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General Category => Tech Clinic => Topic started by: mindlogiczero on March 08, 2009, 11:15:46 PM

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: mindlogiczero on March 08, 2009, 11:15:46 PM

im posting this for a friend.

I boot up my computer (HP Pavillion DV9000) and it will usually get to the desktop, that or force restart. If it does boot, the screen is zoomed in, and the colors are messed up. It looks like the screen is cracked, but the screen is fine at certain times, like using the recovery disc, which doesn't help, so I'm pretty sure it's not a system file. I read that the graphics cards on my model blew out after 10-18 months of use, and this happened about 10 or 11 months into the computer's life. The warranty is expired, too. So, I'm thinking it' may graphics card issue, which would no doubt be expensive to resolve. I would like to know if anyone has any idea what this could be, or a possible solution.

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 08, 2009, 11:46:32 PM

What happens when he boots to Safe mode?
Can he hook up an External monitor, does the monitor look OK?

Is the screen cracked?
Anything that resembles the link
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/documen...20408&lang= (http://\"http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01608578&lc=en&dlc=&cc=us&product=1842189&rule=20408&lang=\")

Which exact Model laptop is it?
http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?h_paget...ng=en&cc=us (http://\"http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?h_pagetype=s-001&h_lang=en&h_cc=us&h_product=1842186&h_client=S-A-R163-1&h_page=hpcom&lang=en&cc=us\")

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: mindlogiczero on March 09, 2009, 12:55:10 AM

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product...55934&lang= (http://\"http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?lc=en&dlc=&cc=us&product=3255934&lang=\")
is the model


(http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/728/getattachmentaspxrqf.jpg)


i will post other requested info next time i talk to him.

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 09, 2009, 01:18:29 AM

Quote

but the screen is fine at certain times, like using the recovery disc, which doesn't help

So the screen is corrupt only when booted to Windows?
What Operating system is your friend using?
And is it the same OS that came preinstalled on this laptop?

Some get a Vista laptop and revert back to XP, so I'm just checking

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 09, 2009, 07:25:15 AM

[quote name=\'guestolo\' post=\'459208\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 01:18 AM\']So the screen is corrupt only when booted to Windows?
What Operating system is your friend using?
And is it the same OS that came preinstalled on this laptop?

Some get a Vista laptop and revert back to XP, so I'm just checking[/quote]


This is the friend with the problem, I felt bad making him post all of my problems. Haha.

Yes, the screen looks like that in Windows, but not when I'm using the recovery discs.
I was using Vista, I've never tried to revert to XP.
Same OS that came preinstalled.

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 09, 2009, 11:21:18 AM

What happens when you boot to safe mode?

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 09, 2009, 11:49:32 AM

Unfortunately, nothing changes. Still the same screen at the desktop. And if it doesn't boot, it will just go to a grayish screen for a few seconds and then restarts by itself.

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 09, 2009, 12:20:37 PM

From the pic you posted, it looks like the graphics were just corrupt
Could be videocard related

You could try reinstalling your graphics drivers and see if it helps
Do you know which graphics card is built onto the motherboard of the laptop?
It's either the Intel 965 or Nvidia Geoforce

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 09, 2009, 04:51:59 PM

NVIDIA GeForce on the laptop.
When I boot into safe mode, while it's loading the files the computer screen is fine, but after that it will restart

(http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/6171/photo53z.jpg)

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 09, 2009, 05:21:16 PM

When did this all start happening?
Have you tried going back to a System Restore point before this all started?

Edit
Additionally, have you tried a Startup Repair?
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/91467-startup-repair.html (http://\"http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/91467-startup-repair.html\")

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: mindlogiczero on March 09, 2009, 05:26:22 PM

i believe he told me it started during a video game. and has tried start up repair. cant get the computer to stay on long enough for the drivers reinstall i believe.

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 09, 2009, 05:26:35 PM

It happened about 3 months ago, maybe two weeks after the warranty expired. I chatted with HP 5 times, getting different advice, I did try restoring, but it did nothing. Right now I'm going to try and download the graphics drivers.

Edit:
Yeah, I was playing a game, the screen became pixelated and multicolored, and the computer crashed. And that got me to where I am now.

