Urgent Message from gehayi

[erastes]

gehayi's having PC problems and has asked me to cross post this for her in case people miss it on her own LJ. If there's anyone in the HARTFORD area who can help her out, please do. Tekkie help, transport.  Her internet is her life-line. GOD, I wish I lived nearer.

I'm writing this from the West Hartford Public Library; I just walked here. My computer monitor is not working, and I don't know why. The black box attached to it indicates that Battery 1 & 2, Telephone 1 & 2, Link, Online, US, DS and Power are all on, so I don't know what's wrong. I've checked all the plugs and rebooted a hundred times--the tower powers up but the monitor stays black.

I don't know what caused this. The people I've spoken to say that it sounds like the monitor isn't getting the message from the tower, so it's not lighting up. It might be the monitor. It might be the video card. The transformers on Avon Mountain went down last night, and they're repairing them now, so it's possible that my computer is on a cluster that's affected. It's been pouring rain for a week, and any time it rains for more than three days in a row, there's a damned good chance that I'll lose Internet, computer, or all electricity. It could be any of the above. I DON'T KNOW.

According to the people I've talked to at Staples, if they do an at home diagnostic, it will cost 169.00. And that's just to diagnose--it could cost hundreds more for repair. Geeks on Call says that it will cost 99 dollars for at home, but up 225 dollars for repair. I haven't got it. And I haven't got access to most of my savings right now, so I can't dip into those.

Staples says that if I can bring the computer in, a diagnostic would cost 69 dollars instead of 169. But Dial-A-Ride does not carry freight. Hell's bells, they don't even carry groceries. I would need someone to bring me and the computer to Staples, and someone to bring me and the computer back. If any of you can do this, I would be most appreciative.

Erastes, if I'm not back by June 24, please post the essay for me on Meta_writer.

Heather, I guess all the mod stuff is in your hands. I can't do anything at the moment, and I don't know when I'll have a functioning computer again.

Michelle, please post for me over at Fanfic50 and let them know that I can't update because of this mess.

Viv and Binky, RP is going to have to be slowtimed until I have a functioning computer again. I don't know when that is going to be.

To all of you--I would love to call you but I can't. All of your phone numbers are in my OpenOffice files, and without the monitor, I can't access them.

So please--CALL ME AT 860-523-1085. And tell me what your phone numbers are during the conversation. I have to go to the hospital today to get treated for a spider bite that got infected; if Dial-A-Ride picks me up on time, I'll be home around 4 Eastern Daylight time. If not, I'll be a bit later.

I'm honest to God in a panic. Everything I do, every way I shop, every contact I have with the outside world is by computer.

I can't afford this. Just paying the bills is a struggle as it is. This is a disaster.

Yours in frustration and terror,

Tracey/Gehayi

Comments

[copperbeech.livejournal.com]

is Saturn retrograde or something (it's not)? it must be in the air. i've managed to delete a 132,000 word manuscript from my laptop, and its backup on my PC.

??

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

Erastes, tell her to check the on/off button. It might have been bumped which would put the monitor in the 'off' position. This would not show up as a problem on the system.

Next thing she should try is the physical connections between the computer and monitor. If they've gotten bumped they may be loose.

Failing that there are typically reset buttons on the monitor that may have gotten bumped and caused the screen to be black.

Those are my best troubleshooting pieces of advice and I hope one of them helps her.

[mongrelheart.livejournal.com]

I ran into a similar situation at work about 2 weeks ago. Here's something to try: Turn the computer off, and unplug it. Wait a few minutes, then plug in and start the computer. Best of luck!

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Ouch nasty. I really sympathise. My laptop went phut a couple of years agao and despite showing that it was on, working etc, the screen was black. It turned out that the backlight in the screen had gone kerblooey. If i let the sun shine on the screen or shone a torch on it I could just make out the screen so I did a lot of squinting for the 48 hours befoe I could get it fixed. I was lucky, the machine was still under guarantee so they just took it apart and put a new screen in. How one would fix it otherwise I don't know.

Might someone live locally with a spare monitor? I've got an old one upstairs but I don't think Wales is close enough.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Milliways might help. Milliways people are EVERYWHERE and remember gehayi fondly.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

i'm hoping someone locally can ring her and help her out, as she says, her internet is literally her lifeline.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

is that a community?

[essayel.livejournal.com]

milliways_bar is a HUGE rpg. Smaller than it used to be but I'm sure I played there with gehayi back in 2004. I don't think she plays there now but she'd be remembered and there's some real code monkeys there.

[sleveen.livejournal.com]

God, what a pain! Considering how we all depend on technology these days, it's a right kick in the teeth when something like this happens...

[asphodeline.livejournal.com]

My johnrw could help from a distance possibly - like bringing a plane in to land from the control tower! - but not sure how best to get hold of her. I might still have a phone number somewhere.

Any other method? Texting? Do you have a Gehyai mobile number?

[aunty_marion]

If she's got a Paypal account, I've got £10 left in mine from a knitting commission payment. I could spare half of that - every little helps!

At home diagnostics

[johnrw.livejournal.com]

Caught this from asphodeline
Diagnostics by either phone or email isn't easy!

Ok take a deep breath, and calm down. Next the suggestion about shutting everything down and leaving for several minutes has merit. But other than checking the seating of the power leads and unplugging and refitting the keyboard and mouse I'd leave well alone for now.

Ok from the top.

When you power up the computer should beep once, does it? if it either doesn't beep or beeps multiple times you have a system failure of some type. unfortunately the beep codes are not standard (see http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml for details and list of the most common BIOS beep codes)

How old is your system? if more than three/four years it's possible that the CMOS battery has died. It's normally a button/penny cell (such as the CR3025) mounted on the motherboard, and can be replaced (there is a beep code for this!)

The result of a dead battery is that when the system starts the BIOS doesn't know where to find the various bits and pieces. So once the cell has been replaced you have to start the boot process then enter the BIOS setup and enter the relevant information. But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Next is the smoke test. When you turn it on and it doesn't boot up leave it for a couple of minutes if you don't see smoke or smell burning insulation there's still hope.

Switching attention to the monitor for a moment modern monitors have built in on screen diagnostics (OSD) switch off the monitor (and, optionally, disconnect from the system box), Now switch on the monitor only - many monitors will for a show an error message before the energy saving feature causes it to go blank (dig out the manuals). testing further really needs someone to bring a laptop or netbook and plug it into the monitor.

From here I'm afraid the decision tree more complicated.

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

I just sent you a PM about how Shog might be able to help.

Re: At home diagnostics

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll pass this to gehayi when I can - hopefully she'll get back to the library today perhaps, but until she does, she won't be able to see it.

Thanks again!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you, hun

[erastes.livejournal.com]

She does, but of course she has that information - on the PC! A lesson to us all...

[erastes.livejournal.com]

He's left a message, which was kind of him, hopefully she'll get back to the library today and can contact some of these people, but of course she only has a limited time there. No mobile I'm afraid!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It's a lesson to us all to make sure we have stuff like phone numbers and account numbers on a piece of paper somewhere! I used the PC for everything too, recently when I was cut off, I couldn't even ring anyone!!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think she has tried that, sadly - but thanks!

[aunty_marion]

If she remembers her password, she ought to be able to log into Paypal from any computer, though...