help - laptop screen probem is driving me dotty!

Bogtrotter

I would guess its a GPU issue caused by overheating.

Some HP laptops with integrated ATI or NVidia graphics overheat to the extent that the surface mount solder connections between the GPU and the motherboard fail producing artifacts on screen and eventually failure to boot.

Assuming the GPU isn't damaged it is possible to resolder the GPU but it requires specialist equipment that most repair shops will not have. They will send it off to a specialist and charge you the specialists fee+a bit for their trouble.

Last time I priced one of these repairs direct with a specialist they wanted £120 plus the cost of return postage of the laptop.

To see whats involved google "reballing laptop GPU"

Craig_W_2

I did replace and upgrade the RAM about 18 months ago so may be they've failed or I've not put them in properly or disturbed something?

For info, the graphics card is an ATI Radeon x600.

Thanks again.

vikingaero

HP's of this era were often fitted with the crappy nVidia/ATi graphics card which overheated giving rise to the artifacts you see on your screen.

sho_me_da_money

Handbagman,

I like how you took one line of the whole post to make me look like a sherbet but if you read further, I suggested one of 2 things went wrong - The LCD or the onboard Video Controller (which you diagnosed).

Now just to go slightly off-topic, these are the certs I got in the last three years:

MCP, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP (Windows 7 Enterprise Administrator) , MCSA, CCNA, NET+2010, Security+2008.

Now what was you saying about hardware faults not being my thing?

Am I d*ck measuring with my comment above? YES I AM

Is my d*ck bigger than yours? YES IT IS.

To the op, its time for a new system board and it's a costly repair. Not worth doing on a 5 year old system, in my professional opinion.

Craig_W_2

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

Handbagman,
To the op, its time for a new system board and it's a costly repair. Not worth doing on a 5 year old system, in my professional opinion.

I'm not against the idea of replacement but I want to fully explore the possibility of repairing it first, if only for environmental reasons and because I hate throwing anything away that isn't totally dead. Dots aside, it is a perfectly good machine that does everything I need well, afterall.

So, before I consider replacement can I just clarify, is the consensus view that I need to remove and reinstall the RAM and then, if that doesn't work, replace the graphics card. Is there anything else?

closed

Doubt it has anything to do with ram

Hammyman

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

Now just to go slightly off-topic, these are the certs I got in the last three years:

MCP, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP (Windows 7 Enterprise Administrator) , MCSA, CCNA, NET+2010, Security+2008.

Now what was you saying about hardware faults not being my thing?

ROFLMAO. Pretty much every one of those, if not all, is software related or is basically "I know how to crimp a RJ45 plug onto CAT6 and log into a router to configure it". You have certificates and at least one of those is a tick box exam that an 8 year old kid passed. I have TWENTY THREE YEARS EXPERIENCE with PCs and just coming up to thirty years with computers fullstop and yes, that includes repairing them. Oh and unlike you I actually have a proper technical hardware related qualification - a BTEC HND IN ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING also with years of experience fault finding to component level which is slightly more relevant to electronics than a bit of paper from Microsoft.

I have a MCP - but only because I couldn't be bothered to retake other modules of my MCSE so it was retired. The MCP is pretty much completely worthless, as is the MCSE. In fact most of those above will not get you a job without years of experience and pretty much they all universally do not give any credence to your claim of being able to "do hardware" as they're pretty much universally software and network related.

I wouldn't employ you because you have no electronics qualifications nor hardware ones. I'd employ you if I still did network installs but I don't.

Hammyman

Craig_W wrote: »

So, before I consider replacement can I just clarify, is the consensus view that I need to remove and reinstall the RAM and then, if that doesn't work, replace the graphics card. Is there anything else?

Yes, remove and reseat the RAM - that is pretty much the only thing you can do fault finding wise without sending it off.. You can't change the graphics card as its an integral part of the mainboard. There is a trick that can be used to confirm it is the GPU (I'll give sho_me_da_money the chance to show they have a clue by explaining what that trick is) but unfortunately it requires access to the chip and removal of its heatsink which means you're at the point where you might as well just change the board anyway from a labour point of view.

Hammyman

Craig_W wrote: »

So, before I consider replacement can I just clarify, is the consensus view that I need to remove and reinstall the RAM and then, if that doesn't work, replace the graphics card. Is there anything else?

Yes, remove and reseat the RAM - that is pretty much the only thing you can do fault finding wise without sending it off.. You can't change the graphics card as its an integral part of the mainboard. There is a trick that can be used to confirm it is the GPU but unfortunately it requires access to the chip and removal of its heatsink which means you're at the point where you might as well just change the board anyway from a labour point of view.

However at 5 years old I think I'd retire it. Take out and wipe the HDD and then put it on Ebay. Someone like my friend who has an oven and the gear to reflow boards will probably buy it.

sho_me_da_money

Handbagman,

You have had 23 years of experience with a degree that is just as old. The material you covered in your time isn't worth the crumb of crap of my shoe today.

Most of those certs won't get me a job? Go and flush the !!!!!! outta your head before speaking to a Google Security Engineer.

In fact, I just did a simple search - "Jobs MCITP" and there are plenty of jobs that show up. And that's just 1 of the many accreditations I have.

I am not going to waste a breath on a PC repairer. The most technical thing you have to do is upgrade a RAM or replace a HDD.

Peace :money: