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I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, without a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be connected?
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be connected.
micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a
brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to
connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, without a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be
connected?
Is there any evidence that it is receiving power? Are there lights >anywhere? Is there any sound - like a fan whirring?
When you say the
screen is white, does this mean that the backlight is working?
Or do
you mean that the screen is actually grey and there's no text appearing
on it?
I suggest you take out the battery and try to power it up (without mains >electricity, obviously). Taking out the battery may expose something to >identify the make and model. Try several times, in the hope that it
will reset the CMOS RAM. Leave it for a few hours, then install the
battery and try again.
Using USB to connect two computers together would probably work if you
had access to the dead one to install a suitable program; so for you
that's a non-starter. Unless of course it is a Mac, in which case it >probably can connect to another Mac without the need to install anything
... Do you know whether it is an Apple Mac or a Windows PC?
So I think you should take it apart and remove the hard disk. You
should take with you adapters to suit all types of disk, so that you can >connect the disk to the new laptop.
Good luck!
micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a
brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to
connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be
connected.
Most likeable solution.
Remove the old storage device(HD disk, SSD[disk or circuit board type)
Purchase hardware that can accept/connect to the old storage device
and be viewed on the new or different device
View/Inspect the contents of the old device
Copy(not move) pertinent data of the old storage to the new device
storage(and in an appropriate folder or location) for later use and >management.
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 3 Oct 2025 14:44:42 -0400,I agree this is the best way to handle an old device. The USB
"...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote:
micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a >>> brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to >>> connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be
connected.
Most likeable solution.
Remove the old storage device(HD disk, SSD[disk or circuit board type)
Purchase hardware that can accept/connect to the old storage device
and be viewed on the new or different device
View/Inspect the contents of the old device
Copy(not move) pertinent data of the old storage to the new device
storage(and in an appropriate folder or location) for later use and
management.
Thanks.
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way toAre you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting theI fear, as others have said, that may be the easiest solution.
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit> if need be.)No logo or anything on the lid [back of display]? (Though I've just
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one> is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be> connected.
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be connected.
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one, which is a pity, but it's done now.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one, but it might have an HDMI one
- a lot of people mistake those for a USB port. Especially if, as I
think I have seen, it's a combined HDMI/USB one. (Or some such combination.)
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
I fear, as others have said, that may be the easiest solution.
Especially if it has a segmwented case, with a cover over the hard
drive, rather than having to take the whole back off.>
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a
brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
No logo or anything on the lid [back of display]? (Though I've just
looked - mine has no logo, but it does say Lenovo.) As others have said, there may be something inside the battery compartment - if it _has_ a removable battery, that is. Though I'd say it's _unusual_ for there to
be _no_ model information on the bottom - on a label, or moulded into
the plastic (so it's in black on black!), and often needs excellent
eyesight or a magnifying glass to read it.>
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port toI've not _heard_ of such a connection since DOS days (and even then, I'd expect to need screen access to the donor machine) - though I could well
connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be
connected.
be wrong.
Good luck whatever!
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one, >which is a pity, but it's done now.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
but it might have an HDMI one
- a lot of people mistake those for a USB port. Especially if, as I
think I have seen, it's a combined HDMI/USB one. (Or some such combination.)
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
I fear, as others have said, that may be the easiest solution.
Especially if it has a segmwented case, with a cover over the hard
drive, rather than having to take the whole back off.>
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a
brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
No logo or anything on the lid [back of display]? (Though I've just
looked - mine has no logo, but it does say Lenovo.) As others have said, >there may be something inside the battery compartment - if it _has_ a >removable battery, that is. Though I'd say it's _unusual_ for there to
be _no_ model information on the bottom - on a label, or moulded into
the plastic (so it's in black on black!), and often needs excellent
eyesight or a magnifying glass to read it.>
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port toI've not _heard_ of such a connection since DOS days (and even then, I'd >expect to need screen access to the donor machine) - though I could well
connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be
connected.
be wrong.
Good luck whatever!
On Fri, 10/3/2025 12:46 PM, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There appears to be no model number on the outside, and maybe not even a
brand!! (I'm not there, only on the phone with him, but I can go visit
if need be.)
He bought a new laptop and is hoping there is a way with the USB port to
connect the two computers, or the broken computer as an external drive
to the new one. Or something like that. It is hard to know what one
is doing on the broken one, withough a screen to tell you what you've
done. But if he's careful to watch what keys he presses, maybe he can
get past that problem. Most things that are done with the cursor can
also be done with the keyboard. But first is the question, can they be
connected.
The laptop ribbon cable between the panel and the main body
of the laptop, is unplugged or broken. There could be
a clock pair, and three pairs for RGB. The backlight is working
and the screen is apparently white as a result. The ribbon
cable may be fished through a hinge.
Check for a Youtube video, describing how to take
the unit apart, as it might show the details of separating
a panel from a main body, for the model in question.
Thick laptops are easier to work with than thin ones. The
thick ones, you can take off the 2.5" bay cover plate and
extract the drive. The drive could be a SATA one.
On thin laptops, see if there is a hardware manual
with instructions for removal of the drive. There might be
considerable work with a spudger to get the two halves of
the base apart (remove ten screws... then use a spudger).
Paul
On 10/3/2025 6:46 PM, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There are cheap USB graphics cards like:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809555331639.html
But the problem is, to install the provided driver without
a working screen.
But there seems to exist some versions for which
Windows will automatically install the drivers.
https://community.startech.com/t/article-how-to-install-trigger-usb-video-adapter-drivers/846
With such a graphics card he could continue to use the laptop
with an external monitor (or TV screen).
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 3 Oct 2025 23:21:17 +0200, Herbert Kleebauer <klee@unibwm.de> wrote:
On 10/3/2025 6:46 PM, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
get his data out of it without opening the case and extracting the
harddrive.