Edit edit:

Tried the startup repair several times, hasn't helped. I'll try again after I download the drivers

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 09, 2009, 05:35:46 PM

Ya, try the Graphics drivers from the link mindlogiczero supplied
Ensure to disable your Anti-Virus software when you install them
Also, might be a good idea to right click on the installer and "Run as Administrator"

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 09, 2009, 07:55:49 PM

I've been trying to get it to boot so I can download the drivers, but it's no longer booting. I start it, and even with the recovery discs, it will just tell me that I need to restart my computer to restart the installation, but nothing happens if I restart, or let it restart for me. It gets stuck in a cycle of starting and restarting. I don't know why it's not booting at all now. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 09, 2009, 10:22:31 PM

Do you have a bootable Linux CD?
See if you can boot with it, and enter a GUI

Do you know what I mean?

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 10, 2009, 07:03:33 AM

I think I know what you mean, but I have no other bootable discs other than maybe another recovery disc from another computer.
Could I download some software and burn it to a cd?
Oh, and when I try to boot from a CD now, it gives me an error that says Restore7.exe has an application error, the memory cannot be read.
When I try to boot from the hard drive, it just says "Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the installation".
And it will just keep restarting itself

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 10, 2009, 08:34:28 AM

Have you tried the steps in the following link
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/documen...1#c00814731_f11 (http://\"http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c00814731#c00814731_f11\")

First try the following
Starting the recovery from power up

I think at this time your only alternative is at the screen System Restore
Select No, I would like to see other options

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 10, 2009, 11:44:51 AM

I have gone to system recovery, but never did show me other options. I will try that when I get home.
Thank you

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 11, 2009, 08:48:07 AM

Sorry for the double post, but it's not letting me edit. I finally got it to boot and installing the new drivers didn't help /sad.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':(\' />
I am pretty sure it's a broken graphics card now, from reading the reports of my mode breaking after 10-18 months of use. I also found this picture of someone with a similar issue to mine. My screen looks the same as this when I can get it to boot, but minus the account.

http://www.2tl.net/c/c1.jpg (http://\"http://www.2tl.net/c/c1.jpg\")

And I'm not sure yet, but I read somewhere that the graphics card is integrated into the motherboard, so I suppose that would call for a new motherboard. Could this be a DIY project or would it require an expert?
Thanks.

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 11, 2009, 10:41:07 AM

That pic is clearer, I would suspect you are right, and it is video card related
Laptops are trickier than Towers, if your not comfortable disassembling yourself, it might be wise to have an expert do it

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: mindlogiczero on March 11, 2009, 03:11:19 PM

hmm, told me all looked normal yesterday before he installed drivers, after he got finished restoring. just said keyboard wasnt working

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 11, 2009, 03:43:25 PM

Can he run a Hardware diagnostics?
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaq...cname=c00849402 (http://\"http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaqLiteDocument?lc=en&cc=uk&dlc=fr&docname=c00849402\")

Edit>>Here's the HP System check for notebook PCs, should probably use Internet Explorer when visiting the next site to run the scanner
http://h20239.www2.hp.com/techcenter/HP_Sy...hp_syscheck.htm (http://\"http://h20239.www2.hp.com/techcenter/HP_SystemCheck/hp_syscheck.htm\")

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 11, 2009, 05:12:08 PM

I tried finding the hardware diagnostics, but it's not there. I instead found computer management, where I tried disabling the graphics card. That didn't change anything. I don't know if that means anything, but I thought I should say it.

Also, my computer looks like Windows Classic, not Vista.

(http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5162/photo65j.jpg)


EDIT:

I can no longer open IE without it crashing, so I can't do that online test

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 11, 2009, 05:16:23 PM

I supplied 2 links in my last reply
What happened at the second one?

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: Stoned Logic on March 11, 2009, 05:36:58 PM

I couldn't get to it. It won't let me open up any browser for more than 3 seconds before throwing an error in my face and asking me to close it or check for a solution online :\

Title: hp laptop help
Post by: guestolo on March 12, 2009, 01:43:17 PM

let's recap, mindlogiczero said everything was normal yesterday after the restore
Where did you download the drivers from?
Did you get Windows Updates and install any graphics drivers from there?

Do you have a Drivers disk that may of came with your computer?