light is still on, but it usually turns yellow indicating no display input.)

If this is occurring, it may indicate video card failure. I do see you said sometimes it works fine, but it can still be your video card.

IF it is this, video cards aren't that expensive. They are kinda, but a decent one I've been eyeing is about $200 from tigerdirect.com.

If it's not your video card, I'd say it can be your HD failing as well. But no way to really tell from my end, unfortunately.


I not too worried about the cost, but it might not even be fixable within reason, it is a stupid HP Pavilion Laptop so it's might not be as easy as a hardware swap in a tower, but we shall see. I really need to bring it in now and have a diagnostics test run.

What happens is it runs the bios screen at start-up like usual, then you see the microsoft timer bar before it goes to the log-in screen and before it gets to the log in screen it goes a sort of backlight black, its not dead, but it's not showing anything. Occasionally the screen will flash small slits in a few places but it's basically still black. Then the laptop will restart itself after a few minutes.

I have not been able to log in since Sunday and even then the one time I logged in the screen showed me some wierd split screen thing. Split horizontal showing me the same image on the top and bottom half? I have no idea what that was about.

So like said I'm taking it in probably Friday? I have to go riding Weds, and am seeing Evil Dead the musical Thurs, plus tonight by time I got home and got the laptop then got to the service place it would be closed. Fucking pissing me off, loosing a weeks Conquest Badges and last weeks arena points :(

[Asavar]

Oh, it's a laptop?

I'm not even sure if they're exactly replaceable, through personal means. You may need to contact the manufacturer. Or take it in like you said.

But I could be wrong, unfortunately I have no experience going into laptops and replacing parts.

[Zoë]

Oh, it's a laptop?

I'm not even sure if they're exactly replaceable, through personal means. You may need to contact the manufacturer. Or take it in like you said.

But I could be wrong, unfortunately I have no experience going into laptops and replacing parts.

Yeah, depending on the laptop - the video card is usually not replacable. Because unless it's a higher end laptop, they are apart of the motherboard so you are SOL if it goes. If you get it check out, you might just be further ahead to buy an entire new system depending on what the tech says because you would probably end up spending less money on the new system cause of parts and labour.

[Asavar]

Yeah, depending on the laptop - the video card is usually not replacable. Because unless it's a higher end laptop, they are apart of the motherboard so you are SOL if it goes. If you get it check out, you might just be further ahead to buy an entire new system depending on what the tech says because you would probably end up spending less money on the new system cause of parts and labour.



Yeah, I thought that'd be the case. That's why I never really liked Laptops for gaming. I've never had one, always a desktop. But whatever people like. Just sucks you'd have so much trouble if something happens to it.

[Nekochan]

"good" gaming laptops start around 2k, which can be 2.5x as much as a passable gaming rig.

[Karolina]

i play on my laptop and i only spent 1k on it. granted yea most of the time im at lower settings, but i can still play on it better than my desktop. on the desktop im like omg omg omg laaggg ooh shit a cliff. /splat

[Kjoxxer]

thanks Karo, I needed that, having a bad day here, I think my beer mini fridge died too now... electronics hate me

[Karolina]

awwww....*hands kj a cold beer* there ya go.

[Aoirlough]

KJ you know what fixes the beer problem? Hard liquor...go grab a bottle of Svedka and some OJ.

[Kjoxxer]

Im more of a scotch rocks kind of guy but I hear ya.