There are cheap USB graphics cards like:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809555331639.html
But the problem is, to install the provided driver without
a working screen.
But there seems to exist some versions for which
Windows will automatically install the drivers.
https://community.startech.com/t/article-how-to-install-trigger-usb-video-adapter-drivers/846
This points to a page that talks about downloading drivers first. Maybe everyone should do that now, to plan for when their screen breaks. >
With such a graphics card he could continue to use the laptopIf I'm going there, taking it apart will not be so hard. He wanted to do
with an external monitor (or TV screen).
this without me, partly because he's embarrassed by how messy his place
is. He hasn't seen my place.
On Fri, 10/3/2025 7:49 PM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one, but it might have an HDMI one
- a lot of people mistake those for a USB port. Especially if, as I
Pictures of some graphics connectors.
https://www.cablematters.com/blog/image.axd?picture=/ArticlePhotos/MonitorCableTypes/The-ultimate-guide-to-monitor-cable-types_2.jpg
This shows the HDMI connector, compared to an adjacent USB-A connector for scale.
The USB is taller but less wide.
https://media.product.which.co.uk/prod/images/1560_999999/gm-0eb7bfea-e115-43d8-9049-86eba428c3a9-laptop-ports-diagram.jpg
Stating Apple versus WindowsPC and a rough idea of age,
would help determine the potential orbit of the connectors,
as there are some USB-C looking connectors that can have
a graphics signal on them.
Some of the sales people at work, would take a shiny painted wall
and use a laser projector to put powerpoint on the wall. And that's
where you see a lot of daily usage. Home use of the connector
seems to mostly revolve around "my screen failed, what do I do now?" scenarios. And that's when the user discovers they have one of the
connector types above, but never noticed.
My laptop has an SD slot, and I didn't know that, because of the
clever plastic "blank" stored in the blasted thing, coloured to
blend with the casing plastic. It meant the thing did not
stand out at all.
Of course, everyone throws away the laptop box immediately upon
possession, including the user manual and any identifying materials.
My Acer has a plate on the lower right of the main body, with the[]
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one,
which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is
not always easy
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port.
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for that, they'd have included a video port?
but it might have an HDMI one
- a lot of people mistake those for a USB port. Especially if, as I
Especially if it has a segmwented case, with a cover over the hard
drive, rather than having to take the whole back off.>
I hadn't thought of that. That would make it easy. I wanted to go
visit him at his new retirment house. I wanted to check out the woods
behind his house, but my back hurt all summer, and it still hurts, but driving is not hard, only walking and standing, so I can give up on the
woods and repair the thing sitting down.
It's got a service tag with a lot of long numbers. Maybe it's glued over
the original label. I can suggest he try to pry it off.
the plastic (so it's in black on black!), and often needs excellent
eyesight or a magnifying glass to read it.>
That might be it too. I think he's 82 and I'm 78, but I have a
magnifying glass!
Why does so much frozen food have the cooking instructions in dark green
on light green, for example?
I hope to let you all know how this turns out. I can probably go onI (and I suspect others) look forward to hearing how it goes! I _hope_
Oct 15th or 19th. Not just to fix it. i was planning to visit anyhow.
Yes, it might well be fixable. At best, just a connector having come
undone (or partly - not sure if it'd light up if completely, since the
power might come via the connector). But even if the display _is_ dud, >replacing the panel _can_ be cheap - depends on the model. Based on the
just one I've done, taking it apart and getting the panel number off the
back of the existing one, and searching for that, yielded prices a _lot_
less than searching for "replacement panel for an xxx". YMMV.
If it _does_ need replacing, you may find it's a sealed unit including
the backlight, even though the backlight is OK. (Mine was.) There are
lots of YouTube videos on ways to turn the old one into an unusual wall
panel light!
This shows the HDMI connector, compared to an adjacent USB-A connectore115-43d8-9049-86eba428c3a9-laptop-ports-diagram.jpg
for scale.
The USB is taller but less wide.
https://media.product.which.co.uk/prod/images/1560_999999/gm-0eb7bfea-
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 11:00:36 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
Yes, it might well be fixable. At best, just a connector having come
undone (or partly - not sure if it'd light up if completely, since the
power might come via the connector). But even if the display _is_ dud,
replacing the panel _can_ be cheap - depends on the model. Based on the
just one I've done, taking it apart and getting the panel number off the
back of the existing one, and searching for that, yielded prices a _lot_
less than searching for "replacement panel for an xxx". YMMV.
A friend moved to a country with 220v. Someone else was helping her
move in and he plugged the large LED TV she had brought from the USA.
Poof. Later he said "I don't know anything about electricity."
So I come and take it apart and the fuse on the power board is blown. I
dont' have a fuse so I jump it with two 12" jumper wires at the same
time. Poof! The insulation melts and burns, and I guess the wires
burned through too.
I get the part number for the power board and I find it on ebay, sold by
ONLY TWO people in the US, and one is IN Baltimore, where I live and
where another friend of the first friend lives, who is coming to visit
her in a couple weeks. So she picks it up from the ebay seller and I
put it in, and everything works and still works.
I always travel with a meter, 2 screwdrivers, 2 jumper wires and iirc something else I can't recall now. Comes in handy. One time a woman I
was renting a room from had me put a new double receptacle in her
apartment to replace one that had no grip anymore.
If it _does_ need replacing, you may find it's a sealed unit including
the backlight, even though the backlight is OK. (Mine was.) There are
lots of YouTube videos on ways to turn the old one into an unusual wall
panel light!
Good idea.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one,
which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is
not always easy
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port.
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for that, they'd have included a video port?
On 2025/10/5 0:11:30, micky wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 11:00:36 +0100, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
Yes, it might well be fixable. At best, just a connector having come
undone (or partly - not sure if it'd light up if completely, since the
power might come via the connector). But even if the display _is_ dud,
replacing the panel _can_ be cheap - depends on the model. Based on the
just one I've done, taking it apart and getting the panel number off the >>> back of the existing one, and searching for that, yielded prices a _lot_ >>> less than searching for "replacement panel for an xxx". YMMV.
A friend moved to a country with 220v. Someone else was helping her
move in and he plugged the large LED TV she had brought from the USA.
Poof. Later he said "I don't know anything about electricity."
So I come and take it apart and the fuse on the power board is blown. I
That was going to be my guess. The fuse did its job in protecting the >circuitry ...
dont' have a fuse so I jump it with two 12" jumper wires at the same
time. Poof! The insulation melts and burns, and I guess the wires
burned through too.
... until you did that!
I normally dislike "power bricks"", but at least if the set had had one
of those ... (-:
I get the part number for the power board and I find it on ebay, sold by
ONLY TWO people in the US, and one is IN Baltimore, where I live and
where another friend of the first friend lives, who is coming to visit
her in a couple weeks. So she picks it up from the ebay seller and I
put it in, and everything works and still works.
(So the damaged set returned to the US from the 2xxV country?)
I always travel with a meter, 2 screwdrivers, 2 jumper wires and iirc
something else I can't recall now. Comes in handy. One time a woman I
Charger maybe? In much the same way, I carry a set of jump leads in my
car, and some spanners (US: wrenches). The former helps out a lot of
people, in theory at least.
was renting a room from had me put a new double receptacle in her
apartment to replace one that had no grip anymore.
If it _does_ need replacing, you may find it's a sealed unit including
the backlight, even though the backlight is OK. (Mine was.) There are
lots of YouTube videos on ways to turn the old one into an unusual wall
panel light!
Good idea.
Having said that, I haven't actually got round to doing it with the one
I took out! It's still sitting in my attic (in the box the new one came
in). [That one failed not through normal wear and tear, but because I
tripped and fell on the laptop! Which wasn't mine, but one I'd been
loaned for (unpaid - bottom tier of) local government work; since I
fixed it, I never told them when giving it back, since it seemed at
least as good as when I got it, if not better.]
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one, >>> which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his
grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is
not always easy
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port.
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for
that, they'd have included a video port?
I'd be very surprised if it didn't.
Nowadays ports are multipurpose so USB(-C) or Thunderbolt do video >connections as well.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one,
which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is
not always easy
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port.
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for that, they'd have included a video port?
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 5 Oct 2025 10:16:04 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:[]
On 2025/10/5 0:11:30, micky wrote:
Weeell ... not if it was still in 220V-land!A friend moved to a country with 220v. Someone else was helping her
move in and he plugged the large LED TV she had brought from the USA.>>> Poof. Later he said "I don't know anything about electricity."
So I come and take it apart and the fuse on the power board is blown. I
That was going to be my guess. The fuse did its job in protecting the
circuitry ...
dont' have a fuse so I jump it with two 12" jumper wires at the same
time. Poof! The insulation melts and burns, and I guess the wires
burned through too.
... until you did that!
Are you saying I shouldn't have done that?.
I suppose that's what you had to do, given the difficulty of finding the
I normally dislike "power bricks"", but at least if the set had had one
of those ... (-:
I get the part number for the power board and I find it on ebay, sold by >>> ONLY TWO people in the US, and one is IN Baltimore, where I live and
where another friend of the first friend lives, who is coming to visit
her in a couple weeks. So she picks it up from the ebay seller and I
put it in, and everything works and still works.
(So the damaged set returned to the US from the 2xxV country?)
No, it's still there, using a 240-120 converter for power.
Actually, thinking about it, the one I'm more likely to help people with
I always travel with a meter, 2 screwdrivers, 2 jumper wires and iirc>>> something else I can't recall now. Comes in handy. One time a woman I
Charger maybe? In much the same way, I carry a set of jump leads in my>> car, and some spanners (US: wrenches). The former helps out a lot of
people, in theory at least.
I carry tools in my car too, though I can't remember t he last time I
used them for someone else. Some people have empty trunks! (boots)
Yes, people's perceptions of what is and isn't difficult are odd!
was renting a room from had me put a new double receptacle in her
apartment to replace one that had no grip anymore.
She wasn't very impressed that I did this. She asked me to put casters> on a small dresser and I did that, and she was joyful, I thought anyone
could do casters but many people wouldn't even try a receptacle.
It was fun going to the hardware store in another country. I think IAlways nice to help a pretty girl! (Actually I like helping anyone,
used the meter to help a pretty girl at the hardware store, but I don't> remember how.
Hmm. I'm pretty sure the terms of the loan were I had to tell them ifIf it _does_ need replacing, you may find it's a sealed unit including >>>> the backlight, even though the backlight is OK. (Mine was.) There are
lots of YouTube videos on ways to turn the old one into an unusual wall >>>> panel light!
Good idea.
Having said that, I haven't actually got round to doing it with the one
I took out! It's still sitting in my attic (in the box the new one came
in). [That one failed not through normal wear and tear, but because I
tripped and fell on the laptop! Which wasn't mine, but one I'd been
loaned for (unpaid - bottom tier of) local government work; since I
fixed it, I never told them when giving it back, since it seemed at
least as good as when I got it, if not better.]
Then you don't have to tell them.
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
Send him the picture Paul posted of a laptop side including an HDMI
port. (Though I'm not sure those were on laptops 9 years ago. But they >probably were! Yes, this [Lenovo] says it was manufactured "16/07/11"
[so 2016 or 2011; I hate two-digit years, thought we'd got out of that
over y2k!], and has one.)
