The Digital Surgery (computer questions/problems here)

[404cameljockey]

If that is the case, and you have to buy a new screen, it may be cheaper just to get a new monitor and use that - they are pretty cheap and much bigger than 14".

Take THAT to the beach!

Joking, your advice is good.

[Hahuahin]

If its only 2 years old, it may be under warranty. Go to the HP website, there should be somewhere you can enter the serial number to check warranty status.
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/i ... 1360222-16

Laptop screens can be expensive and often not worth replacing (unless the machine is high-end.)

what the reason could be as the laptop is permanently in one place

If that is the case, and you have to buy a new screen (I'd take it to Don who will give you an idea of cost for your specific machine), but it may be cheaper just to get a monitor and use that - they are pretty cheap and much bigger than 14".

Thanks, just checked but unfortunately warranty just out. I will take it to Mr. Don for price quotation. If not more than 5k its ok, if more the idea of just buying a bigger monitor is interesting.
hahuahin

[404cameljockey]

Is your failed external hard disk (HDD) still showing a flashing light when plugged in to your computer? It's not dead, but it's not quite alive. It's spinning and transferring a small amount of date to/from your Windows machine.

I hadn't followed my golden rule and keep a backup of a lot of data (over 400 GB) on an oldish HDD, so for once I had to try to recover my many files. The drive would appear in File Explorer after a long wait, even up to 30-40 seconds), and I could open individual folders for a short time, but any attempt to transfer files or run them from it failed quickly. After a short while the folders stop being navigable in File Explorer and the HDD needed to be disconnected and reconnected.

The software program Recuva saw the drive and kept solid connection with the HDD and showed all files still in place, so I knew I could keep them if I could get at them!

I open Command Prompt by typing those two words in the Windows pane (bottom left of your screen), I navigated to the drive (it was Drive 'E' - I had seen this from File Manager) by typing E: at the prompt in the black Command Prompt window and hitting return. I then saw E:> meaning that Command Prompt commands would now operate on that drive. Once there I typed CHKDSC /f and hit return. I tried CHKDSC /f /r first but the operation failed during its Stage 4 tests. Without the /r parameter it worked fine. Don't forget the space before the /f parameter.

CHKDSK checks the integrity of a file system, looks for bad indexes or disc sectors, file names causing problems, and a lot more. If it seems to stop working WAIT, for at least one hour, even overnight, as long as your HDD light is flashing, CHKDSC does a lot of processing without giving you any sign that it's still operating. The longest I had to wait at one point was around 5-10 minutes but no point in rushing to assume it's hung. When you see the E:> prompt again it's finished. Then disconnect and reconnect the HDD and cross fingers. You may need a good amount of space on the HDD to allow CHKDSK to make certain actions, it will prompt you if this is a problem. I had to delete a few non-essential files to create space, which File Manager allowed me to do, deleting is an almost instantaneous action which did not freeze the drive again.

It looks as though a file on my HDD had lost its index and that was preventing Windows File Manager from making operations on the drive. You can see from the text below (I can't attach a .txt. file to a message here) what running CHKDSC with the /f parameter did on my HDD. Now the drive is working again but I will definitely back it up, even though it 'should' be good to use again now. At the very least, I can save my data.

+++++
My Command Prompt returned text:

E:\>chkdsk /f
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Cannot lock current drive.

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Chkdsk may run if this volume is dismounted first.
ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.
Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? (Y/N) y
Volume dismounted. All opened handles to this volume are now invalid.
Volume label is FILES.

Stage 1: Examining basic file system structure ...
Deleted unreadable attribute list for file 1513.
36096 file records processed.
File verification completed.
Phase duration (File record verification): 12.14 minutes.
Deleting orphan file record segment 1523.
13 large file records processed.
Phase duration (Orphan file record recovery): 146.83 milliseconds.
0 bad file records processed.
Phase duration (Bad file record checking): 0.55 milliseconds.

Stage 2: Examining file name linkage ...
Fixing incorrect information in file record segment 1513.
7 reparse records processed.
Correcting error in index $I30 for file 1513.
39112 index entries processed.
Index verification completed.
Phase duration (Index verification): 49.69 seconds.
CHKDSK is scanning unindexed files for reconnect to their original directory.
1 unindexed files scanned.
0 unindexed files recovered to original directory.
Phase duration (Orphan reconnection): 8.00 milliseconds.
CHKDSK is recovering remaining unindexed files.
1 unindexed files recovered to lost and found.
Lost and found is located at \found.000

Phase duration (Orphan recovery to lost and found): 5.00 milliseconds.
7 reparse records processed.
Phase duration (Reparse point and Object ID verification): 3.01 milliseconds.

Stage 3: Examining security descriptors ...
Security descriptor verification completed.
Phase duration (Security descriptor verification): 10.75 milliseconds.
Inserting data attribute into file 1513.
1509 data files processed.
Phase duration (Data attribute verification): 2.14 milliseconds.
CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
Usn Journal verification completed.
Correcting errors in the master file table's (MFT) BITMAP attribute.
CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the volume bitmap.

Windows has made corrections to the file system.
No further action is required.

488383487 KB total disk space.
392852060 KB in 5240 files.
4172 KB in 1510 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
117091 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
95410164 KB available on disk.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
122095871 total allocation units on disk.
23852541 allocation units available on disk.
Total duration: 12.97 minutes (778747 ms).

E:\>
+++++

[404cameljockey]

It looks as though a file on my HDD had lost its index and that was preventing Windows File Manager from making operations on the drive. You can see from the text below (I can't attach a .txt. file to a message here) what running CHKDSC with the /f parameter did on my HDD. Now the drive is working again but I will definitely back it up, even though it 'should' be good to use again now. At the very least, I can save my data.

