Dealing with a Black Screen on My Laptop - Get Tips and Tricks Now!

[cookinthehouse]

ok, i need to vent.... i was working on pc last night on my laptop.... went to bed and this morning when i went to check my mail.... the computer was a black screen.... i powered it off and powered it back on... NOTHING.... i still cannot get it on. I have to close 2 shows tonight, not to mention pull my info off pampered partner for taxes... and I called DELL and they are no help... what he had me do made it worse, now i cannot even get the computer to power on.

 

[RachelNguyen]

Eeeek!

That is awful.

The only thing I can suggest is to see if there is a consultant in your area. Or, if you backed up your pampered partner, you could try loading it on a friend's computer, restoring the back up and submitting it that way. Very LONG and involved, but might help.

What a huge bummer.

 

[rwesterpchef]

Did You Back Up?If you have your PChef file backed up, go to consultants corner & download the program onto whatever machine you sent this email from (or from your best friend, neighbor, anyone kind enough to let you borrow/install/then remove the program). Throw your backup disk in and take care of biz.

You can also use another consultants and enter your id, etc without affecting their info. Call Pampered Partner for assistance. I did this once for a new recruit who did not yet have a pc.

This is always my fear. Sorry to hear that it happened to ya.

Also, are you sure it's not just in hibernate or sleep mode and your settings require something other than just the power button pressed? I don't recall what I had to do to my mom's one time, but sounds like a similar problem.

 

[PCWOOL]

This same problem has been happening with my new lap top...(I'm taking it back to Costco for a new one at my first opportunity). Try holding down the power button without letting up until it starts to reboot. After two days of trying to get mine back up, we found this trick (out of pure frustration!) works everytime. On mine, the power button turns green when it turns on, so I watch under my finger for the green color....then let it go. I sure hope it works for you too.

 

[acherry]

Okay this may sound stupid..but I've done it before...make sure you have your laptop plugged in...it could be the battery that died and you need to use the outlet instead...You might have already tried this...but it was the last thing I thought of when it happened to me...LOL
Good luck!
Cheers,
Angela

 

[gojuliego]

That is horrible!Hope all works out for you!

 

[ange13]

Mine did this once too, I couldn't do anything to it. so I turned it over and took out the battery pack, put it back in and everything since then has been great. But now I always backup!!

ange

 

[krzymomof4]

One way I have avoided this so far knock on wood is that I back up everything to a memory stick after a show, that way if anything happens I can put it on my desktop and still get my info.

 

[Happy Mom]

Most likely, it you got a virus that corrupted part of your hard drive. If you had an electrical storm, the power surges could also fry some of the components in your machine.

First, if you backed up your PC files, borrow a machine and download what you need to close your two shows. Make paper copies of everything needed to transmit your shows to the HO, the guest summaries, etc. Then put all of this new information on a separate disk. Download onto another disk all of the information that you need to complete your 2005 taxes.

Second, look for a good repair store. If you have a PC Warehouse, they give quick,competent results. If not, ask for recommendations for computer consultants (friends, large chains like Best Buy) who can fix your machine in a timely manner. Some large chain stores have "Geek Squads" who will come to your house to fix the problem. The cost is not cheap! If the machine is old, it might be wiser to buy a new one. If the machine is new and needs to be returned to the store or Dell, you will be without the machine for a while.

When you get the problem fixed, buy a good surge protector with a written guarantee. If you have DSL, when there is a severe electrical storm, shut down the computer, unplug the machine, and disconnect the telephone used for the modem. I know this sounds like overkill, but it has happened to us. I was upstairs, unplugging our system when I heard a large pop during a storm. I had unplugged everything but the phone line. Well, we still had to replace a few components in our computer, but it mitigated major damage.

Buy and install reputable software that automatically checks for viruses daily.
Do not open forwarded email unless you know the sender! Install an anti- spam program that filters unwanted email since many viruses come in spam emails. Go into the control settings on your computer and change the cookie setting to a more restrictive one according to your needs. Back up your data onto a disk daily.

Good luck to you. I know this all seems overwhelming, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[jonna]

One way I have avoided this so far knock on wood is that I back up everything to a memory stick after a show, that way if anything happens I can put it on my desktop and still get my info.