Though he may not have access to an HDMI monitor and/or lead. On the
other hand, he may well have a TV with HDMI input, so it's only the
lead, unless he has e. g. a blu-ray player.>
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for
that, they'd have included a video port?
Indeed! I've never seen a laptop with a smart card reader - sure it's
not a peripheral card slot? Though I haven't _noticed_ those on laptops
for a while either. Maybe a refurbished Dell is ex-corporate, and they
used that to control access?
things.>
but it might have an HDMI one
- a lot of people mistake those for a USB port. Especially if, as I
Again, see Paul's laptop-side pic.
[]
Especially if it has a segmwented case, with a cover over the hard
drive, rather than having to take the whole back off.>
I hadn't thought of that. That would make it easy. I wanted to go
I'm not sure when those started to disappear (and similar ones for the >memory); I suppose about the time they moved to _ultra_-thin. (Removable >battery - along the hinge under the monitor - also tended to disappear
about the same time.) I always resented the thin (and then ultra-thin)
race, as they exclude the power brick! I had a Toshiba (I think it was)
that had the power brick inside: the mains lead (US: power cord) went >directly into it, no lump in the cable. OK, it was thicker and heavier,
but no extra brick to carry around, connector to damage, etc.!
visit him at his new retirment house. I wanted to check out the woods
behind his house, but my back hurt all summer, and it still hurts, but
driving is not hard, only walking and standing, so I can give up on the
woods and repair the thing sitting down.
Don't forget to take your tiny screwdrivers (if you haven't got any, an >excuse to get a set!), and some things to use as I think Paul called
them spudgers. And some little dishes or similar to put the screws in.
[]
It's got a service tag with a lot of long numbers. Maybe it's glued over
the original label. I can suggest he try to pry it off.
As long as it's clearly something that's been added; don't want him
damaging the unit.>
the plastic (so it's in black on black!), and often needs excellent
eyesight or a magnifying glass to read it.>
That might be it too. I think he's 82 and I'm 78, but I have a
magnifying glass!
Oh, take a good small desk light too.>
Why does so much frozen food have the cooking instructions in dark green
on light green, for example?
That's nothing: my bugbear (I'm in UK, not sure if this is common
elsewhere) is "full cooking instructions on reverse of label", commonly
seen on the label on packaged meat such as steaks; I'd love to meet the >person who thought of _that_! (Assuming you _do_ manage to peel off the
label in one piece, it's then printed on the reverse in pale grey text
on white.)
Then there is (common on soup):
"Put into a microwaveable container."
I do that.
"Cover and vent."
Done.
"Microwave on full power for five minutes"
Done.
"stirring half way through"
Grr!
(OK, I'm used to it now and look for it, but still!)
[]
I hope to let you all know how this turns out. I can probably go on
Oct 15th or 19th. Not just to fix it. i was planning to visit anyhow.
I (and I suspect others) look forward to hearing how it goes! I _hope_
it _does_ have a disc drive flap, since as he's got a new laptop anyway
he's really only interested in the data (take an external enclosure or >"cable" with you - for a 9-yo it's almost certainly SATA); and hope it's
just a loose connector for the display. Oh, _if_ you've got a small
portable one you can take, or establish he has a TV with one, take that;
take an HDMI cable with you anyway.C
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white.
I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one, >>> which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his
grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is
not always easy
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port.
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for
that, they'd have included a video port?
I'd be very surprised if it didn't.
Nowadays ports are multipurpose so USB(-C) or Thunderbolt do video >connections as well.
On 2025/10/5 11:52:34, micky wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 5 Oct 2025 10:16:04 +0100, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/5 0:11:30, micky wrote:
[]
A friend moved to a country with 220v. Someone else was helping herThat was going to be my guess. The fuse did its job in protecting the
move in and he plugged the large LED TV she had brought from the USA.
Poof. Later he said "I don't know anything about electricity."
So I come and take it apart and the fuse on the power board is blown. I >>>
circuitry ...
dont' have a fuse so I jump it with two 12" jumper wires at the same
time. Poof! The insulation melts and burns, and I guess the wires
burned through too.
... until you did that!
Are you saying I shouldn't have done that?.
Weeell ... not if it was still in 220V-land!
I normally dislike "power bricks"", but at least if the set had had one
of those ... (-:
I get the part number for the power board and I find it on ebay, sold by >>>> ONLY TWO people in the US, and one is IN Baltimore, where I live and
where another friend of the first friend lives, who is coming to visit >>>> her in a couple weeks. So she picks it up from the ebay seller and I >>>> put it in, and everything works and still works.
(So the damaged set returned to the US from the 2xxV country?)
No, it's still there, using a 240-120 converter for power.
I suppose that's what you had to do, given the difficulty of finding the >power board at all. Given that had to be replaced anyway, I'd have tried
to find a version that ran on 220 (or ideally both), but maybe you tried
to without success.>>
I always travel with a meter, 2 screwdrivers, 2 jumper wires and iirc
something else I can't recall now. Comes in handy. One time a woman I
Charger maybe? In much the same way, I carry a set of jump leads in my
car, and some spanners (US: wrenches). The former helps out a lot of
people, in theory at least.
I carry tools in my car too, though I can't remember t he last time I
used them for someone else. Some people have empty trunks! (boots)
Actually, thinking about it, the one I'm more likely to help people with
is the proper X-shaped wheelbrace; so many cars come with just the
little hand one (sort of a J shape), which needs superhuman strength to
use. Other than wheels or a flat battery, there's probably little on
modern cars you can fix without a (specialised, at that) computer.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
was renting a room from had me put a new double receptacle in her
apartment to replace one that had no grip anymore.
She wasn't very impressed that I did this. She asked me to put casters
on a small dresser and I did that, and she was joyful, I thought anyone
could do casters but many people wouldn't even try a receptacle.
Yes, people's perceptions of what is and isn't difficult are odd!