I recovered about 60% of my data and the drive failed again, and it has been a long process of insertion and reinsertion of the HDD to get a drive letter assigned by Windows this time. I'm running CHKDSK /f /r at the moment and hope to repair it enough to get the rest of the data off over a period of a few hours. It does transfer now, but at a very very slow speed.

It looks like the drive is destined to meet a hammer after I get my data, but I won't tell it in advance.

[404cameljockey]

Update.
Had a chat with my neighbor this morning regarding the laptop screen problem and he happened to have an HDMI cable lying around. And the Laptop screen immediately came up on the TV without vertical stripes, so it is probably the screen from what I understand that is the problem. Does anyone know how much a replacement can cost. It's a 14-inch Hp laptop! I don't even understand what the reason could be as the laptop is permanently in one place apart from two trips to Europe in cabin, with a protective Pc bag!
hahuahin

From what you say it could well be a problem with the ribbon cable which attaches the motherboard to your screen, in which case you only need to replace the cable, not the screen. Get it diagnosed if the cost of checking isn't prohibitive (Mr. Don should be OK for that).

https://www.instructables.com/Replacing ... een-Cable/

[hhinner]

In my experience neither Don nor Kan will charge for diagnosis.

[Dannie Boy]

I’d 2nd Buksi’s suggestion - Mr Don to see if it’s fixable at a reasonable cost, if not upgrade with a monitor because a 2 year old HP laptop should still have 3+ years left.

[pharvey]

After recent questions, this may be a bizarre one! As a rule, HDMI Ports on Laptops are "Output Connections" i.e. using another screen when the laptop screen is knackered, or simply steaming sports etc. to a larger screen via the laptop.

How about using the laptop HDMI as an "Input Connection" for the likes of an "Amazon Firestick" or similar Android (or other) device? It's basically using the laptop as a screen which is the complete reverse of what we would all normally look for, BUT should a big screen connection not be available (travelling) and certain sports/programmes available only on the "Firestick" (not Web), what to do?

Ta in advance...

I'm always grubbing around the back of hotel TVs, even have to ask their staff to unbolt it from the wall bracket sometimes.

If your intended video display has USB ports (for me it's always a hotel TV) I'm imagining that you only need an HDMI to USB B adapter (or whatever version of USB the display has, B is the big oblong one) to connect it to one of the USB ports on the display unit, plus I guess a wall electricity output for your Firestick? I've can't check this as I've never needed to buy that little bit of kit, my Android set top box has USB and HDMI outputs.

An adapter is inexpensive:
https://shopee.co.th/usb-3-.-1-type-c-t ... 9fb04ce8ac

TV's, whether hotels, guesthouses, etc., etc. are not the problem - I've also had many years experiencing the issues with connecting computers and various external drives to them.
My issue is connecting something like a "Firestick" to a Laptop when a TV is not available. As mentioned, the HDMI connection on a Laptop/PC is for OUTPUT, not INPUT as it is on TV's or monitors.

I appreciate the suggestion of the HDMI/USB adaptor which I have had some experience of, but can't see this working with anything like a Firestick - I will look further into it though!

[404cameljockey]

I appreciate the suggestion of the HDMI/USB adaptor which I have had some experience of, but can't see this working with anything like a Firestick - I will look further into it though!

I understand what you are looking for a bit better now. I'm no expert but I don't think Firestick works on a Windows PC anyway? I've read that a Firestick can operate through a USB adaptor, but not on a Windows PC I think. The stick doesn't work in my laptop's HDMI port.

A case of the blind leading the blind ....

[Hahuahin]

Update.

Quoted Thb 2600, - for new screen included work which seems reasonable considering my own thoughts that it would cost 5k++
so ordered already and with luck maybe ready in a couple of days.
hahuahin

[404cameljockey]

Update.

Quoted Thb 2600, - for new screen included work which seems reasonable considering my own thoughts that it would cost 5k++
so ordered already and with luck maybe ready in a couple of days.
hahuahin

Not bad at all if they give you a new screen. I still think it could well be the ribbon cable, hence the cheap price although it should be cheaper if that's the only trouble....
They can fail due to continual closing/reopening of the lappy.

[pharvey]

I understand what you are looking for a bit better now. I'm no expert but I don't think Firestick works on a Windows PC anyway? I've read that a Firestick can operate through a USB adaptor, but not on a Windows PC I think. The stick doesn't work in my laptop's HDMI port.

A case of the blind leading the blind ....

Thanks - after a bit more research, I seemed to have gained a little more "insight" into the whole saga!!

Apparently it CAN be done on a Windows (or Apple OS) PC/Laptop. It's not used via the HDMI Port, but through an Adaptor (of sorts) to a USB Port. Rather than the adaptors that I and yourself were considering, it's actually an "HDMI Capture Card" - HDMI to USB connection and the use of a free software such as "OBS - Open Broadcaster Software", which seems to be useful for a multitude of tasks.

FYI - The Capture Card itself is available for around £13 in the UK and appears to be a useful piece of kit for many Video Capture/Editing/Streaming projects.

Thanks for the comments - appreciated

[Big Boy]

My laptop thinks I am in Washington, US whenever I use an online application such Google Maps, Grab Food, Food Panda, etc. How do I tell it I am located in Hua Hin please?

[pharvey]

My laptop thinks I am in Washington, US whenever I use an online application such Google Maps, Grab Food, Food Panda, etc. How do I tell it I am located in Hua Hin please?

If not purposely using a VPN, have you got a VPN of sorts running in the background (browser)?

[Big Boy]

It happens if the VPN is running or not. I don't think I've ever connected through a Washington, US server anyway.