Computer Help

[Mhic Easmuint]

Big problem with my laptop, i turned it on and now the keyboard and the tocuhpad are not working at all, just no response whatsoever.  When i plug in an external mouse it works ok scrolling around but again the keyboard still doesnt work, tried reading online but such a lot of technical jargon i dont really understand.

Anyone any ideas how I could have this fixed?  Its a HP Pavilion dv9500 laptop.  Any help would be highly appreciated.  Also, seems to be taking longer than usual to load up.  I have used the on screen keyboard to type in my password and get to the dektop screen

Could try reinstalling the drivers for each.
Right click on My Computer and select properties. Depending on version of Windows you might have a hardware tab with Device Manager or Device Manager will be listed.
Go into Device Manager and you will probably see Mice & Other Pointing Devices, if you click the + beside that, then right clikc on the Touchpad driver and select uninstall.
Do the same with the Keyboard. Reboot the laptop and they should reinstall themselves.
(If in the Device Manager and any items have a yellow icon with exclamation mark there is a problem with the driver)

Cheers Buddy, i will try this when i get home.  There is definately an exclaimation mark on the touchpad icon and keyboard icon when you go into device manager.  I remember seeing that.  Also read online that if you take out the battery pack for a few minutes and put it back in and turn the computer on should fix the problem but that didnt work for me.

If exclamation mark at them items then definately a problem with the driver. 
Uninstalling both then rebooting should sort it.  They should reinstall automatically.

Otherwise the drivers can be downloaded from the manufacturers website.

[Gaaman]

I have an old laptop, 6 years old, that no longer boots. The problem was that it was left for about a month without being switched on, then whenever I did it got as far as the setup screen and then it goes to a black screen with a blink crusor in the top left hand corner. If you leave it nothing happens. I have read online about how to boot it, and have done all these solutions including booting from CD which never worked.
Is this a hardware problems or can anyone think of anything different?

[Main Street]

The first thing I would suspect is the CMOS battery - similar to a Watch battery. It stores all the BIOS info that your laptop needs in order to boot up. Sounds to me that the laptop has lost its BIOS settings.

Can you open up the BIOS settings on power up?
Check the boot sequence in BIOS.
the first - CD drive,
the second-  Hard drive
and refer to the manual for other settings.
Maybe in this way you can manually set the BIOS and continue with booting up into the OS and the laptop will work okay until you shutdown.

[DirtyDozen12]

Whats BIOS and how do you find that on a computer?  Ive heard about it but have no idea what it is or what it does?

[Main Street]

After doing a search,  for eg   'Dell laptop BIOS'  the first site that comes up is
http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

Do other searches -  eg 'BIOS what does it do'   

You do not need to know 99% of the web info relating to BIOS.

It is good to know how to access the BIOS settings, good to know what settings are there - already set in the menu, good to know that these settings are important and important to know you don't go into the BIOS menus and mess around. It is good to be familiar with the BIOS menus, flick through them, just noting what is there with reference to your manual and you don't make any changes until you are familiar, fully confident and have determined that you really need to changes some setting.

The first question for Gaaman to find out in regards to his old laptop is, does it store the BIOS settings on a motherboard chip or on a battery?

[tyssam5]

Done that earlier today but malware saying nothing there and computer is clean which is a load of s.hit

If Malware not finding it try Spyware Doctor, it is good for those fake security viruses. Cost $30

Worst piece of advice I have seen on here yet.  There are many pieces of software which cost nothing that will do the job, just try doing a search on here or Google!

Why don't you tell the guy the name of the 'many piece of software' then? He's already stated the googling it did not help him. Sorry for my worst advice ever, but all I can tell you is it is worked for me on a similar problem last year and $30 seemed like good value for it.

[Gaaman]

Done that earlier today but malware saying nothing there and computer is clean which is a load of s.hit

If Malware not finding it try Spyware Doctor, it is good for those fake security viruses. Cost $30

Worst piece of advice I have seen on here yet.  There are many pieces of software which cost nothing that will do the job, just try doing a search on here or Google!

Why don't you tell the guy the name of the 'many piece of software' then? He's already stated the googling it did not help him. Sorry for my worst advice ever, but all I can tell you is it is worked for me on a similar problem last year and $30 seemed like good value for it.

Meow.

[Main Street]

I suppose I can take that 'meow' as a heartfelt thanks for my considered efforts to offer advice to you.

[ardmhachaabu]

Done that earlier today but malware saying nothing there and computer is clean which is a load of s.hit

If Malware not finding it try Spyware Doctor, it is good for those fake security viruses. Cost $30

Worst piece of advice I have seen on here yet.  There are many pieces of software which cost nothing that will do the job, just try doing a search on here or Google!

Why don't you tell the guy the name of the 'many piece of software' then? He's already stated the googling it did not help him. Sorry for my worst advice ever, but all I can tell you is it is worked for me on a similar problem last year and $30 seemed like good value for it.

You were stupid enough to pay for software when free stuff would have done the job and you want others to do the same?  The information is already on this forum, if gerry is too lazy to look, it's not my concern.

Thanks

[gerry]

thats me told

[ardmhachaabu]

Sorry gerry, I am sick typing the same thing over and over again. 

[Main Street]

If we had more requests for help from somebody like this, at their wits end, I'm sure we would lend a supporting sympathetic hand.

[Orior]

This makes me laugh everytime.

A frustrated DELL laptop user is trying to get help with switching his Mums laptop off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNPzgPhHeWQ&feature=related

[Minder]

It's possible that the laptop is turning itself off to protect itself.
Overheating issue?
Is the fan working?  is the fan working overtime?
Spybot is intensive enough on the cpu and if there are other issues   like fan not working or years of dirt clogging  up the laptop vents/fan, the laptop can overheat and shut down.
Just my 2c worth

The problem with my laptop turning itself off is happening more often now. The fan does sound as if it is under pressure. If it is fucked is it just a matter of replacing the fan? Cheers

[Main Street]

If the laptop works as it should after replacing the fan, then we can say it was just a matter of replacing the fan

I have some utility software which monitors the cpu temp. I don't for the life of me know how a piece of software can detect the cpu temperature but somehow it seems accurate enough. The varying temp figures displayed do seem to reflect the usage of the computer at that time eg. the cpu temp when the fan kicks in and out. Something like that might be useful as part of the diagnosis.
Should you decide to install a new fan yourself, do some research beforehand re the work involved and the screwdrivers/bits needed for your laptop. You can be sure that somebody has had to do this before and probably there are few graphic web pages explaining the process simply.