Always nice to help a pretty girl! (Actually I like helping anyone, >especially old folks.)>>>
It was fun going to the hardware store in another country. I think I
used the meter to help a pretty girl at the hardware store, but I don't
remember how.
Hmm. I'm pretty sure the terms of the loan were I had to tell them if >anything happened to it so I shuld have at once, but was embarrassed atIf it _does_ need replacing, you may find it's a sealed unit including >>>>> the backlight, even though the backlight is OK. (Mine was.) There are >>>>> lots of YouTube videos on ways to turn the old one into an unusual wall >>>>> panel light!
Good idea.
Having said that, I haven't actually got round to doing it with the one
I took out! It's still sitting in my attic (in the box the new one came
in). [That one failed not through normal wear and tear, but because I
tripped and fell on the laptop! Which wasn't mine, but one I'd been
loaned for (unpaid - bottom tier of) local government work; since I
fixed it, I never told them when giving it back, since it seemed at
least as good as when I got it, if not better.]
Then you don't have to tell them.
the cause of the damage (my home being untidy) so went ahead, once I'd >established (by use of an external monitor) that it was just the display
that was damaged.
I've got a spare monitor that is ~20 years old, not even wide.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 5 Oct 2025 11:11:00 -0000 (UTC),
Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white. >>>>I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's
bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one, >>>> which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his
grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is
not always easy
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to >>>>
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port. >>>
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for >>> that, they'd have included a video port?
I'd be very surprised if it didn't.
Nowadays ports are multipurpose so USB(-C) or Thunderbolt do video
connections as well.
Oops. I missed this or forgot. It has a USB Type C 3.2 Gen 2 with
Power Delivery & DisplayPort (Optional Thunderbolt 3)
So that means I can connect a monitor there, after all, if I ever get
myself in the fix my friend is in, for example.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 5 Oct 2025 13:24:25 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:[]
Yes, the amount of technical information on electronic goods is parlous.I suppose that's what you had to do, given the difficulty of finding the
power board at all. Given that had to be replaced anyway, I'd have tried
to find a version that ran on 220 (or ideally both), but maybe you tried
to without success.>>
I did try. I also tried from the other direction, to find out if there> was a model made to run on 220. I think I even phoned someone in the
parts department back in the US. But trying to find a similar model
number went nowhere. There might well have been a 220v tv made by them> that used the same power board, but there just wasn't enough information
online or even on that one phone call. I'm sure that transformerActually, if a transformer is all it is, and thinking about it it
wastes a lot of power, but she's still happy.
Yes, those handheld ones do seem to be amazing. Including, as you say,Actually, thinking about it, the one I'm more likely to help people with
is the proper X-shaped wheelbrace; so many cars come with just the
little hand one (sort of a J shape), which needs superhuman strength to
use. Other than wheels or a flat battery, there's probably little on
modern cars you can fix without a (specialised, at that) computer.
I had a dead battery, also at a hamfest (at the same location I went
today even) and someone had a handheld battery with teeny little cable clamps. I couldn't believe it but it worked great. So about a year ago
I bought one too. The instructions say to charge it every 6 months, but after 8 months it was still almost fully charged. I haven't used it however.I'll see how I get on this winter. Though most common flat battery is
As to tire changes, the last time was this winter, in the snow, on an expressway miles from home and miles from my destination, and I'm 78,
and I called someone.
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 11:00:36 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:[]
I'm surprised how long HDMI has been on TVs. (Though also, know peopleThough he may not have access to an HDMI monitor and/or lead. On the
other hand, he may well have a TV with HDMI input, so it's only the
lead, unless he has e. g. a blu-ray player.>
He's 82 and hasn't bought anything new-fangled, including a smart phone.
I think that's what it is. The Amazon refurb ad said** something aboutHmm. I paid -u199.99 for this refurbished Lenovo (AMD A10 7th gen quad
it and the Dell owners manual says points to the slot and says "Smart
card reader (optional)" The slot is 2 1/4" wide.
My prior Orders listing points to the same model. The price has gone
down sincd Dec 9 from 529 to 483, not that much for 10 months. Were I shopping today, I'd still be willing to pay 529 and I'd look for
something newer or better. More intesting is that it's current rating
is 2.2 stars out of 5 on 3 ratings. Believe you me it was much higher
with many more ratings when I bought it. There is only one review, that
it will not charge, waiting on help from seller.
He might have hdmi, I really doubt it. If so and we can borrow a
monitor when I get there, it will just require pushing some key on the keyboard to switch to the eexternal monitor, right??
Sounds ideal. Though a few extra might not come amiss, for differentDon't forget to take your tiny screwdrivers (if you haven't got any, anOkay, I'll remember. In the car I keep a little magnetic dish, meant
excuse to get a set!), and some things to use as I think Paul called
them spudgers. And some little dishes or similar to put the screws in.>
for auto work. But I haven't had to work on the car for several yearsMe neither at the moment, though for a different reason.
(don't drive too much anymore.)
Yes, I've often thought it doesn't seem to contribute much.Then there is (common on soup):
"Put into a microwaveable container."
I do that.
"Cover and vent."
Done.
"Microwave on full power for five minutes"
Done.
"stirring half way through"
Grr!
LOL. I sometimes skip the stirring step because I'm too lazy to get up> (even before my back hurt)
I've got a spare monitor that is ~20 years old, not even wide.Almost certainly not HDMI, though, so won't be of use - I think you've established fairly certainly that the laptop hasn't got a VGA output -
On Sun, 10/5/2025 5:45 PM, micky wrote:[]
I've got a spare monitor that is ~20 years old, not even wide.
If the connector was VGA, you'd bring the correct kind of VGA cable.
In addition, for your car collection, you could pack anI don't _think_ most of us do, though!