That's a great idea, I've bene debating if I wanted to burn a back up CD everytime or what, I have 2 thumbdrives that I think I'll backup to now, thanks!

 

[AFwife]

Gosh that's horrid!

Sorry that happened to you hope you can get it fixed.

I back mine up on two disk everytime I put any new info into PP.

I accidentally deleted PP off my main computer one time and took one of my disk, downloaded PP onto my laptop, which I use now for my shows by the way, and then Restored from back up. It was all there and I was able to submit my show.

I could have just downloaded PP onto my main computer again of course but for some reason it wasn't letting me, that's why I went to my laptop!

Good luck!

 

[cookinthehouse]

ugggthanks... i have tried everything.... now it acts like it is powering up then shuts off...

I am going to my friends house who sells and will submit that way.

I am going to see if can transfer my hardrive to my other computer....

i am going to invest in one of those portable thingys to back my info up on... it is 3 years old and out of warranty...

i have to wait to get to work to check email and this site...
so that was yesterday.... today i called a potential and found out he signed under someone else....

2 days bumming with PC HELP!!!!!!!!!11

 

[pchefmomof2]

Please do not try to load your hard drive on another computer!!! If you did get a virus/worm you may very well infect that computer!!! I did get a virus 3 years ago and I was lucky to have the 3 year in home maintenance contract with Dell and they had to replace my hard drive!!! Have you tried a "system restore"? When your computer powers up does it bring you to a screen (black) with a bunch of words on it? This is where you can try a system restore.

I was so tired of backing up my information on disks, cd's and memory sticks so I recently purchased an external hard drive and I love it! If anything ever happens to my computer I have a complete back up of ALL my files that existed on my computer! I back up PP daily on it and then my ENTIRE C drive once a week! You may want to consider it.

If you have a service contract with Dell I would try them again (yes, even if you have to sit on hold for 3 hours, use speaker phone feature if you got it) and let them know again what is going on! They are pretty good about resolving the problem!

I wish you lots of luck and hope it all works out!

 

[pamperedbecky]

Please do not try to load your hard drive on another computer!!! If you did get a virus/worm you may very well infect that computer!!! I did get a virus 3 years ago and I was lucky to have the 3 year in home maintenance contract with Dell and they had to replace my hard drive!!! Have you tried a "system restore"? When your computer powers up does it bring you to a screen (black) with a bunch of words on it? This is where you can try a system restore.

I was so tired of backing up my information on disks, cd's and memory sticks so I recently purchased an external hard drive and I love it! If anything ever happens to my computer I have a complete back up of ALL my files that existed on my computer! I back up PP daily on it and then my ENTIRE C drive once a week! You may want to consider it.

If you have a service contract with Dell I would try them again (yes, even if you have to sit on hold for 3 hours, use speaker phone feature if you got it) and let them know again what is going on! They are pretty good about resolving the problem!

I wish you lots of luck and hope it all works out!

I'm thinking of getting an external hard drive to use for back up for my laptop. How big of one did you get? Is there a particular brand you'd recommend? Luckily I haven't had any problems with losing stuff, but I should knock on wood and get the external hard drive before anything happens!

 

[Kelley Sells]

Same thingSounds like you may have run out of charge and maybe your wall charger is not working. Maybe the reason it is not powering all the way up is just that. I would suggest getting a complete new battery charger for it, and see what happens, if that is not it, return the charger and get a PC tech to help you, yes Best Buy does have great folks in the Geek Squad....bring it right in to them. I had the same issue and got one, make sure it is the right one for your laptop, and bingo, I was back up and running.....

Good luck...and I agree with the last poster....DO NOT download your hard drive to another computer, if it is a virus, then you are just doubling the problem.

I'll check to see how you make out.

 

[pchefmomof2]

Hi Becky!
The external hard drive I got was a Western Digital 120GB. Depending on what all is on your computer you may not need one that big. I really could have gotten an 80GB but since I got the 120GB for $30 cheaper after rebate than the 80GB it only made since to go that route!!!

You can get on BestBuy.com or Outpost.com and find some good deals. I kept my eyes open for awhile to find the best deal. I highly recommend the external hard drives and they so easy to set up and to use. Good luck!