Augh! Zebra!

[lolaraincoat]

Today is one of a long series of jampacked and unfun days, hence the long silence. Though I will, I swear, do an AHA report one of these days. (And mincot, are you okay?)

But I have a problem -- well, I have a series of problems, but there is one which I hope you, dear Livejournal Genie, can solve. And that problem is: my laptop, what the hell?! Or to be more precise about it, I came back home at 11:30 today to find that my laptop (a year-old Lenova running Windows) had shut itself down, but would not power back up. Eventually I realized that it was not off but the screen had gone mostly, but not quite, dark -- if I hold it at a certain angle and squint, I can make out the WELCOME screen. But nothing I've tried so far, including rebooting, has restored it to where it was at 9:30 today. The screen is still dark, and also it seems to have reset itself (though it's hard to tell, since it's dark) to defaults as of a year ago, e.g. it offered me the Windows "tour."

I guess I should just haul the fucking thing in to the place where I bought it, but I won't have a minute available to do that until Saturday afternoon and I really need it NOW. No worries about data loss, because everything is backed up three ways from Sunday, but I need my damn computer.

Help me, Livejournal Genie! You're my only hope!

Comments

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Can you cable it up to another computer, so yours is the CPU but the monitor for the other computer becomes the display? Then try Control Panel--I bet it somehow found a way to re-set Display to "colonoscopy of black cat down coal mine during total eclipse," so if you can it to "Oh, gee, you mean you wanted to SEE stuff?" Actually, if you have an old monitor around, you could probably do the same thing.

Or, well, if one of the ways you backed up is to flash, this could be God's way of telling you to go someplace where there are computers for rent and gingerbread lattes.

[winterthunder.livejournal.com]

I'd second playing with the screen brightness. Followed by trying to start up in safe mode. I can't tell you what to do once you've started in safe mode though:P Haul it into the place you bought it and make them deal with it?

[jackoweskla.livejournal.com]

I'd also mess with the screen brightness (if you haven't played with that before, on most Thinkpad/Lenovos it's Fn-Home to increase brightness).

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Nope, that didn't work at all. I think I have a bad power problem ... no, wait, it's the COMPUTER that has the problem. There's a reassuring thought.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, safe mode! Good suggestion! but I tried it and no joy. It's dead, Jim.

Fuck.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Nope, Fn-Home had no effect at all. Some reading of manuals has led me to believe that the fucking thing has a battery-overheating problem, plus seems to have had a fatal crash which may or may not be related. So I will gnash my teeth for a couple of days and take it into the shop on Saturday.

But thank you. It was useful to have something I could try, anyway.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

I think I have a bad power problem...no, wait, it's the COMPUTER that has the problem. There's a reassuring thought.

I thought you were going to say, "I'm Canadian...there's a reassuring thought."

[hederahelix.livejournal.com]

Can you take it to tech support at work?

My last Dell laptop lost both its motherboard (one year) and something similar to your problem(except mine worked when hooked up to an external monitor, except wonkily so because the old monitor was so old that the resolutions weren't exactly compatible) another year--both times at the worst possible time in terms of workload, and the tech support people on campus both times were able to give me some tips about what might be behind it and get me up and limping enough to make my deadlines.

In the case of the monitor going dark, it was either the monitor and/or the video card since the monitor worked highly intermittently. At that point, the network connection was also shot, so I gave up and got a new frakking machine.

At any rate, I found on campus tech support to be truly helpful, and they may have hours that make it possible for you to drop it off prior to one obligation and pick it up between a few others?

It may not help, but I thought it couldn't hurt to try.

In the meantime, I'll think good computer healing vibes in your direction.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

if you hear a faint sound coming from the far north-east .... that's me, laughing bitterly.

Tech support at Spork U. is -- they're a little overwhelmed, is the best way I can say it. We've grown very fast over the past five years or so while hiring no support staff to keep up. Thus I've been here for five years and still have no access, none at all, to a printer on campus (and that's why I went out and bought my own damn computer last year rather than relying on the campus purchasing program.) Tech Support actually sent out a memo at the beginning of the semester pleading with us to be patient while they worked through their six-month backlog in service calls.

Although I feel better now that I've vented, so, um ... thanks for listening. And for the good vibes.

[hederahelix.livejournal.com]

Dude.

I solemnly promise never to complain abut tech support at my job, EVER. You win at the suckiest tech support.

I mean, okay, the college's tech support (the people responsible for the machine in my office) are pretty useless, but when my laptop's had an emergency the university's help desk and the college's support staff have totally saved my hide more than once.

I--no printer access? A six month backlog? ::makes random noiseless noise of aboslute horror and shock::

I have no words.

Well, on the upside, at least I made you laugh. If not in the good way.

Some to think of it, we have all sorts of our own problems--like heating and cooling or lack thereof. (Last week, my office was so hot, that I felt chilled walking out side into 78 degree weather. One theory was that since it had been cold, for here, days before, but the campus is mostly closed, the heat from the central plant being sent to the few buildings that were open on campus--well, those buildings got like a quadruple dose.) But if given the choice, I would totally take heat/AC issues not being resolved over computer issues not being resolved.

Just, wow.

[jackoweskla.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. If your system was one of the many hit with the battery recall, you may be able to receive some sort of compensation. Or at least a new battery.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, we have the HVAC issues too. A couple of my friends on campus couldn't work at all for a week last month because the heat to their building went out entirely. Admittedly, it was a week of record high temps, but that only meant c. 45 degrees F in the afternoons rather than 25 F. (which was lucky because at least the plumbing didn't freeze, but still too cold to sit in an office.) Spork is a very, very special place.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

holy cow! thank you for the link! but no, apparently my battery was not affected by the recall. Dang, there goes that explanation.

[fishwhistle.livejournal.com]

Wasn't there also a time when the heat came on in summer, and none of the maintenance people had any way to shut if off? Or am I mixing that up with something else?

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Why yes, that happened too. Different building though. Oh Spork, how very Sporky you are, you Sporkish university, you.