HDMI to VGA and a DP to VGA adapter. I have a bunch of these here,
The other ecosystems are more likely to have USB-C and then, who knows what weird collection of adapters would be needed... For theI don't think micky is quite as into this as you! (I neither, though I
USB-C case, you could look into "docks" or "hubs" with lots
of graphics outputs on them, as a "gamblers converter box". But
those are likely over $100 and not attractive for mercy missions.
Paul
I've got a spare monitor that is ~20 years old, not even wide.
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
I've got a spare monitor that is ~20 years old, not even wide.
That's probably too old as there's a 10 year gap in generations with the laptop.
Your monitor probably only has VGA and DVI which are both obsolete. The laptop will likely have (mini) displayport or HDMI.
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 5 Oct 2025 11:11:00 -0000 (UTC),
Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 4 Oct 2025 00:49:13 +0100, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
On 2025/10/3 17:46:11, micky wrote:
I have a friend whose laptop screen no longer works. It's all white. >>>>>I assume you mean the screen lights up all white, rather than just
telling us what colour the laptop is (-:.
I think the whole laptop is blu e.
At best, I wonder if the screen connector has just become partly
disconnected - but getting at it to check might be hard work. As he's >>>>> bought a new laptop, he's presumably resigned to discarding the old one, >>>>> which is a pity, but it's done now.
Well, if I could fix it, I might keep it or give it to one of his
grandchildren. But I've taken a couple laptops apart and indded it is >>>> not always easy
Are you sure? You say you're only chatting over the 'phone at this
It has no external monitor port. And we're hoping there is a way to >>>>>
point. Unless it's quite old now, I'd be surprised if it has a VGA
It is quite old, 9 years maybe, and I sent him a picture of a VGA port. >>>>
(XVGA, whatever - the 15-pin D type) one,
Yeah, that one.
BTW, the refurb. Dell I just bought which is about 4 years old has no
video port either. I checked the manual. Almost half of one side is
taken up by a smart card reader. maybe if they didn't use the space for >>>> that, they'd have included a video port?
I'd be very surprised if it didn't.
Nowadays ports are multipurpose so USB(-C) or Thunderbolt do video
connections as well.
Oops. I missed this or forgot. It has a USB Type C 3.2 Gen 2 with
Power Delivery & DisplayPort (Optional Thunderbolt 3)
There you go. The one port can do data transfer, charge the battery or run
a monitor. The downside is that you can't do all three at the same time >without some sort of dock.
So that means I can connect a monitor there, after all, if I ever get
myself in the fix my friend is in, for example.
Exactly. A laptop without a display out is almost unheard of. I suggest you >triple-check your friend's laptop.
On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 14:48:44 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
I've got a spare monitor that is ~20 years old, not even wide.
That's probably too old as there's a 10 year gap in generations with the
laptop.
Your monitor probably only has VGA and DVI which are both obsolete. The
laptop will likely have (mini) displayport or HDMI.
If it has DVI, that can be connected to HDMI with a passive adapter. IIRC, there are adapters for displayport too.
I'm sure that transformer
wastes a lot of power, but she's still happy.=20
Actually, if a transformer is all it is, and thinking about it it
doesn't need to be anything else, then no, it won't be wasting much
power - transformers are pretty efficient:
power companies use them all
the time!
[]
thActually, thinking about it, the one I'm more likely to help people wi=
ois the proper X-shaped wheelbrace; so many cars come with just the
little hand one (sort of a J shape), which needs superhuman strength t=
ouse. Other than wheels or a flat battery, there's probably little on=20
modern cars you can fix without a (specialised, at that) computer.
I had a dead battery, also at a hamfest (at the same location I went
today even) and someone had a handheld battery with teeny little cable
clamps. I couldn't believe it but it worked great. So about a year ag=
Yes, those handheld ones do seem to be amazing. Including, as you say,
the teeny clamps.
I bought one too. The instructions say to charge it every 6 months, bu=t
after 8 months it was still almost fully charged. I haven't used it
however.=20
I'll see how I get on this winter. Though most common flat battery is
home (I don't go out much), and I have the last one I bought for my
previous car (I'd just changed it before the car was declared not worth >maintaining, so I put the old one back in to take it to be scrapped), so >don't need (I hope!) one of those.>
As to tire changes, the last time was this winter, in the snow, on anI'm "only" 65 - but might consider doing so in such circumstances.
expressway miles from home and miles from my destination, and I'm 78,
and I called someone.=20
=20
Though I'd probably have a go while waiting, if they told me they'd be ag= >es.
--=20
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
=00
"Mary Poppins is a junkie" - bumper sticker on Julie Andrews' car in the
'60s
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Mon, 6 Oct 2025 11:17:16 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:Yes, from what I've seen in films and TV, the power system in the US
I'm sure that transformer
wastes a lot of power, but she's still happy.=20
Actually, if a transformer is all it is, and thinking about it it
doesn't need to be anything else, then no, it won't be wasting much
power - transformers are pretty efficient:
Oh, good.
power companies use them all
the time!
That's true, and I think they are in the box at the end of a string of townhouses, and I've never noticed any heat coming from one of them.
Yes, with modern alternators - rather than the old dynamos - once you'veI'll see how I get on this winter. Though most common flat battery is
home (I don't go out much), and I have the last one I bought for my
previous car (I'd just changed it before the car was declared not worth
maintaining, so I put the old one back in to take it to be scrapped), so
don't need (I hope!) one of those.>
I seem to be unusually afraid of a dead battery. Maybe it's fron the
years when I had a weak battery. Over 30 years from 1967 to 2007, I
probably had to ask the public for a jump 20 or 30 times. I'd pull out> the cables and stand there, and usually someone would stop. One time
well-dressed pretty girl stopped. That was surprising, but she seeme to think she could help me without my attacking her, and by golly she was
right. But usually it's guys.
