HP trying to talk me through a computer repair

[tugon (imported)]

Thanks River, I removed the side panel and saw the card you mentioned. I noticed how the ribbon cable attached to the card and the slot the card fits in on the mother board. Then losing my nerve I took to my bed and hugged my dog. I appreciate your input but my output is lacking in confidence. To the repair shop I go.

Tugon this might be very simple.

Remove the side panel, then look to the card that your monitor connects to.

Remove the cable to your pc that is connected to that card.

on the case there will be a screw that holds the card in, remove it.

carefully remove the card, then blow all the dust from around your pc in that area.

Take an eraser from the pencil on your desk and erase it along the golden strip that goes in the slot for that card thats in your hand.

Put the card back in you pc, and make sure it seats right,

Put the screw back in the top that holds the card in place.

plug in you cable that goes to the monitor

power up your pc and see if that works.

if not we will try something else.

let me know.

River

[Dave (imported)]

Tugon this might be very simple.

Remove the side panel, then look to the card that your monitor connects to.

...

I've never heard of this. What is it supposed to do?

BTW - I don't even attempt to open up my computer let alone repair it.

[fhunter]

I've never heard of this. What is it supposed to do?

BTW - I don't even attempt to open up my computer let alone repair it.

Electronics is a science about bad contacts . Sometimes dust build up causes bad contacts, this procedure is supposed to clean them .

As for the baking the video card, IMO it is a bit extreme, it should not be done without proper indications for it.

[tugon (imported)]

Thinking about how little fun I had trouble shooting it with the HP guy and how much I paid for it I have decided to spend a little money for a professional to fix it. I would hate to ruin my 1 terabyte, quad core and Windows 7 operating computer.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Baking the cards, I have done this several times, one video card I had went south, baked it and its still running in my second pc, it was over a year ago.

What happens is the solder contacts become loose, so when you bake them it slightly melts those contacts and resets it.

The eraser cleans the contacts that fit into the slot, first time I watched this was about 35 years ago with a Univac tech on the monitor of our 90/30 96K mid range main frame. yes the disk drives had 7 platters and we lifted them in and out of the disk drive as needed, plus 4 tape drives, like you see in the old movies.

River

[Dave (imported)]

I know the trick of the eraser on the contacts but I've never had an oven with precise enough temperature control to bake a circuit board. I roast chicken in my ovens and generally have to clean all the spattered chicken fat from the walls which might just form a vaporous evil that floats off the walls of the oven and eats away the circuit board. I knew a professor of metallurgy once who was going to demonstrate cold and hot rolled magnesium and placed a nice chunk of magnesium in an uncalibrated furnace while he turned his back and cold rolled its counterpart. In the professor's words were -- "A miracle occurred behind me" which was the magnesium igniting in one brilliant flash...

I have this strange vision of my circuit board going "POOF!" in flames.

Call me chicken.

That's my luck with machines and computers.

Those things hate me.

[tugon (imported)]

I stopped into Best Buy where I purchased the computer. Internal hard drive $89, Installation $45, Operating system reload $135 or I can spend $89 for IHD and $199 for them to fix it and hold my hand for a year. I have yet to check with other local computer repair shops.

He felt it probably was the hard drive that crashed when I told him what the HP tech had me do to trouble shoot it. Since this just happened the idea of a year of tech support is tempting. It is not much more than the price of install and reload priced separately. $199 vs $180.

[tugon (imported)]

Oh and that $300 for a new computer would come preloaded with Windows 8.

[kristoff]

I stopped into Best Buy where I purchased the computer. Internal hard drive $89, Installation $45, Operating system reload $135 or I can spend $89 for IHD and $199 for them to fix it and hold my hand for a year. I have yet to check with other local computer repair shops.

He felt it probably was the hard drive that crashed when I told him what the HP tech had me do to trouble shoot it. Since this just happened the idea of a year of tech support is tempting. It is not much more than the price of install and reload priced separately. $199 vs $180.

You can do better, and likely for a lot less money from an independent shop. Best Buy AND their warranties are a rip off.

[tugon (imported)]

You can do better, and likely for a lot less money from an independent shop. Best Buy AND their warranties are a rip off.

I do have calls in to two local shops. I had a rare Sunday off so on my way to the grocery store I dropped into Best Buy. I figured whatever price they gave me it would be the most. Now I know it will not be more than $300.