Most dead batteries are first thing in the morning, and I can drag out
my 100' extension cord (since I can't park very close to my house) and
my charger and in a few minutes charge it enough, and it's good for the> whole day.
But I also carry cables, and eventually I got 16' thick ones."Modern" cars (last 20 years or so, give or take five or ten) with a
For a while when I lived in NY/Brooklyn, I had two car burglar alarms. I though I only had one. I thought the second one only sent a message to a
fob I carried, if the first alarm tripped, but after years learned that> the seoond one was using current all the time too.
I still think that if I never let the battery get discharged much, itYes, I too feel they should last longer than they do.
would last for 30 years, even though everyone and my own exprerience
says no. Having old batteries was another source of my dead batteries. (-:
So finally I bought Priority Start. 2 or 3 times the price of Battery(-:
Buddy, but when the battery gets disonnected, I don't have to get out of
the car and open the hood/bonnet. I just do something that uses a bunch> of electricty, like putting my foot on the brake or turning on the
lights, and it reconnects. If you listen you can hear the motor closing
the contacts.
And now I have the jumper battery, so it's like wearing a belt and
suspenders and another belt.
As to tire changes, the last time was this winter, in the snow, on an>>> expressway miles from home and miles from my destination, and I'm 78,>>> and I called someone.=20I'm "only" 65 - but might consider doing so in such circumstances.
=20
Though I'd probably have a go while waiting, if they told me they'd be ag= >> es.
A year earlier, at Dec. 27, in the dark, in the rain, I drove over a
little island in the street and soon realized I had a flat on the front> left. I was 77 then, and in a hurry, going to buy something for my
vacation trip the next morning. I parked in a church driveway and
changed the tire in the cold, light rain, occasionally talking to myself hoping some young guy would hear me and offer to help. But there was no
one around.
I think at that point she got rather fed up of her "wholesome" image."Mary Poppins is a junkie" - bumper sticker on Julie Andrews' car in the
'60s
LOL
On 2025/10/5 22:45:21, micky wrote:
He's 82 and hasn't bought anything new-fangled, including a smart phone.
I'm surprised how long HDMI has been on TVs. (Though also, know people
still use very old TVs: I myself have a couple of CRT ones.) Kudos to
him for resisting a smartphone! I have had one, but have since resisted
the temptation - partly because of the cost of the data contract
necessary to justify having it (peanuts in practice, but not something I >need), and partly because from what I gather they really _are_ on an
about 3-year renewal cycle, that isn't avoidable as it is with PCs, and
that _is_ a significant amount of money.
On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 11:57:52 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>That is exactly it (and why I resent the assumption everywhere that
wrote:
On 2025/10/5 22:45:21, micky wrote:
He's 82 and hasn't bought anything new-fangled, including a smart phone.
I'm surprised how long HDMI has been on TVs. (Though also, know people>> still use very old TVs: I myself have a couple of CRT ones.) Kudos to
him for resisting a smartphone! I have had one, but have since resisted
the temptation - partly because of the cost of the data contract
necessary to justify having it (peanuts in practice, but not something I
need), and partly because from what I gather they really _are_ on an
about 3-year renewal cycle, that isn't avoidable as it is with PCs, and
that _is_ a significant amount of money.
Elsewhere, I believe you said that you don't go out much these days, so> I'd make the argument that you wouldn't have much use for a data
contract if you had a smartphone, since you could spend all or most of
your time on WiFi. Most people probably have WiFi at home, so perhaps
you do, as well.
Also, that 3-year cycle that you've heard about might be situationsI hadn't thought about the battery aspect ...
where the phone's battery no longer holds a full day's charge, but that> wouldn't be an issue because you could easily put the phone on a charger
wherever you happened to be around the house.
FWIW, I tend to reach the point where the battery becomes an... it was more that aspect. But not so much the "always having the
inconvenience around the 5-6 year mark. I'm guessing that a 3-year cycle might actually have more to do with people feeling like they're falling> behind in some way, so they rush out to get the latest.
Bottom line, though, is that none of this stuff actually matters if you> feel like you don't need a smartphone. If you don't need it, then any
price is too high.
That is exactly it (and why I resent the assumption everywhere that
everyone has one, and the necessary contract - here at least two of our supermarket chains won't give you a plastic discount card). I'd _like_
to have one of these handheld computers for use when I _am_ out, but the
cost of the contract rankles - not so much that I can't afford it, just
the principle.
(I _do_ have a fobile - one with buttons - for emergencies (mainly car breakdown*), but on a - true! - PAYG contract; that was hard to find
now! [The contract I mean, not the 'phone.])
FWIW, I tend to reach the point where the battery becomes an
inconvenience around the 5-6 year mark. I'm guessing that a 3-year cycle might actually have more to do with people feeling like they're falling behind in some way, so they rush out to get the latest.
... it was more that aspect. But not so much the "always having the
latest" aspect, but the "won't support" one; my smartphone was Android
4. I get the general impression that new app.s won't run on an Android
more than about 3 years old. And I get the impression that many
manufacturers don't upgrade - certainly not the cheaper ones; if you pay
a few hundred more, you get upgrades for 1-3 years if you're lucky.
On 2025/10/7 7:47:29, Char Jackson wrote:
Bottom line, though, is that none of this stuff actually matters if you feel like you don't need a smartphone. If you don't need it, then any
price is too high.
Thank you for appreciating that!--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
[...]
[About the 'need' for a smartphone:]
That is exactly it (and why I resent the assumption everywhere that
everyone has one, and the necessary contract - here at least two of our
supermarket chains won't give you a plastic discount card). I'd _like_
to have one of these handheld computers for use when I _am_ out, but the
cost of the contract rankles - not so much that I can't afford it, just
the principle.
(I _do_ have a fobile - one with buttons - for emergencies (mainly car
breakdown*), but on a - true! - PAYG contract; that was hard to find
now! [The contract I mean, not the 'phone.])
You mention 'contract' and 'PAYG contract', but don't you have
pre-paid (i.e. no contract) plans in the UK?
J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:By contract, I just meant a SIM card, which I preload money onto, which
[...]
[About the 'need' for a smartphone:]
That is exactly it (and why I resent the assumption everywhere that
everyone has one, and the necessary contract - here at least two of our
supermarket chains won't give you a plastic discount card). I'd _like_>> to have one of these handheld computers for use when I _am_ out, but the
cost of the contract rankles - not so much that I can't afford it, just
the principle.
(I _do_ have a fobile - one with buttons - for emergencies (mainly car>> breakdown*), but on a - true! - PAYG contract; that was hard to find
now! [The contract I mean, not the 'phone.])
You mention 'contract' and 'PAYG contract', but don't you have
pre-paid (i.e. no contract) plans in the UK?
We mostly use (the apps on) the smartphones on Wi-Fi (mostly at home,> but also elsewhere).But the little is not none. And AIUI most if not all of e. g. store
When we're out and about (without Wi-Fi access), we use very little -> if any - mobile data and even less (outbound) calls and no (outbound)
SMS. So a pre-paid plan suits us very well. Our average cost is lessMine is effectively 67p a month unless I use it.
than 1.50 Euro a month (probably going to be 5 Euro a month, because the
data provider (Lebara) changed the rate).
So that's an expenditure of re455 a year, to stay compatible with things.... it was more that aspect. But not so much the "always having the
latest" aspect, but the "won't support" one; my smartphone was Android>> 4. I get the general impression that new app.s won't run on an Android>> more than about 3 years old. And I get the impression that many
manufacturers don't upgrade - certainly not the cheaper ones; if you pay
a few hundred more, you get upgrades for 1-3 years if you're lucky.
FWIW, Our Samsung Galaxy A51 phones are over 5 years old (August
2020), came with Android 10 and were upgraded through Android 13. We
haven't yet had any apps which couldn't run on Android 13 and the
batteries are still fine, That phone cost 279 Euro at the time. So our
cost has been about 55 Euro per year. (At the moment, A-Series phones
start at about 200 Euros.)
(-:On 2025/10/7 7:47:29, Char Jackson wrote:
Bottom line, though, is that none of this stuff actually matters if you
feel like you don't need a smartphone. If you don't need it, then any>>> price is too high.
+<very_large_number>
Thank you for appreciating that!
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 3 Oct 2025 19:11:31 +0100, Graham J <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
So I think you should take it apart and remove the hard disk. You
should take with you adapters to suit all types of disk, so that you can
connect the disk to the new laptop.
I have more than one such device. I have a double dock, which last time semed to be acting funny, so I bought another barebones connection that
works just fine. I can bring both, leave it with him when I go home and
buy another for myself
And while I like shopping in stores, another good thing about Amazon is
that any tool I forget to take with me, I can probably get in one day if
I'm willing to join Prime (They are, as they usually do, offering me a
free 30 days now, but I only take it if I have a particular reason to
need something quickly. Usually before a trip.
Prime Rant follows:
I can't believe they were fined a billion dollars and told to pay
another 1.5 billion in restitution because they "trick people into
signing up for prime" and then "make it too difficult to cancel".
I've signed up for Prime about 6 times in the last 20 years, 5 of them
free and once I paid iirc 3 or 4 dollars for 5 days. And I've
cancelled every time except once before they charged me for the
following month. Is cancellation difficult? You have to click on
Accounts and Lists, then on Prime, then on Cancel. Then it says, Are
you sure? and you have to say Yes. Then it says, Are you really sure?
and it lists everything you're giving up, Prime video, prime audio,
whatever, and you have to click on Yes. Then it asks are you really,
really sure? And you have to click on Yes. Then it says "Cancelled.
Did you want to change your mind? Click here to reinstate Prime" and
you have to say no, or just close the tab.
Is that so difficult? I've tried to find out details of why they say it
was difficult but haven't found them.
Do they trick you to sign up? In Ebay the default setting in cases
where a warranty was possible was No warranty. That's nice, but
Amazon's default is delivery in 2 days while joining prime at the same
time. If you scroll down one page, you'll see that and you have to
check Free Delivery in 4 or 5 days. Clicking takes 2 seconds. Is that
so hard? You have to do it every time you buy something. Is that so
hard?
On one occasion, I forgot to cancel my prime until about 3 or 4 days
into the next month. So I cancelled it then, having paid already for
the next/current month, but the computer refunded my money without my
asking, without my doing anything, and in only a minute or two so I
presume no human had to okay it. It referred to the fact that I had not bought anything in those 3 days, but I'm sure a lot of businesses would
have said, "So what? Too bad, so sad. You had 30 days to cancel and
you didn't do it."
BTW, if you fear you'll forget to cancel, you can cencel right after joining** and the cancellation won't take effect until the 30 days are
up **Well, maybe the computer will think you're trying to cancel the
first month too, but I've cancelled 7 days after I joined and it didn't
take effect until the 30 days were up.
I don't know what more Amazon could do to be fair.
--Good luck!
Thanks.
Back to my computer, a Dell Latitude 5510 (Dell made another 5510 that
is not a Latitude. I guess they have a shortgage of numbers there and
have to use them twice.)
On 7/10/2025 3:44 am, micky wrote:
<Snip>
Back to my computer, a Dell Latitude 5510 (Dell made another 5510 that
is not a Latitude. I guess they have a shortgage of numbers there and
have to use them twice.)
It would be interesting to know if two 5510's were the same under the bonnet (so to speak) or not. Same Same computer just re-badged by the manufacturer to suit the two importers/retailers.
